A holiday gem located on the Scenic & Foodie Routes of the West Coast Way!
The Mediterranean lifestyle, food and music are waiting for you just outside Langebaan, a quick 130km drive from Cape Town. Known for their beautiful views of the Marina and the Langebaan Lagoon, Club Mykonos is located on West Coast Way Scenic Route and Foodie Route.
Whitewashed houses with colourful shutters look over secluded beaches, ocean breezes and the sound of waves is the last thing you hear before drifting off to sleep after a night of excitement at the Casino.
Club Mykonos is a place for early morning beach walks and afternoon siestas or non-stop entertainment and endless activities.
After a hectic few months, I choose the chill out option and took off for Mykonos with my mum for two nights.
As check-in is only at 4 pm we took a slow drive, stopping off to take in some of the West Coast charms en route.
Timing is everything and we managed to get it wrong all the way. Fortunately, we had no plans or expectations.
We stopped at Mamre Werf, planning to have coffee and a slice of their famous Lemon Meringue Pie. On arrival, Tori Oso Restaurant was closed as they were cleaning and restocking after a busy and successful Flower Show. We walked around and wandered up to the cemetery where sad stories unfolded and two donkeys snacked on the floral tributes to the dearly departed.
No problem, let’s detour to Darling. As we drove into Darling Brew I remembered, they are closed on Mondays. OK, off to Evita se Perron. It was open, we had a good laugh, took our time reading the signs, laughing at the “art” and exploring the gardens. No reason at all to rush.
Back in the car, we took the gravel road to Hopefield where I wanted to show my mom the beautiful church and the magnificent organ. We stopped on the way to take photos of the road, of flowering yellow weeds and to marvel at the wind farm.
I insisted on popping into Simply Bee to stock up on skin care products and honey and then we walked to the church. It was locked up tight and not a soul was in sight.
Oh well, it’s lunchtime, let’s go to Moose Farm Stall. They were open, the food was delicious, the owners were so friendly that we got chatting.
“Is there anyone who can let us into the church for a quick look? “ I asked hopefully.
“Ah, you just missed an organ recital. It finished about half an hour ago” said Belinda, owner of Moose Farm Stall.
On we went, arrived at Club Mykonos and for the next two days, everything was perfect.
As our accommodation was right on the Marina, we practically lived on the deck.
By the time we had checked in, explored our Villa, felt the water in the pool we shared with 8 other villas, and made a cup of tea, it was time for supper.
Bouzouki Restaurant was about 100 steps away from our front door, the food was good, the atmosphere was cheerful and the weather was perfect.
Beers and sunset on our deck provided a lovely finish to an eventful day.
The masts of the hundreds of boats sway as the tide comes in. A heron stands on a rock that is submerging fast, a family of Egyptian Geese argue at the waterline and seagulls swoop on the thermals in the cloudy sky. This is my private show as I savour my first coffee of the day, sprawled out in my pj’s on the outside lounger. It is about 6 am and nature is wide awake.
My energetic mom appears fully dressed and heads off for a brisk walk around the resort.
By the time she returns I am presentable and we hit the Dockside Café for breakfast. Sea air makes you hungry and we had the works. Pastries, fruit, yoghurt and juice followed by omelettes, bacon, sausage and mushrooms. And more coffee.
The clouds were coming in fast so we decided to take a drive to the next town, Saldanha Bay. After a few confusing detours, we made it. Popped into the museum where my mom and Linda had a great chat as my dad had worked in the fishing industry so they shared stories from way back in the 1970’s.
We had coffee at On the Rocks with free views of the huge bay and then went back to our Greek Village at Mykonos for lunch.
Marc’s Beach Bar looks out onto a beach where a dad and his 2-year-old were flying a kite. Well, dad was flying the kite, the 2-year-old was distracted by birds, waves and sandcastles. Marc’s was busy and the food took a while, but they did warn us, and it was worth the wait.
Too much lunch, we needed to walk it off.
Mykonos is completely enclosed with excellent security and strict access control making walking to the more remote corners totally stress-free. We walked along the breakwater to the harbour lights and then scrambled over some rocks to get to a little coastal path. We found tidal pools, secret coves and high up on the rocks the wreck of a yacht.
Returning for some more sitting on the deck, drinking beer and gazing at the view, we chilled for a bit and then went to look at the resort shop. It is marvellous, like a tiny General Dealer, selling everything from tin openers and facecloths, to firewood and fishing rods, gifts, toothpaste, spades and toys.
Supper was a grand affair at White Sands, another restaurant right on the beach. Sadly it was too windy to sit outside, but this was by far the best meal we had, and the other restaurants we all really good, White Sands was outstanding.
All too soon it is time to check out, but to keep the chilled vibes going, we drove home via the West Coast National Park.
It is accessed a few kilometres south of Langebaan, the speed limit in the park is 50km per hour and it is worthy of a trip on its own. We wandered down to a bird hide before driving up to the massive rock and Seeberg Viewing Point.
The last of the spring flowers were smiling in the sun and the Langebaan Lagoon glinted in shades of turquoise and blue.
Driving to the next hide at the visitor’s centre we stopped to allow a snake to cross the road, waved at cyclists puffing up the incline and chatted to a group of hikers who were raving about the trails.
Three hours later we were back on the R27 heading for home.
A two day Greek Island experience that felt like a week of relaxing.
Find Club Mykonos in Langebaan on the West Coast Way Scenic Route and Foodie Route
Accommodation • Restaurant • Conferencing • Child-Friendly • Water & Land Activities • Spa
Open 7 days a week | Booking Essential
Where: R27, Mykonos Access Road, Langebaan
Contact: +27 (0) 22 707 7000 | [email protected] | www.clubmykonos.co.za
The Roaming Giraffe is Di Brown. Travel writer and blogger, mother, grandmother, avid reader, tourism professional, learner photographer, social media influencer, Twitter fan and lover of Instagram.
West Coast Way is South Africa’s road trip with the most twists. South Africans and visitors can explore a unique collection of themed routes to do adventure-filled Cape West Coast self-drive trips or a West Coast Holiday. The new West Coast Way “basket” of free routes on offer include the West Coast Way Scenic Route, the West Coast Way Berg Route, the West Coast Way Foodie Route, the West Coast Way Cultural Route – as well as the newly launched West Coast Way Wild Route, all of which are designed to showcase the many attractions and activities that are already on offer on the Cape West Coast and inland areas – but may be unknown to many. For more information on West Coast Way’s #WestCoastTwist and the list of 101 Things to Do on the West Coast visit www.westcoastway.co.za or call West Coast Way on 0861 321 777. Connect with West Coast Way on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at WestCoastWaySA.