I kept thinking how bleak everything looked as we sped down the R27 towards Paternoster with such alacrity that rushed drivers created four lanes of traffic where just two exist. It was the time of year where the wheat fields where fallow - grey, almost. Vredenberg could be the most charmless place through which I've driven. So far the West Coast has lived up to my poor estimation of it. However, in the space between Vredenberg and Paternoster, the stark landscape takes on the beauty of purity. Seeing the white-washed houses and the crescent bay with the colourful fishing boats on the beach is worth risking life and limb on the R27 to get there. While finding our accommodation, the newly opened Strandloper Beach lodges, we noticed that nearly every house was available for holiday stays. Street vendors waved at us with live lobsters, still writhing in their carapaces, while girls sewed together shells to form garlands to sell.
The mist was heavy so when we checked in to our room, Selena in Ocean Four, we couldn't see beyond the picture window. The room, white on white, is fabulous. I loved the white painted wooden floors and rough timber doors that hint at the idea that we could be fisher folk, just back from a stay in Scandinavia where clean-lined design simplicity and high-thread count linens, overwhelmed our briny sensibilities. We didn't know, until two days later when the fog lifted, that we looked out over a river and onwards to a pristine piece of undeveloped land, disturbed only by thrill-seekers on motor-cross bikes and giant cranes that nest nearby.
The Ocean Lounge, where the excellent breakfast is served, is right on the beach along with other rooms. The whole complex is in a newly developed area of Paternoster, on the far side opposite the harbour. That said, we easily walked the full arc of the beach so nothing in the village is really very far from anything. It is important to remember that as a newly built complex, snags are still being attended to. The water-feature in our outside sitting area wasn't working and we couldn't connect to the free Wi-Fi but these teething problems will be soon resolved to provide deluxe barefoot-on-the-beach accommodation. Since George Clooney swept into our lives, a hotel without Nespresso machines is a hotel too many. I liked that there was a generous selection of Nespresso pods for our complimentary use although the collection of artisan chocolates was an evil temptation.
While the two-man bath and wash-basin area are open to the room, thankfully the toilet isn't. There's also an outside door from the shower for that inside/outside vibe but, for more surfer-dude cred, there's an outside shower too. I might have enjoyed our stay more had the weather been better because we couldn't take advantage of a comfy outside living area under cover of white-washed laths.
The village seems to cope well with the clash of cultures. Gentrification hasn't yet removed the slightly grimy energy of some of the hotels and pubs and, if there is a village fete as there was the weekend we visited, and the smoky smell of snoek on the braai completes only with boere-orkes music played through rusty speakers, it is possible to have an authentic experience that is hard to find elsewhere nowadays. For the sophisticate, cuisine options include the feted Gaaitjie, The Noisy Oyster and the charming but tiny garden restaurant, Oep ve Koep, attached to the local shop. The Voorstrandt Restaurant is about as close to dining on the beach as you will find - look out for its red-painted corrugated iron structure in the centre of the beach.
I still prefer Pringle Bay but something of the salty sea smell of row boats and tangled nets remains under my skin and I look forward to visiting again.
For more information call Newmark Hotels Head office +27 (0) 21 427 5900 and see
http://www.newmarkhotels.com/hotels/strandloper-ocean-lodge/.
