Enjoyed our stay at Elalini! Fantastically friendly owners and beautiful surroundings.

Excellent place to stay, pet friendly, great beds, food is even better. The pancakes and the award winning cheese cake alone makes me go back for more. Would recommend to anyone and everyone.

I read with disgust the two recent posts below regarding misleading advertising and the dirty rooms. Here is my story:I sent a request for accommodation via their website. My request was for one nights camping accommodation. I explained that I have a rooftop tent on my Jeep and I asked for a nice quiet spot.I had a reply from Lisa and the accommodation was booked and I paid a 50% deposit.Well, on arrival the afternoon of 30 December 2018 I was greeted by Lisa and she showed me their garden and said I could camp anywhere.Let me explain the layout. Their website is very misleading. There is a restaurant structure in front of the railway line, then to the one side and at the back there are a few smaller buildings which I assume are the cottages and bathrooms.They do NOT have camping sites. Their camping arrangement is one where you just pitch your tent on the grass somewhere.Lisa suggested I park my Jeep on the grass right next to the restaurant as indicated on the pic below.Firstly, the area isnt level at all. It is not possible to camp in a rooftop tent while you are parked at an angle.Then theres the space: There was a taxi parked where the vehicle is in the pic. Now have a look at a pic of my camping setup in the second photo. Just where and how does Lisa expect me to pitch that?Then theres the fact that there are no braai or wash-up facilities.I told Lisa that it was not acceptable for us to camp there and someone suggested I go and have a look at the other camping spots in the area.We left, and thankfully we managed to find a real camping spot not too far away.Now, I have been in contact with Lisa and Alex at Elalini and I requested that, in light of the above, and their misleading advertising, that they refund me the R150 deposit. But as I figured, they threw the no refunds policy at me.Alex confirmed, in writing, that Our camping sites are usually for smaller tents, 1 to 2 man tents.So, people please be aware:Their website is very misleading.There are no proper camping sites, unless youre in a one-man tent and are happy to just overnight and go.I do understand that it is a backpackers establishment, I get that. But Lisa should have, with my request for a rooftop tent quiet spot, have been honest with me.

Tranquil, pretty, great people and awesome pancakes!!! Biker friendly and an excellent stopover to recharge in beautiful surroundings!Douglas & team are an awesome bunch. Well worth the visit!

Chilled out place. Good food and friendly staff. Rustic and will go again if we are in the area.

Rustic setting in an old railway station.Restaurant serves great food with a big smile!

Great accommodation, setting, atmosphere, staff, amazing food, gift shop selling herbal and aromatherapy biodegradableSkincare products! stargazing, laughter, pet friendly, sometimes events and drumming, beautiful nature environment, unharmed by recent fires

Amazing atmosphere..Beautiful place highly recommended....

Super chilled and relaxed. Nice facilities and great food!

Cozy place bringing back many memories as I grew up there. Friendly staff and delicious food.

Flippin Knys: amazing off the beaten path gem. Delicious pancakes and scenery. Its a very serene atmosphere. The theme is based on the old Outeniqua Choo Choo - with pictures a d railroad coffee. Its near Buffelsbay and would be perfect to include in a day trip. There is also a backpackers here.

Rustic with GREAT food. Pancakes and cheesecake to die for.

Arrived at 15:00, rooms were not ready to begin with. They put 6 of us and 3 dogs in a different room than we had booked for that was super small and dirty with 3 bunk beds. It was not advertised as a backpackers accommodation and we paid R1830 for this room. The bathroom was full of mold and was poorly maintained with broken things and seemed to be the living quarters of the owner. The shower head was held in place by an old dirty bandage. The pictures on AirBnB only shows their best room. We had to share one bathroom between 13 people. Smelled like sewage. There was not enough cups and glasses to accommodate 13 people living in one small house together. None of the people that stayed with us were made aware that we would be sharing the same house. Two different groups of people whom also had a booking, got there but left due to disappointment and disgust and were also lured in by false advertising. We eventually just placed ourselves into the room that we booked for but we were told we were not allowed to stay in. We then only had 3 beds for 6 people and no alternative was arranged for us nor was there any help from staff to accommodate us for what we actually booked and paid for two months in advance! There were too many cars and not enough parking. People that wanted to leave early were left stuck due to being parked in by each other.If youre a backpacker this might be suited, but it was definitely overpriced for what we thought we were getting.Based on what happened to us and 3 other groups of people in one afternoon, we suspect that false advertising is at play. The staff that was in charge told us that they are not allowed to advertise on AirBnB as a backpackers accommodation, our question is why is it on AirBnB to begin with then?!Skelms!

Fantastic place to stay. Eat and relax

Elalini backpackers and Flippin knys resturant has the loveliest workers and views. Their pancakes are definitely to die for and the service us the fastest Ive ever had! Thank you so much Elalini.

O my soul the pancakes are good here

Great food. Pancakes are a must #pancakes #easyfood #backpackers #funinthesun

Off the N2 and up off the road on the left going down to Buffels Bai youll find a rustic little plave nestled in the hillside called Elalini and the Flippn Knys Restaurant. Lovely refuge from everything if your traveling/exploring or just out for a bite to eat. With wonderful views of mountains, big blue skies, 5 star gourmet food this the perfect stop for a quaint breakfast, leisurely lunch or a romantic dinner on the outdoor porch. Definitely make this a stop on your way along the Garden Route in South Africa! Youll be treated with the friendliest service with the utmost attention!! The owner is always busy but never misses the chance to visit with travelers or catch up with regulars. After 2 visits, I felt like a regular. There are plenty of activities near by. Oh and did I mention the food?...amazing!!! Loved the their take on fish -n- chips. Their pancakes are delicious whether you go savory or sweet. And, they make the biggest burger that I have seen in Africa!! Dont miss this hidden gem!!

Good food and great service

Wonderful surroundings and great service 🙂

Enjoying the beautiful scenery and hospitality..

Very good service, great breakfast

Clean neat with great service

Wonderful place to stay with natural feeling

No warm water. And the bathroom is dirty

Nice and relaxed place

Loved this backpackers place

Pancakes, pancakes

Poor service..