So you’re looking to escape the heat of summer in Asia with a little coastal living outside Cape Town. Nice move. All you need now are the right digs. Introducing Lekkerwater Beach Lodge, your new home-away-from-home at the heart of the acclaimed De Hoop Reserve.
Opened in May by Natural Selection as the company’s first property in South Africa, Lekkerwater Beach Lodge sits on six kilometres – yes, kilometres – of pristine coastline east of vibrant Cape Town. Once the ‘Camp David’ of former South African president FW De Klerk, this is where the end of apartheid was negotiated, cementing the lodge’s position in the country’s history.
Coastal Respite
The lodge’s rooms, of which there are just 7, are perched atop towering cliffs, ensuring stunning sea vistas and the chance to spy southern right whales as they pass on their way from Antarctica to the tropics of the Indian Ocean. Even when the gentle giants aren’t migrating, the seas below team with life, including pods of dolphins
Each supremely private space is encased in glass to ensure guests make the most of the dramatic location. Décor takes its cues from the same landscapes and is complemented by pieces by South African artist Jemima Sargent that depict species from De Hoop’s wildlife, both on land and out to sea. For cooler evenings there is wood burning stove in the room which keeps the bedrooms snug and warm.
Local Touch
When you’re feeling social, the lodge’s main building boasts panoramic views and interiors dominated by locally-sourced furniture, from love seats fashioned from recycled Plettenberg Bay wine barrels and mats crafted by the Thandi Collection NGO in KwaZulu Natal to a large communal table, where you can rub shoulders with fellow adventure seekers over delectable locally inspired cuisine. There’s a pool for those balmy afternoons and a ‘calm zone’ for inward retrospection.
In addition to a sustainable design that includes solar power, Natural Selection will also pledge 1.5% of all revenue to conservation projects, to ensure this remarkable landscape is preserved for generations to come.
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