SPRING BREAK AT ABALONE HOUSE

Daisy fever has hit the West Coast and if you’re looking for a weekend getaway that’s close to nature but with all the spoils of an eclectic five-star boutique guest house, then look no further than Abalone House and Spa.

Just an hour and a half’s drive from Cape Town in the fishing village of Paternoster, Abalone House occupies a plum position overlooking indigenous fynbos and sandy beaches where clusters of colourful wooden boats rest on the high-tide mark. Seagulls swoop and dive over an impossibly blue ocean, picking up some discarded bait, circling back into the wind, and the saltiness of the West Coast air soon envelops you, bringing upon a man-sized appetite…

Which is a good thing if you’ve already checked in at Abalone House. Their high teas, taken in the courtyard under billowing crimson bougainvillea, are legendary – think crispy tempura prawns, pork spring rolls, snoek fishcakes, Afro-sushi and a selection of sweet treats. You might want to consider a brisk beach stroll or a visit to the nearby lighthouse in the Cape Columbine Nature Reserve before sitting down again to a decadent dinner at Reuben’s Restaurant.

The flamboyant luxury of the dining room, lounge and bar area extends into the 10 en-suite bedrooms, where Cape Town interior designer David Strauss has brought together a quirky Bohemian aesthetic with a polished, comfort-is-king sort of luxury. Expect to be eyeballed by a Tretchikoff artwork while luxuriating in a sea of bubbles in the charcoal-slate bathtub. It’s all part of the experience.

If you can tear yourself away from this lavish sea palace, the village of Paternoster has a number of interesting shops and galleries to browse. Better yet, book a detoxifying massage at Abalone House’s Healing Earth Spa and let the outside world go by without you … at least for another blissful hour or two.

The Abalone House and Spa Spring Special is priced at R2 250 pps and includes the following: two nights’ accommodation, breakfast each morning, one two-hour spa treatment, a two-course dinner at Reuben’s each night and one spring-themed ‘beachnic’. This offer is available for a minimum two-night stay and is valid from 1 September to 15 December 2015.

OF NOTE
Where Abalone House & Spa, 3 Kriedoring Street, Paternoster. From Cape Town, head north on the R27, take the Vredenburg turn-off and drive through Vredenburg to Paternoster. The distance is about 140 km.
Contact +27 22 752 2044, www.abalonehouse.co.za

Photography Courtesy