Hello from South Africa!

The last days of summer are here and winter is around the corner…we are preparing ourselves for some cold and rainy days, but will never stop exploring our beautiful country!

Anne travelled up the West Coast

Up Cape Town’s west coast, approx. 2 hour drive from Cape Town, lies the small fishing village of Paternoster. In Paternoster, situated on a dune at one of the many beaches, lies Gonana, a small and charming guesthouse with only 7 rooms.

The white walled guest house is lovingly decorated with furniture created mostly out of wood. You can enjoy uninterrupted views of the ocean from the upper floor which houses the lounge, balcony, breakfast area and small kitchen.

No TV, no radio, you only hear and see the ocean 😊. It is breath-taking and just so peaceful.

6 rooms are on the ground floor, of which 3 are facing towards the sea and have direct access to the small garden, which in turn leads directly to the beach through a small gate.

The other 3 rooms face the rear of the property, towards the small salt water pool. The seventh room is a family room, and is situated on the upper floor, with direct access to the lounge.

We had a lot of rain on the day of our visit, but this did not stop us from exploring the Cape Columbine Lighthouse and the surrounding coastline of the nature reserve. In the evening we sat in the small Waterfront of Paternoster and ate freshly caught fish for dinner.

A very tasty buffet breakfast was served in the morning, with the option of cooked eggs served if desired.

Anne also spent one night in the valley of wine and roses

We spent one night in Robertson, a small town in the Western Cape, only about 2 hours drive from Cape Town, and what a great day it was 😊.

The village was founded in 1853 and features several provincial heritage sites, such as the Pink Church, the Robertson Museum, the Edwardian-style house at 12 Piet Retief Street, the Victorian-style house at 59 Van Reeneen Street and the Powder House, which was used as a store for gunpowder in the old days.

There are also interesting art galleries and small craft shops, and different activities available, such as sky diving or taking a leisurely wine tasting cruise on a small river boat on the Breede River.

Robertson is also the starting point of the famous R62 scenic route – a scenic drive that stretches from the Western Cape to the Eastern Cape, offering a bouquet of magnificent landscapes, farms and farmstalls, restaurants, curio shops and a wide variety of activities… but this is a story for a different day 😊.

Back to Robertson – we stayed at Gubas De Hoek. This is a small, simple guesthouse situated in the heart of Roberston. They have 8 comfortable guest rooms and 2 self-catering units. The rooms are small and clean and offer all the creature comforts, and a good breakfast is served in the garden in the morning.

As we visited during summer, with averages of +38 degrees Celsius, the swimming pool and garden loungers situated under beautiful trees in the garden, were more than welcome.

The guest house is situated next to one of Roberston’s major roads and therefore easy to find and it makes it possible to walk to the shops and restaurants during the day.

The area offers a wide variety wine tasting, and sales of not only white and red wines, but also sparkling wines, fortified wines, gin and beer.

A trip to the Nuy Valley and/ or Mcgregor is also worth a drive, as this would allow you to sample most of these locally made drinks. Each area is within a 20 minute drive from Robertson, just in opposite directions.

There is also a Donkey Sanctuary close to Mcgregor for animal lovers to visit. This is a sanctuary where rescued donkeys are rehabilitated, and education and training are provided to the community so that they can better care for their donkeys. Well worth a visit.

It was a fantastic day away from the hustle and bustle of Cape Town.

Corona Update from South Africa

South Africa is still on Level 1

• Wearing a mask is still compulsory at all times!
• Curfew hours are still from midnight until 4am!
• The cumulative recoveries now (09.05.2021) stand at 1 516 256, representing a recovery rate of 95%.
• The number of Health Care Workers vaccinated under the Sisonke Protocol to date is 382 480.
• The 7 day average of new Corona cases in South Africa is 2094.

Product News from South Africa

• Closure of Honeyguide Mantobeni due to weather damage

• Commodore Hotel & Queen Victoria Hotel in Cape Town are currently closed until further notice

• Le Quartier and Leeu House are closed until demand picks up

• Tsogo Sun Hotels has a new addition – De Stellenbosch – watch this space!

 

We are still looking ahead – into a brighter and better future for tourism!