Arniston was never on my bucket list of places to visit, just because I hadn’t really thought about it and if not for an invitation from Cape Country Routes to the Arniston Spa Hotel — the only hotel in the village — I may never have discovered this gem of a place at all.
With more and more South Africans opting for staycations as the cost of living soarsand travelling overseas is punitive, a couple days stay at Arniston is as good as a holiday gets.
It has a landscape and charm all of its own, punctuated by fishermen cottages and white sand.
It’s incredibly quaint and there are loads of activities for a family to enjoy.
It’s only two hours from Cape Town, a meander through the Overberg mountains.
Arniston is a small fishing dorpie, close to Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa.
Before the shipwreck of the Arniston, it was called (and still is by some) Waenhuiskrans which is the Afrikaans name for the cave here which is big enough to accommodate a wagon and a span of oxen.
In May 1815, the British East India boat named Arniston was rounding the Cape in convoy on a journey to repatriate wounded British soldiers from Ceylon.
This ship was wrecked on the rocks at Waenhuiskrans, with only six of 378 people surviving.
The survivors spent a couple of days on the beach before being discovered by a farmer’s son, and a memorial was later erected on the beach.
Most visitors make a point of walking to the replica of this memorial..
The highlight of my visit was our stay at the Arniston Spa Hotel, first built in 1933.
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As children we were privileged to go on holidays to family hotels on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal. They were all on the beach like the Arniston Spa Hotel.
As children, we roamed freely on holiday and pretty much saw our folks only for meals.
In front of the Arniston Spa is a huge lawn where children play and if they go to the beach parents can keep an eye on them from the hotel.
During school holidays this hotel also offers a children’s club which includes arts and crafts, games, billiards, table tennis and all sorts of things to keep them occupied while parents relax.
The whole vibe is old-fashioned, just solidly plain good. Staff at reception have worked here for years.
Long ago, Arniston was isolated, there were poor roads and a shortage of potable drinking water.
In the early 20th century, families from the Strandveld, Cape Town and the Overberg went by ox wagon to holiday here.
There were no shops and they brought all their groceries, including their Christmas turkey.
In the 1930s, an enterprising property agent promoted the sale of beachfront cottages in Arniston and the idea of a hotel was discussed for the first time in May 1931, with building starting three years later.
In 1981, the hotel was bought by a group of 14 businessmen from the Cape and then Transvaal.
Their aim was to rebuild it (at a cost of R750,000) and create a comfortable establishment with personalised service.
In 2003, another group of businessmen bought the hotel and it had a makeover.
Our welcome here was warm and genuine.
There is a porter to help with luggage from the car park.
We were ushered up to our room with care.
There are 67 en suite rooms comprising deluxe sea-facing rooms with private balconies and panoramic views of the ocean, while the patio-facing rooms with balconies overlook a tranquil garden and swimming pool.
Arniston Spa Hotel is known for its food and breakfast is included in the rate, making it more affordable.
I cannot remember when last I saw a breakfast offering like this.
There are bubbles on ice, a huge platter of smoked salmon with cheeses, cold meats, fruit and much more.
There are huge bain-marie offerings of any and everything you could ever think of for breakfast, including bacon, sausages, tomato, mushrooms, mince, potatoes and a friendly chef who cooks your eggs to perfection.
Just in case you have a smidgen of room left in your tummy, there are crumpets, scones, muffins and pastries.
For dinner, there are two restaurants, but I suggest the one overlooking the sea. Get there early for a table on the veranda.
The soft, just out-of-the-oven white roll with butter which comes with the menu touches my heart; it’s such an old-fashioned welcome gesture.
The choice of à la carte is impressive or there is a set menu of the day depending on how full the hotel is.
I consider myself an expert on ribs and they were as good as it gets.
My partner had a steak, done to perfection, and both came with veg and all the trimmings.
I discovered the Arniston Bay rosé perfect for the mood.
When it comes to dining out, there aren’t a whole lot of options aside from the hotel, so if you are going for more than one night, I recommend booking Wanda’s Waenhuis in advance, a tiny restaurant in one of the genuine old fishing cottages.
Wanda opened her own place in 2012. She is married to a fisherman, and has raked in reviews for her food.
It’s all very real with simple table settings and she mainly does the cooking herself.
We had a seafood platter and the fresh yellowtail fish, caught that morning.
Willene’s Restaurant is another tiny spot in Kassiebaai which is practically on the beach.
When it comes to activities, there are plenty, but first put the fishing boats at the top of your list.
You will see them all brightly coloured, parked off in front of the hotel.
Fishermen go out early in the mornings, weather permitting, as they have been doing for time immemorial.
The highlight of the day in the village is when they return laden with fish to much fanfare.
Locals hustle for their catch of the day, which is often shared among families since the fish are so big, and holidaymakers in the know also line up.
The catch of the day is quickly whipped off the boats, the fish are gutted and cleaned and then weighed and sold just as quickly.
For swimming, the Atlantic Sea is warm. In whale season, they come into the bay, putting on a splendid show.
There are several walks to explore too.
Take a stroll through the working Kassiebaai fishing village, which was declared a national heritage site. The locals don’t seem to mind people ogling their homes.
Then walk through the village to the left of the hotel and you will eventually get to where there is a family memorial remembering the four young sons of Andrew Giel who died in the Arniston wreck.
You can also walk to the right of the hotel to the Waenhuis Cave, a longer walk, but you can drive to the gorgeous Roman swimming beach and follow the signs to the cave.
Be warned it must be done at low tide, some of the rocks are perilously slippery and you must crawl through a hole in the rocks to get into the vast cave.
At the end of the Roman beach is a 150-year-old beacon erected to help ships navigate around the point, as well as a series of ancient, stone-walled traps which indigenous people have used for centuries to catch fish with the tides.
There is an award-winning spa in the hotel should you feel like a pampering.
You cannot visit Arniston without popping into Bredasdorp, where all shopping happens.
While you are there visit the Shipwreck Museum declared a national monument in 1968 which houses artefacts from more than 130 shipwrecks along our costs.
It’s the only one of its kind in SA.
Have tea and scones at the Bredasdorp Square.
And last, if you are going to Arniston, you may as well drive a short way to Agulhas, which is the southernmost part of SA where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet.
Take a selfie, get the T-shirt.
The Herald
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