It’s a little over a year that I opened Rest Inn Knysna.
It was just after the devastating Knysna fires, June 2017 that I decided to renovate a disused apartment space, that had long been a rather large and imposing storage facility. The initial idea was to offer accommodation on a long-term basis, in an effort to address the long-term accommodation crisis in Knysna.
However, once I had analysed my quirky personality, it was patently clear to me that I don’t really have the make up to live cheek to jowl with humanity on a permanent basis. Cats. Give me cats! Those I can co-habit with eternally in copious amounts, but people…not so much.
Don’t get me wrong here. I am at the core a sociable soul, but I kept reminding myself of an expression a cousin used to use. “After a week or so, guests are like fish. They start to stink”.
I have not found that to be true. In fact quite the opposite.
One might call it “luck of the draw”, but I have had a steady stream of intrepid travellers, ranging from a Romanian family to a highly memorable “crowd” from Mitchells Plain.
The Romanian family was awesome. We discussed Gypsies at length. They even left me a beautiful gift on their departure.
The Mitchells Plain family was a laugh and a half. They booked for two adults and a baby. Since I accommodate four, this was a perfect booking. Well, just after sunset, two cars pulled in. Unless the baby was driving the Corsa, and the two adults the Toyota, we seemed to be over the peeps limit. Once parked, the doors opened, and although I scanned between the luggage, the cooler boxes and the avocado pears, there was no evidence of a hidden child. So it appeared that seven were sleeping. Once I pointed out the problem, the most gregarious of the guests announced that the King bed was so huge, they never had a problem sleeping together!!
Not wanting to spoil the holiday jollity, I left things be. So they paid for 2 and a half. So what. Sometimes money cannot buy a moment. I think the cherry on the top of this episode, came the following day. You see, my best buddy and neighbour is a coloured lady. She eyed this bunch and then announced in a very matter of fact way, “You white people. You don’t understand our culture. If coloured people visit, there will never be the head count you expected. If two are coming for dinner, cook for ten. If you expect fifty at a wedding, cater for a hundred. If you are sleeping two and half, make seven beds!”
Welcome to Rest Inn Knysna
Where everyday is a holiday!