“Old Mac Daddy Had a (Designer) Farm”
Bet you never thought you’d hear the words luxury and trailer park together in a sentence.
Well, the Old Mac Daddy in Elgin is no Pimmit Hills Trailer Park. You know that one from My Name is Earl? Where Earl lives with wife Joy. And then Earl is replaced by crazy-eyes Darnell and his wifebeaters. Typical soapie stuff.
The Old Mac Daddy Restaurant, Brinny Breezes, moreover, is certainly no Crab Shack.
Really, the only thing these two things have in common is trailers, and even that is questionable as a fact since the Airstreams at Old Mac Daddy, a luxury trailer park in the scenic Elgin Valley in the Western Cape, are decidedly fancier than anything you’ll ever find within a galaxy of Pimmit Hills Trailer Park.
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Not to pick on trailer parks – they’re a great source of inspiration and creativity for comedians and screenwriters alike, but you certainly don’t want to fork out cash to stay in one. Old Mac Daddy, however, is worth every penny.
It’s touted as “Part wholesome caravan park, part designer farm lodge”, situated out in the countryside between vineyards and orchards. It’s the sister property to the just as kooky and eclectic Grand Daddy Hotel in Cape Town’s city centre, where you’ll find other Airstreams housed on the rooftop.
The slick silver vintage Airstream trailers were bought from America, sans one which was found on the border of South Africa and Angola. There are several trailer suites, lakeside units and a designer self-catering family house. Each trailer suite features its own theme, style and feeling, designed by artists from Cape Town.
The Old Mac Daddy is a unique concept that challenges the way other guesthouses and hotels do things, and it’s even won a Gold Loerie Award for its efforts.
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From King Midas to Dirkie Sanchez, it’s by the book or off the hook, making sure there’s something suitable for everyone, young and old, conservative and liberal and just plain cooked.
I’m somewhere in between all of those, so I chose the one with the bathtub and old school style wallpaper (Life Before Colour), because the wrestling bed didn’t seem like the best bet for a relaxing weekend away. But had it been a hen’s party… Dirkie Sanchez would been a winner, with its frilly skirts and slick latex wrestling sweats that unite in an X-rated Mexican mash-up with raunchy wrestling-inspired illustrations and dress-up outfits.
The Trailer Suites
The other trailers, set up high on a hill with a wooden walkway joining them include:
- For Better or For Boerewors – an authentic ode to South African life
- King Midas – where everything you touch turns to gold
- Give Bees a Chance – honeycomb, soft yellow bee dust and bold black
- Life Before Colour – a time capsule that takes you back to a simpler, easier world with a slowed-down pace
- Mills and Boon – “loosen your corset and melt into a swoon of pink, a marshmallow of kitsch and a sugary sweet sleep of reason that will dust all the cobwebs out of your romantic self”
- Private Life of Plants – bond with Darwin and retreat into the eccentric passion he had for nature
- Dream – inspired by Henri Rousseau’s painting The Dream (1910)
- Yellow Submarine – sexy gloss-yellow vinyl interior with flashes of silver and black like a James Bond fantasy
- Metalmorphosis – where the creativity of Dutch beer, Grolsch, design agency, Coley Porter Bell, and spatial specialist, Rotem Sachar meet
- Birdy – inspired by a bird-whistle and a sunny Spring day; great for love birds (who aren’t afraid to say “love birds”)
- Dig’it – where numbers take over and counting sheep isn’t hard as the constellation of stars comes into view
- Dirkie Sanchez
Time to Dine
You’ll definitely wine and dine better than Earl could ever imagine – in a giant wooden, very minimalist and modern barn where the restaurant is with its pizza oven, full bar, wood fires, and huge windows to peer out of at the countryside.
The food is delicious, whether breakfast, lunch or dinner, and there’s something for every palate. Pizza lovers won’t be let down either. Beer and pizza (wood-fired, thin based) may sound right up the trailer park alley but served in this beauty of a restaurant, with friendly service and a warm atmosphere, it’s a real treat.
Activities
Bring the kids, bring the swimming costume in summer to take a dip in the big communal pool, bring the mountain bikes or rent one from the Old Mac Daddy to explore the dusty farmland roads on – just watch out for the native farm dogs as you ride; they might or might not be all bark and no bite.
There’s plenty more to do in the area if you feel like exploring – from wine farms to more rigorous activities like hiking, quad biking, waterskiing, canoeing and fishing.
Leave the preconceptions, leave the dungarees, and spend a night in a vintage Airstream trailer the only way you’d ever want to and should.
Getting there
The Old Mac Daddy is accessible via the N2 leading out of Cape Town, only about a 45 minute drive away in the wine growing area of Elgin. Situated along South Africa’s south coast some 70 kilometers east of Cape Town, Elgin is host to many acclaimed vineyards, including Iona, Newton Johnson, Shannon Vineyards, Beaumont and Paul Cluver.
Contact us for more information and to start planning a trip into another world.
Cheers.
I’ll have one “Life before Colour”please…