Whale Watching in Hermanus
Hermanus is regarded as the whale watching capital of South Africa. By Land - By Boat - By Air
Hermanus is regarded as the whale watching capital of South Africa. By Land - By Boat - By Air
The Old Harbour Open-Air Museum is a provincial heritage site. It is unique in that apparently it is one of only two fishing harbours in the world that has been conserved in tact.
meanders for almost 11 kilometres along the coast from the New Harbour in the west to the estuary at the mouth of the Klein River in the east.
After starting our journey from Hermanus our very first evening and stay was at a delightful hotel right at the point of Mossel Bay and arriving at the promenade at dusk with the sky a salmon pink above the mist and surfers and boats silhouettes in the ocean reflection there was a mystical quality of beauty in it all.
Friendly staff welcomed us at the Point Hotel to the west on the very edge of the Mossel Bay peninsula where book-in was a swift matter due to well organised referrals by the Windsor Hotel and very helpful front house staff transporting our luggage per lift to the spacious 3rd and 4th floor rooms with breathtaking views right above the ocean.
Beyond the spacious twin beds and large screen TV a comfortable lounging area with flask of chilled water on the table opened with sliding doors onto a balcony where the fresh Indian Ocean breeze brought a sense of well being and peace. Stacked beach chairs and umbrella will transform the balcony on a sunny day into a wonderful haven for a good read or viewing the ebb and flow of the tide into the rock pools.
We met downstairs and stepped down into the sunken dining area an interesting variety of fragrant Indian dishes were on display at the buffet counter and although tempting we opted for the a la carte menu while sipping a refreshing beer and unwinding after a long and rewarding trip before an excellent steak was served.
The foghorn started sounding in the background and added to the maritime experience and I wondered if the fog bank will move in closer.
After a hot shower in the bath cum shower and crispy white towels as well as fragrant toiletries and even a shower cap bed was calling. After charging laptop and phone I tried to watch the last part of a good movie on the large screen but from the 4th floor the waves formed a perfect backdrop to a snug sleep under a fluffy white duvet in a very comfortable bed with the fresh sea breeze and occasional faint flash of the lighthouse.
The next morning revealed the sandy gully of low tide in front of the hotel and languid breakers in the distance promised a wonderful day. We met downstairs for a superb breakfast including fresh fruit salad and delicious chocolate croissants and spoke to some of the staff and other visitors as well as members of an Indian family tour group with quite a few energetic but well behaved children getting ready for one of the many adventure outings the family orientated Point Hotel offers where children are content and cared for. We went exploring outside to see what was to view with the ancient cave and St Blaize Lighthouse to the land side above the hotel.
This archaeologically important Cape St Blaize cave is around 200,000 years old with the manned lighthouse directly above the easily accessible cave within a short walking distance of the hotel at 52 metres above sea level a beacon since 1864 and open to the public during the week. It reminded me of a previous official visit to Mossel Bay when we were privilege to visit the Pinnacle Point caves excavations whilst it was being electronically recorded by an archaeology team. What a fascinating area so rich in history.
Various large vessels were seen in the bay and drifting past as Mossel Bay harbour has two off shore mooring buoys for feeding gas and oil resulting from Mossgas that started out in the area in the late 1980s.
We had a warm and generous farewell from the Point Hotel staff and visitors from Bombay as we left the spacious parking area in front on our way to the local tourism bureau and further on along the coast!
Rated overall comfortable stay, friendly staff, lovely sleep and good food with the most magnificent view from rooms of all accommodation by far!
written by Elizabeth du Toit
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