Stay in a stone cottage next to a river and surrounded by mountains

At this quaint stone cottage at the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains you will be disturbed by nothing more than birdsong, 

- Riaan Hattingh.

We can suggest the perfect spot for a break if you are in search of peace and quiet. Then add a river running in front of the accommodation and forested mountains and hills all around, and you have found heaven.

Marius and Joeline Louw purchased the farm Laaiplaats, 6km from Ruiterbos in the Western Cape, in 1991. The 34ha farm consists of mainly mountains and forests. The Louws initially farmed cattle, then sheep, and later chickens. In each case they experienced major setbacks and then tried their hands at the next available option: build a cottage on the bank of the Leeukloof River and rent it out to visitors in need of a break.

BUILDING THE COTTAGE

After their last setback in farming, a former neighbour and friend invited Marius back into the corporate job market as a project manager in the building industry. Over the following six years, the Louw couple built the cottage during their free time over weekends.

During the week Marius worked in Sedgefield, and Joeline managed the shop and fuel station at Ruiterbos they owned at that time. Rocks for the cottage were sourced on the farm, and the wood used for frames, doors and bathroom accessories (towel rails, toilet paper holder, and so on) came from fallen yellowwood trees that were washed up on the banks of the Leeukloof River. This river runs into the Moordkuil River, which in turn mouths into the Indian Ocean at Kleinbrak.