On a recent trip to Somerset West, Mandy Latimore stumbled across Casa iLanga which boasts several accessible rooms and wonderful service
On my recent travels for lawn bowls, I needed to find accessible accommodation for more than one person requiring an accessible room. Usually, there is only one room per establishment.
So, I proceeded with my usual internet search and came across Casa iLanga Guest House in the town of Somerset West where we were going to be playing our competition!
The guest house is owned by Geertje, who was a carer for persons with disabilities in Belgium, and, after a couple of visits to Africa and South Africa, decided to make it her home. In order to generate an income for herself and her son, she purchased a property and decided to convert it into an entirely accessible property.
Situated in a quiet safe street with ample accessible parking which unfortunately isn’t covered, there is a double automatically opening door that allows access to the property.
There are five rooms of differing sizes that all offer step-free showers. One has a small kitchenette for a self-catering option. Each room has a colour theme and is adorned with amazing local art works.
All have air-conditioning and a tea and coffee station. The best feature is that the entire property is off the grid and so there is no hassle with loadshedding.
There is a lovely garden and pool (which is not wheelchair accessible) and the breakfast room has tables that accommodate people in wheelchairs.
There are fixed shower seats in most rooms, however there is a commode wheelchair available for those who prefer to use this. Geertje is looking at installing fold-down shower seats in some of the rooms as well.
Geertje and her staff go above and beyond to be of assistance, even assisting us with getting into and out of our cars. She will arrange for nursing facilities if required.
If you are thinking of visiting the Winelands or are in the area, this is definitely the place to stay! For more info visit www.casailanga.co.za.
Safe travels!
