Beachfront Archives - Page 2 of 2

Le Boucan Canot, St. Gilles les Bains

Resort hotel in a great location on this unusual island

This large hotel has 44 rooms and suites including 38 standard rooms. The property has the aire of a resort style hotel with all the amenities you would expect. It is perfectly located on the main beach of the island and can be accessed relatively easily from the main airport.

About the Location

From here it is relatively easy to drive to the town of Cilaos perched high in the centre of this spectacular island. You can enjoy paragliding, mountain biking (for the fit!) and canyoning as well as deep sea fishing. The volcano is a 2 1/2 hour drive and then a long hike at 8,000 ft but you can also take a helicopter tour of the volcano and island. You would normally combine this hotel with others closer to some of the key tourist locations.

St Alexis, St Gilles les Bains

An unusual, luxurious hotel on the main beach of the island

This is one of the most unusual hotels we have encountered. From the time you enter the reception area with its model of the boat (St Alexis) that brought the French to Reunion) and underwater views of the pool, you know that this hotel is different. It is large with 58 rooms and suites of varying sizes and all on the ground floor have a terrace with direct access to the pool which winds its way around the hotel complex. Accommodation is spacious and decoration is sophisticated using cool and uncluttered schemes. Bathrooms are also larger than normal. There is direct access to a great beach, which has a semi private feel at the quieter end of this popular bay. There is an excellent restaurant serving a variety of well-prepared dishes at tables that are on a terrace overlooking the beach as well as inside. The hotel has gym and spa facilities in addition to several Jacuzzis located around the pool.

About the Location

Although the hotel fronts onto a busy street in popular St Gilles, once you are inside the hotel you are in a different world where you will be able to relax. From the hotel, you can drive into the mountain regions around Cilaos. This is a 3-hour drive along tortuous roads providing some of the most spectacular views on the island. You may want to use the hotel as a stylish base and combine it with a couple of nights in Cilaos. We also recommend taking an organised day tour to the volcanic southeastern side of the mountain where you will be able to walk out on lava flows by the sea that are still steaming! For the volcano, La Fournaise, we suggest a helicopter tour unless you are very fit and enjoy hiking at high altitudes.

The Marine Hotel, Hermanus

This is luxury accommodation at its finest, equivalent to the top international hotels but distinctly South African. The 46 rooms are beautifully decorated in the unique, luxuriously restful style established by the late Liz McGrath. This is a sister hotel to The Cellars – Hohenort (Cape Town) and The Plettenberg Bay Hotel. These are all top of the range 5 star hotels with a level of service that is second to none.

About the Location

The hotel is situated right on the cliff top overlooking Walker Bay. In fact from the windows of some of the suites you will be able to watch the whales in the bay between June and December.You will also be able to arrange a boat trip to see these magnificent creatures at close hand. There are two top restaurants – one featuring local seafood in a more casual, bistro type setting. If you don’t want to use the sea, which is a short walk down some steps from the grounds, you will be able to swim in the pool located near one of the restaurants. There is a health spa and, as you would expect a very imaginative gift shop.

Fairlight, Umdloti, KwaZulu-Natal, North Coast

Fairlight is right by a great beach on the Indian Ocean and walk to restaurants

Fairlight was the original building in this area over 100 years ago. Dating back to the early 1900’s, the house was built by Squire Bacon – Margaret Bacon Avenue is named after his wife. The Squire often enjoyed watching a particular trading schooner from England sailing past his house. Its name was ‘Fairlight’, and his house found a name. The property is rated 5 star and is alongside one of the finest bathing beaches on the North Coast. The 4 bedrooms and 2 suites (1 ideal for a family) are beautifully decorated and comfortable although the beds tend to be firm. All the rooms are sea facing and two can be used on a self-catering basis and for families. You will be able to enjoy the sumptuous breakfast overlooking the pool or the Indian Ocean.

About the Location

This property is conveniently located between Durban and the Game Reserves and just 20 minutes from Durban Airport. The area has many activities to keep even the most active people occupied. This includes Scuba Diving, Horse Riding, surfing, golf and for those who enjoy the finer things in life there are excellent restaurants a short walk away.

Singing Kettle, Plettenberg Bay

Great beach side location overlooking the Indian Ocean

A great option for families seeking a property right by a beach, and couples who are looking for a romantic location. You can lie in bed and listen to the sound of the Indian Ocean and in season (June to December) the haunting cries of the whales that come into the bay to mate and calve. The property has 6 beautiful rooms, tastefully decorated in light colours that compliment the bright light that is a feature of an ocean side location. The rooms are located on the first floor of the building that boasts one of the renowned restaurants in the Plettenberg Bay area. Although strictly speaking this is a self-catering establishment, the owner provides basic essentials such as tea & coffee, milk, yoghourt and granola for breakfast.

