I guess the thing that stands out in Laaiplek, for me, is the tranquility. It is most certainly for my wife and I an amazing place to rest and recharge batteries.
Laaiplek is about 2 km’s away from the town of Veldrif, and the Municipality of Veldrif which governs this whole area. The Berg river runs past both towns and is home to an enormous amount of birds. There are innumerable Cormorants, Seagulls, a few Pelicans and the absolutely gorgeous Flamingos. The Flamingos are mostly found in the salt pans used by the local Salt Industry. Their pink hue is amazing to see. There are also Kingfishers – I spotted a Pied Kingfisher this last weekend, it had caught a small fish and was enjoying a quick meal on one of the jetties near the hotel. The Cormorants make a daily pilgrimage out to sea starting early in the morning and you can watch these birds fly out in a stream constantly for something like 3 hours… and in the afternoon they return from about 15h30, once again a steady stream of birds that seems like it will never end. I included a video of this in the video clip of our 2023 Visit below.
There are a number of places to stay in Laaiplek, most notably the Laaiplek Hotel. This is a down to earth “family” hotel, with no airs or graces about it. The cooking is homestyle, and the service comes with a smile. One is made to feel welcome. Currently the hotel is in a cycle maintenance and repair that is taking place now. they are also in the process of restructuring the layout, so things may seem disorganized, but do not let that put you off. Their rooms are comfortable and very affordable.
It is one of our favourite getaway destinations and we are always blown away by the raw beauty of nature, the river, the sea, the birdlife and of course also the fishing vessels based there.
The fishing industry is controlled by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of the South African Government and the Laaiplek harbour area is fenced off but accessible by gate. There is a lovely beach and long walks can be enjoyed there. The sea water is a bit cold for swimming unfortunately.
The hotel is flanked by the Amawandle Pelagic fish processing plant. One would think that the noise of the factory and the smells would be bothersome, but in fact one can barely notice it. The fishing trawlers off load the catch within sight of the Hotel. This is always an interesting event because the factory is on the bank of the Berg River right next door to the hotel. The trawlers have to maneuver carefully because of the sandbanks and it calls for some interesting seamanship at times (at least in the opinion of a complete landlubber, which I am…). Anyway I always look forward to watching the vessels come in to offload their cargo.
The Laaiplek Hotel is owned by and operated by the Eigelaar family who also has a fleet of fishing vessels.
Their official website is: https://www.eigevis.com/eigevis-fishing-trawlers.php
Laaiplek Hotel: https://www.eigevis.com/laaiplek-hotel.php
Riviera Hotel: https://www.eigevis.com/riviera-hotel.php
Chalets: https://www.eigevis.com/riviera-chalets.php
Hoedjiesbaai Hotel: https://www.eigevis.com/hoedjiesbaai-hotel.php
I attach two links to video clips on my youtube channel Basil’s Channel. Enjoy the videos and if you do then please click the “Like” button on my youtube channel. Thanks for watching!
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