Mooi River is a one-horse town – and the horse has long since died. This is how the small predominantly farming KwaZulu-Natal Midlands town was described to me ahead a trip there last week. Oh, but how wrong those would would be. Yes, it is small and, yes, farming dominates. But, man, was I surprised at how hard the people can party and just how fantastic those people are.
It was Wednesday afternoon and we popped into the Argyle Arms Country Inn for lunch. A sign on the door said the hotel was closing and there was a party that night. I was shocked. The hotel has been a feature in the town for 110 years. Closing down? Surely not.
But my fears were quashed when the new owner, Robin Boltman, said it was just a temporary measure while they did a revamp to the facilities. Not to worry, he assured me, it would be open again in two weeks’ time. In fact, he suggested, I should come to the party. It would be packed and would be “a massive jol”.
I reluctantly accepted, thinking: “Yeah, right. It’s a farming town. How good can it possibly be?”
But how wrong I was. I got there at 7pm and the party was already in full swing. Farmers and residents of the Bruntville informal settlement partied and drank alongside each other. It was loud, it was busy and it was a lot of fun.
Boltman hosted a pub quiz (my team came third, incidentally) as well as a game of Bingo (I didn’t do so well), and there was live singing for most of the night. It really was a great evening. When Boltman takes over the hotel from this month, he’s promised that these types of parties will be a regular thing.
“I want The Arge to be the entertainment Mecca of the Midlands. We will have weekly events like this and once a month there will be a big name person in town. The vibe here is great and the people are wonderful. it is a melting pot for all sorts of people. This is the place to be,” he said.
And he’s right. The options might be limited, but The Arge would be a great option no matter what it’s setting. The food is typical pub fare, but the quality is outstanding. The prices are good and the quantities meant my colleague and I had to take some of our lunch for leftovers.
The accommodation, while basic, is stop-on if you’re in town for a weekend away or just a midweek overnight stop. The hotel can accommodate about 36 people, in one large family room, two smaller family rooms and single and double rooms.
Each room has an en suite bathroom. “Some people think it’s an old hotel so, you’ll have to walk down the passage and share a communal bathroom. But that’s not the case,” Boltman says.
It’s also very reasonable. B&B costs R340 a night and the average meal R60. - Sunday Tribune