About the Location

Plettenberg Bay with its bustling centre and more glorious beaches is a 10-minute drive away. The local beaches are excellent for walking although the tides on Kettle Beach do not make it suitable for swimming. A short walk along the beach, however, will take you to Arch Rock, which as its name implies is a natural arch. Through this there is a lagoon that is good for swimming. Sitting, having lunch at the restaurant is where we have had our most frequent sightings of huge schools of dolphins that come to frolic in the surf. This is a really idyllic location and perfect for an active family.

Milkwood Manor, Plettenberg Bay

A true beachfront hotel in the heart of the Garden Route

Milkwood Manor must have one of the best locations on The Garden Route. It is adjacent to Lookout Beach, which is one of the three main beaches in Plettenberg Bay. The 11 bedrooms are beautifully appointed, stylishly decorated and are a reasonable size. Many have balconies with views over the tidal lagoon. If the beach isn’t enough then you can relax with a drink beside the pool or on the terrace overlooking the lagoon.

About the Location

This location is an ornithologist’s dream with a wonderful range of bird species right outside your bedroom window. The hotel has a Thai restaurant, open from October to April, reflecting the owner’s part Asiatic origins. If you need alternative cuisine then the Lookout Deck is just across the car park. This is a renowned local haunt where you can order excellent seafood and grills overlooking the Indian Ocean. The centre of Plettenberg Bay is a short drive away and, for the energetic, you can walk into the centre.

Oyster Bay Beach Lodge, Oyster Bay, Cape St Francis

Out of the way charm

If you are looking for accommodation that is different and in a remote location but relatively easy to get to, then Oyster Bay could be for you. The 10 bedrooms and 4 Cape Dutch style chalets are simply furnished but comfortable. The lodge serves breakfast, a simple lunch and dinner.

About the Location

There is a reasonably sized pool but you are within easy walking of an incredible beach that has the feel of being part of Oyster Bay Lodge. Even in the height of the summer season when nearby Jeffrey’s Bay is heaving with surfers, this location has a wonderful ‘get away from it all’ feel. You should note that access to Oyster Bay is 25 kms along a good quality gravel road. Accommodation can be provided on a dinner, bed & breakfast, bed & breakfast or self-catering basis.

Ocean View Hotel, Coffee Bay, The Wild Coast

A charming location by the side of a spectacular beach

For the adventurous, Coffee Bay will reward you with a beautiful beach, rugged coastline near to the impressive ‘Hole in the Wall’ which is one of the Wild Coast’s renowned views. Ocean View is a simple hotel comprising 30 double rooms (most en suite) some with stunning views over the ocean. We were particularly impressed by the spectacular sunrises! The pretty grounds extend down to the beach and include a pool and bar. The food in the dining room is simple, traditional South African fare served by friendly and obliging Xhosa locals. By South African standards this offers good, if slightly simple, but inexpensive accommodation.

About the Location

Coffee Bay can be reached from the N2 highway near Umtata, along a reasonable tarred road but there are potholes and free roaming domestic and wild animals that means a good hour’s drive. To get to Coffee Bay you will most likely either fly into Port Elizabeth or Durban (7 hour’s drive) or to Umtata (less frequent flights but only 1 hour’s drive. Driving through the Transkei, as this area of the Eastern Cape is known, is an experience – this is ‘real’ Africa with bustling towns and markets and the hill tops dotted with pretty rounds huts. It is, however, a relatively poor area and you will see scenes of poverty, over grazing and appalling soil erosion. Once you arrive at Coffee Bay, however, you will be rewarded with one of the most scenic coastal vistas and a beach that has been voted one of the best in South Africa.

The Bay Hotel, Camps Bay

If you are looking for a stylish beach-side luxurious hotel – The Bay Hotel is for you

This is a well-known hotel with one of the best beach-side locations in the Cape Town area. Just 10 minutes drive from the Table Mountain Cableway and the bustling city centre; you will be a short walk across the road to one of the most popular beaches in The Cape. The accommodation and public areas has been the subject of an extensive refurbishment and in our view offers excellent accommodation at a reasonable price. The hotel has good facilities including restaurants, a wellness centre and two pools but its location means that you will be within easy walking distance of some well-rated restaurants in the busy centre of Camps Bay.

About the Location

This is a good base for touring around the scenic Cape Peninsula and Table Mountain beckons from most windows. You should note that during the main South African school holidays, especially over Christmas and New Year, the Camps Bay area becomes very busy.