Arniston is a lovely old fishing village with white thatch fisherman's cottages, sandy beaches and warm turquoise waters.
Arniston is a lovely old fishing village with long sandy beaches and many well-restored white thatch fisherman’s cottages (at Kassiesbaai). It’s a quiet place known for its exquisite turquoise sea. The sea is also warmer here, than at Hermanus, as it is east of Cape Agulhas where the warm Indian Ocean meets the cold Atlantic Ocean. It is also famous for its vast cave, Waenhuiskrans. The cave lies about 1 km from the town and can only be seen at low tide. There are not many hotel options available in Arniston. We recommend the Arniston Hotel & Spa with its prime location right on the ocean and close to the picturesque fishing village.
Close to Arniston is Cape Agulhas, the southern most point of Africa. While staying at Arniston, you can visit Cape Agulhas, Waenhuiskrans & De Hoop Nature Reserve.
Or you can opt to stay in the beautiful De Hoop Nature Reserve, to the west of Arniston. Here you find a stunning coastline of deserted beaches, rocky cliffs, coastal sand dunes, a freshwater lake and a turquoise sea. It offers wonderful whale-watching in season – sometimes even 50 whales at a time,
The walking trails through the fynbos at De Hoop are particularly fine and a ‘must’ if you are a keen bird-watcher. Wildlife includes the Cape mountain zebra, tortoises, ostriches and Bontebok. There are several nature trails of various lengths and mountain biking is also on offer.
There's now also a choice of accommodation from the more affordable but delightful De Hoop collection or the luxurious Morukuru Beach Lodge or the perfectly situated Lekkerwater.
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Lekkerwater Beach Lodge is on the site of an original holiday homestead which was requisitioned by the Government in the 80s. It is a simply gob-smacking location with views up and down this completely deserted beautiful stretch of beach. Basically this is as good as any beach destination in South Africa.
The main lodge is small but very charming and stylish in its décor. There is a large deck with a fireplace and also a netting overhang for lounging (sort of like a giant hammock)
There’s a short boardwalk down to the beach and hidden away is a kolkol Jacuzzi tub which you can book for private bathing session for an hour. Highly recommended though the water was also too warm!
They had to use the existing footprint of the homestead to create the lodge with seven new chalets. So that explains why the wooden chalets are all close together, and not that large. They are well-decorated, with a nautical theme.
Each room has a wood-burning fire which you need in the winter months. Huge floor to ceiling french windows give you an expansive sea view with a small deck with loungers. The seventh room is away from the rest and acts either as a honeymoon room or indeed a family room with a small upstairs area for children/teenagers with two extra beds.
We stayed for two nights which I felt was the right length or time as there are not a huge number of activties. We enjoyed a marine walk and a fynbos walk in the afternoon, both of which were good. But what it is really selling is its location.
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