It’s a five-hour drive from Hermanus to Plettenberg Bay. I stopped in Swellendam and popped into an antiques shop. And munched on superb vetkoek from the local home industries. Yes, driving is hungry work.
I stopped at a farm stall between Mossel Bay and George - more antiques, but this time I enjoyed a home-made steak and kidney pie.
I stopped at the Wilderness and met a friend for coffee. I also had to take in the view of one of the most dramatic beaches in the Western Cape. If there had been time I’d have gone for a long walk. And then it was Knysna and Plett.
As I arrived at the third hotel in the Liz McGrath collection, The Plettenberg, I felt like I was coming home. After the colonial elegance of the Marine in Hermanus, this had a more swanky beach pad feel.
The hotel boasts 35 rooms, all individually decorated, and the Lookout Villa and the Beach House, stylishly furnished in whites and creams with touches of blues and aquamarines creating a wonderful upmarket beach feel.
And all have five-star mod-cons. The view from my suite over the expansive beach was awesome. Were those dolphins I saw surfing the waves?
Plettenberg Bay was first spotted by Bartholomew Diaz in 1488, but it wasn’t until almost 300 years later that the first itinerant trek boers started moving up the coast in search of grazing.
Then in 1776, Cape governor Joachim van Plettenberg established a barracks on the bay and later named it after himself.
Liz McGrath’s first project in Plettenberg Bay was a small shopping centre, where she opened an art gallery and antique shop.
Later she bought a derelict one-star hotel in a superb location and set about turning it into The Plettenberg, creating the five-star elegance she and her husband had seen during stays at some of the world’s most luxurious hotels.
As it was a beautiful afternoon, I was happy to recline on the pool deck and drink in those views, glass of chardonnay in hand, naturally. SeaFood at the Plettenberg offers a tapas menu around the pool.
After a quick freshening up, I topped up my glass at the SandBar, chatting to some locals while the super-friendly barman took me through the hotel’s selection of award-winning wines.
Later that evening, I feasted on fresh local seafood at the restaurant, which also offers stunning views of the coast.
For starters, there were tempura prawns in a creamed corn and grilled corn salad, and spiced calamari in a pawpaw, smoked sausage and rocket salad.
Both sounded tempting, but I tucked into a superb Formosa Bay seafood soup with Gruyere cheese, croutons and saffron rouille, a local take on bouillabaisse.
Mains was another excellent dish of orange-glazed fresh line fish with pea puree, star anise and fennel salad and toasted almonds. But the Mossel Bay sole with lobster sauce might win over many hearts. As would the seafood platter. The craft beer-battered hake and triple-cooked fries caught my attention. There were some meatier options and some interesting vegetable side dishes.
SeaFood serves delicious club sandwiches for lunch.
Plettenberg Bay has an abundance of ecological and adventure tourism offerings. The Robberg Nature Reserve is a popular walking and hiking spot, while there are any number of wild-life sanctuaries - snakes, birds, monkeys, elephants and raptors all have their home.
Abseiling, biking trails, canyoning and river adventures are all on offer as are diving, surfing and ocean excursions.
But with such a magnificent stretch of beach and estuary, I couldn’t resist a walk the next day, followed by a dip in the ocean, which was chilly, but certainly not Atlantic chilly.
After a late breakfast, the trip to Port Elizabeth was an easy three-hour drive with plenty of stop-off potential. You could explore the Tsitsikamma, have a leisurely lunch in Cape St Francis or even a quick surf at J Bay.
I drove straight through in favour of lunch with an old PE friend in the original Vovo Telo on Richmond Hill, where I told her of my week of vineyards, whales and superb food.
It was then a quick stop at Mastertons for a few bags of their excellent ground coffee and a short flight to Durban, a holiday over all too quickly.
Call 0217945535 and visit www.collectionmcgrath.com