We spent our break at Oyster Bay Beach Lodge, a low-key, pet-friendly, vegan-friendly establishment which has the most magnificent views of the Indian Ocean that you could ever hope to see.
When we arrived at the Lodge after an arduous 7 hour car drive, we almost jumped out of our skins upon seeing the view and discovering that we had our own private beach less than 100 meters away.
Nick, the owner of the Lodge, is a wonderful host- he didn't bat an eye-lid when we disclosed that we are vegan and he bent over backwards to accommodate us. He eventually suggested that we use his kitchen to prepare our own food despite the fact that, strictly speaking, the Lodge is not a self-catering establishment.
The Lodge also has 2 resident (barking-mad) Jack Russells, Mafuti and Piri, and this immediately put us at ease insofar as the tolerance level for our 2 dogs was concerned- this is truly a pet-friendly as opposed to pet-tolerant establishment.
The rooms are clean and nicely decorated and all feature magnificent ocean views. However, since the management of the Lodge is pretty laid-back and easy going, you'll have to specifically request new towels and bedding (although the rooms do get serviced daily).
Dinner is also eaten communally amongst the Lodge's guests which may or may not be your thing. I wasn't too happy about it the first night but we eventually got to know some really awesome people and it adds to the sense of informality of the place.
The Lodge is located about 20 minutes' drive from Port Saint Francis which has a host of shops and restaurants to visit. The point of the holiday, for us at least however, was to get away from anything urban or developed.
If you visit the Lodge during low-season, you'll look to pay about R850.00 per night for bed and breakfast and will have the added perk of having virtually an entire 6 kilometer stretch of beach to yourself.
We really could not have asked for a better experience all round. Now back to the bump and grind of city life. Sigh.
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