A trip down to the Cape West Coast is a real treat … even more so when it includes a few days‘ stop-over in Paternoster.
One of the oldest fishing villages on the West Coast, it’s all white-washed fisherman’s cottages and massive boulders, lobsters and mussels, jagged cliffs and gorgeous beaches.
Stay …
Paternoster is awash with self-catering and guest house accommodation … our preference goes hands down to the Gonana Collection. There’s a guesthouse, two fully-furnished, self-catering houses and an exclusive three-roomed Villa, all part of the Cape Country Routes collection. And they’ve recently added three self-catering studios … the Scallop, Oyster and Mussel studios.
As with the original guesthouse, Paternoster’s first sustainable and environmentally conscious guesthouse and brainchild of Swedish entrepreneur and interior designer Jonas Sandström, the trio of studios are rich in detail, exquisite in taste, and above all else, considerate to the environment. So you’ll be living off-the-grid, with solar panels providing sustainable energy.
With an Afro-Scandi vibe, the studios have been beautifully thought out, and are wonderfully comfortable. With one queen bed and sleeper couch, each comfortably sleeps three – and a pet, since four-legged friends are welcome! The beds are extra length, with high-quality, 100 per cent organic bedding and pillows, and there’s a neat compact bathroom with shower.
For those who want to eat in, there’s a fully fitted kitchenette with a gas hob and all the utensils you could possible need, and a small dining room table. The studios have a welcome fruit basket (so appreciated … we always arrive starving!) and are fully serviced (no time for making beds on holiday).
There are also two private terraces … one fully enclosed out back, another at the front with a braai, both with dining tables and chairs. The studios, set just one road back and about 50 metres from the beach, overlook the small, secluded indigenous garden. For lazy afternoons, there are recliners for relaxed sunbathing and there are private, outdoor showers. If you visit in Winter, make sure you try the Kolkol – a South African made, four-seater spa bath-type tub heated by wood fire, hidden in the garden between the fynbos.
The only thing you won’t find is a television … thank heaven, since this is a spot to relax, unwind, snooze, read, chat, explore. Just lovely!
Play …
Loads of activities in and around the village … hikes and cycling tracks through the Columbine Reserve, horse riding on the beach, and scenic kayaking trips … spot the dolphins, seal, penguins and, in winter, whales. The greatest fun of all is the WoweBikes tour. It’s brilliant for the whole family, and you don’t have to be particularly fit, either … we had one seasoned, ultra-fit mountain bike rider in our party, and then the complete opposite … unfit, hadn’t been on a bike for 50 years, and no balance or co-ords at all.
A three minute (wobbly) test around the car park, then off to the beach for an hour-and-a-half coast line ride. Massively enjoyable, and easy peasy … particularly once the not-a-bike-rider discovered the accelerator button, and raced along, passing all! There’s the beach option and a Cape Columbine tour, which meanders through the nature reserve, past Tieties Bay (depending on who you chat to, named after a well-known fisherman Jacob Titus, who drowned there, or from the massive smooth round boulders on the beach and in the sea) and up to the lighthouse (built in 1936, it’s perched on Castle Rock, and is open for visitors to climb … views from the top take in the whole of the village).
Eat …
Paternoster is home to some sensational restaurants – including Wolfgat (a tiny spot that boasts being awarded Restaurant of the Year at the World Restaurant Awards in Paris in 2019), Voorstrandt (sitting right on the beach in an historic red and green house), De See Kat (on the water’s edge … build your own seafood platter … brilliant) and the incredible, can’t-miss-it Leeto at The Strandlooper (amazing chilled views over the beach and ocean, first class service and fine, fine dining … the Spring Risotto’s worth travelling for).
For a hippy vibe, hit the Noisy Oyster, where there’s a fun, flirty menu in a bright arty garden setting; for those travelling with children, The Waffle Wharf is tremendous … breakfast waffles, savoury versions and dozens and dozens of sweet, sweet options too.
For guests at the studio who don’t want to make breakfast, you can select to have breakfast at the guesthouse, a short walk away.
Info …
Rates for Oyster studio from R1950 per couple per night, R300 for children 1 to 18. Breakfasts at guesthouse additional R150 per person.
Gonana Collection: [email protected] or www.gonanaguesthouse.com
Cape Country Routes: capecountryroutes.com WOWeBIKES: [email protected] or 083-261-9921.
Compiled by: Kym Argo
