A couple of week's ago we spent the morning at 'Yekelela', which is a short drive from my parent's home here in the Eastern Cape. So, what is 'Yekelela' I hear you ask ? Well, it's a place with magnificent views over both the bush and the ocean which is also a fantastic family friendly venue .... described as a 'play and guest farm'.
Yekelela has a central restaurant/bar (the thatched building pictured above) with wooden deck with magnificent views out over the African bush (as seen in the photo below). Surrounding this is one of the nicest children's play areas I've seen in Africa ....
The play area is set out around a giant fig tree (below) and includes jungle gyms, climbing ropes, a wooden boat suspended above the ground, a real 'Tarzan' swing rope, sandpit, cement track for riding bicycles around, and a treehouse. It's a fantastic place for kids and will keep them amused for hours - gosh, even I wouldn't mind being a child again with a play area like this to explore !
The swings (below) have a great view out over the bush to the ocean beyond .................
And the shaded trampolines (below) also have a magnificent view ...................
There is also a small 'touch farm' attached to the play area, where children can feed and pet small farm animals such as goats, ducks etc. In addition they have self catering accommodation and camping facilities aswell as several small dams and rivers which you can walk - or bike ride - down to. You can even hold your child's birthday party there !
We had a light lunch there and I must be honest and say that the food is what really lets the venue down (in both quality and value for money) - which is a great pity as in every other area they are tops ! The menu is nice enough - offering a selection of toasted sandwiches, cakes and muffins and child friendly options such as hotdogs. We ordered toasted sandwiches & that is exactly what we got ... 2 slices of toast (no butter), a filling and ............ that was it. No garnish, no small side salad or perhaps a handful of crisps. Nothing. My daughter's hotdog wasn't much better - a boiled sausage slapped onto a bread roll.
Quite disappointing when just a few small tweaks would've made the dining experience that much nicer ... and needn't take a lot of effort or cost .... the toasted sandwiches served with a fresh herb garnish, perhaps ? A small side salad .... the sandwiches cut into wedges and fanned out on the plate. The hotdog sausage cut with criss cross patterns before being boiled, served with a small side dish of relish or tomato sauce /ketchup & a colourful paper napkin. The possibilities are endless ..... anyway, aside from the disappointing food this is a highly recommended venue if you are ever in the area, and most especially if you have children and would like a fun morning/afternoon out.
Yelelela opening times are Saturday's, Sunday's & Public Holiday's (excluding Tuesday's) from 10h00 to 16h00 although it can be hired as a birthday/function venue on any day of the week. The playground entrance fee is R10,00 per child and adults are free. For more information and to find out where they are, visit their website here.
