Hermanus

Engaging with the #art in #hermanus. The kids learn so much from our #roadtrip experiences. #southafrica is rich in #cultural #diversity #travel #family #education #life

A photo posted by Tami, Anton and the Zs (@tazzdiscovers) on Nov 10, 2015 at 10:15pm PST

I’m not sure why it has taken me so long to write about our Hermanus weekend away. Without delving too deeply into my psyche, I’m going to blame it on the must-do-everything-ness nature of this time of year, where we race towards the end of 2015 like a speeding train.

Whale Coast Lodge is classified as backpacker accommodation but you won’t find all night parties and intoxicated gap year students lying in the corridors (thankfully). Thanks to booking quite early in the year, I managed to secure the family room that had 1 double bed, a double bunk and a bathroom with bath and shower for R500 per night. SCORE!

This was the first time I tried to leave Cape Town after 3pm on a Friday afternoon with only the N2 as an option, so my 90 minute journey turned into more like a 3 hour trip where we arrived too tired to do anything else but check in, drop off our bags and head to Spur (I know! I’m sorry) for supper. I’m not going to say anything else about that meal and that should tell you all you need to know.

Hermanus

Saturday morning dawned bright and early because it was Z2’s birthday and he had to be awoken with cake, candles and streamers. So, we decided to take advantage of our walking distance proximity to the central business district, and headed out for a walking tour of Hermanus.

The nice thing about Whale Coast Lodge is that it is far enough outside of the town to not be bothered by hooting taxis and loads of foot traffic past your door, but close enough to walk without feeling like it’s too far. It didn’t take us too long to reach the Old Harbour where we watched the waters intently hoping to see a fin or a tail, but I think even the whales sleep in on a Saturday. Clearly their calves don’t wake them up at the crack of dawn ;). We found a path and followed it to a serene tidal pool that seemed to be very well maintained and clean. I really appreciate it when there are clean bathrooms available and the area feels safe.

  Another #tidalpool in #Hermanus. We walked EVERYWHERE on Saturday. There is nothing better than exploring a town on foot. #travel #family #smalltown #roadtrip #whale #southafrica #mountains #ocean   A photo posted by Tami, Anton and the Zs (@tazzdiscovers) on Nov 11, 2015 at 10:15pm PST

By the time we had taken as many pictures as we possibly could, the kids started up their usual chorus of, “I’m hungry” so we set off to find a place to eat a breakfast fit for a newly turned 11 year old. I honestly don’t know how I found out about new restaurants before I used Zomato.

The Betty Blue Bistro was a real gem and we rolled towards the Whale Museum, feeling a bit like whales ourselves. While we were at the Whale Museum, the lady we had bought our tickets from at the front desk came to find us to say that the Whale Crier had spotted a whale in the bay. That was all it took for the kids to race off, with us running to keep up.

 

Because you know, its all about those whales @hermanustourism ?. We had such a great weekend away. While we are quite tired from the #Hermanus trip, we are already planning our next adventure ? #family #travel #southafrica

 

A photo posted by Tami, Anton and the Zs (@tazzdiscovers) on Nov 8, 2015 at 4:35am PST

After indulging in some whale watching, there was just enough time to walk back to our room to freshen up and head out for lunch at Milkhood in Onrus. Another hidden gem discovered thanks to Zomato. Since we were only 40 kilometers away from Die Kelders, we decided to include a detour to our trip home on Sunday and headed out to see if we could spot some more whales. But before we left, we went on a mission to find Fick’s Pool and, after hunting all over the countryside for it the day before, we found it a stone’s throw away from Whale Coast Lodge.

Getting up early in the morning to walk to #fickspool. I may or may not tell you how to find it ?. Who wants to know? #hermanus #family #travel #roadtrip #southafrica #sunrise A photo posted by Tami, Anton and the Zs (@tazzdiscovers) on Nov 7, 2015 at 8:11pm PST

The drive to Die Kelders was truly beautiful as it wound it’s way past wine farms and Grootbos, we felt very blessed when we spotted a few young whales frolicking in the surf and spent over an hour marveling at God’s creation.

Once we stopped off at the Die Kelder Bakery for some pizza bases, for supper that night, and ice creams, for the car trip home, we drove back through Hermanus and onto the R344 for a scenic drive through Rooi Els, Betty’s Bay and Strand.