By Barry Washkansky
While the West Coast always conjures up images of quaint fishing villages, wild Atlantic seas and good old fashioned Cape hospitality, I’m always disappointed in the drive. Somehow it always seems dry and cut off from the sea. I’m not sure why they couldn’t build the road nearer to the sea. I’m sure there’s a good reason, but whatever it is, I ’m not buying. That been said, once you arrive at your destination, you never want to leave.
The West Coast contains a treasure trove of places to visit, from the West Coast National Park all the way up to the Namibian border, and everything in between. We were only going as far as Langebaan, a mere hour and a half’s drive from Cape Town.
Langebaan is quite a busy little seaside town but still retains that good old West Coast fishing village atmosphere. Now, while there are many reasons to visit Langebaan, Golf is definitely one of them.
So, when I got an opportunity to visit the Langebaan Country Estate, I grabbed it. Not because I like golf, I don’t, but because I was curious to see what this Langebaan country Estate had to offer. It turns out quite a bit.
Langebaan Country Estate (LCE)
Langebaan Country Estate is a 450-hectare lifestyle estate combining residential and recreational accommodation and an abundance of sporting facilities, including bowls, tennis, a swimming pool and of course golf. It’s also situated in a protected reserve so expect to see a variety of buck and birds all over.
With all it has to offer the LCE is fast becoming a bustling residential and recreational hub. The holiday accommodation is a short golf cart ride to the golf course clubhouse and restaurant and takes you through the residential section, where kids ride bikes and people actually walk from one place to another.
The various restaurants offer a variety of food from traditional golf club fare to well-priced meat and fish dishes. Of particular interest were the alcohol specials on offer at the pub, the shorts were cheap enough to put anyone off their short game the next day. I stuck to beer.
So while the golf course is the pièce de résistance of the estate, there are enough activities to keep both adults and kids happy. The footgolf mashie course is great for soccer lovers, especially kids, the rustic putt-putt course quite cute in its design and the driving range excellent for practice, just watch you don’t hit one of the many buck often found strolling on the fairways.
This is, of course, all within the estate itself, there is still the town of Langebaan and surrounds to explore, with its quaint harbour, the famous Strandloper restaurant and the !Khwa ttu San Heritage Centre not far away in the region. Add to this a plethora of restaurants, galleries and cute shops and you’ll need more than a weekend in this delightful part of the West Coast.
