Exploring Elands Bay

by Michele van Rensburg

If you are looking for a beach holiday experience, with memories to cherish, then Elands Bay is the ideal place for you! 

Located on the West Coast of South Africa, Elandsbaai (Elands Bay) is away from the hustle of the city with only the rythmic sounds of the train on the railway line and the gentle lapping of the ocean waves to greet you.

As an avid fan and frequent visitor of Elands Bay, I have collected many experiences from the multiple times I have stayed at Elands Bay … I hope you’ll find my recommendations and travel info helpful for planning your next West Coast holiday!

Restaurants & Bars

There are a few restaurants and bars in Elands Bay serving delicious local food and good coffee too!

Be sure to pop into the Elands Bay Hotel and try their hearty Fish and Chips, we normally order the large Fish and Chips and share it as the servings are very generous! The hotel’s restaurant offers a fantastic sea view from not only the outside tables but from the window tables too. It does get very windy outside though so be prepared! The Hotel’s Bar and Restaurant are open to visitors and hotel guests until 9pm or until the last customer leaves. 

Die Wit Mossel Pot is a rustic, laid-back surf shop, restaurant and deli where random hippy themed and surfing decor adorns the walls. Their breakfast and lunch menu is well priced and their coffee is great, they are a licensed to serve you a cold brewskie too! Surf, beach clothing and random items can be bought there too.

Just outside Elands Bay on the Verlorenvlei lies Vensterklip Guestfarm and Restaurant. Their liscenced restaurant is in a 100 year old barn that is full of character. I highly recommend their delicious Creamy Garlic Mussel Pot served with fresh farm bread, it is devine! Their bar called Old Dirkie’s Bar oozes old Afrikaner charm serves a wide selection of drinks and excellent coffee.

For a seafood experience of a lifetime, visit Muisbosskerm an open-air, beachfront seafood buffet restaurant. Here one can enjoy the fresh ocean air and the sounds of the West Coast waves while enjoying a generous seafood buffet that’s cooked on the spot over coals from dry wood. The West Coast is well known for it’s fresh seafood and the buffet offers exactly that! There is a wide variety of fresh fish that is smoked, fried and grilled; the traditional “waterblommetjie” stew, fresh homemade bread straight from the clay-oven, with home made “plaasbotter”; the region’s famous “Hanepoot korrelkonfyt”; Paella; Calamari, Bokkoms; Mussels, Kamp Koffie and Koeksisters – these are just a few unique dishes to choose from at the buffet. You can opt for a West Coast Rock Lobster depending on availability.

There are many restaurants located in Lambert’s Bay to enjoy including Isabella’s Restaurant or Roestyd at the Lambert’s Bay Harbour or Bosduifklip Restaurant, an inland West Coast open-air restaurant where one can enjoy “veld dining” in a stone kraal beneath stunning ancient rock formations.

Accommodation

Aimed at providing a comfortable stay for tourists, Elands Bay has a variety of accommodation options available from a Hotel, Guest Houses, Bed and Breakfasts, Camping to Self-catering holiday houses.

Oceanic Elandsbaai is a lovely, cozy self-catering beachfront house in Elands Bay with uninterrupted views of the sea – an ideal seaside getaway. The seafront house provides guests with rest and relaxation, direct beach access, stunning views of the ocean and the Bobbejaan Mountain, and is within close proximity of shops and restaurants.

All bedrooms and the lounge area, have a sea view and have ceiling fans. The main bedroom is furnished with a king-size bed and offers an en-suite bathroom fitted with a shower and a bath. The second bedroom has a double bed, and the third has 2 single beds. These 2 rooms share a bathroom fitted with a shower. All linens and bath towels are provided, but guests are required to bring along their own beach towels.

The kitchen is fully equipped for self-catering and contains a gas stove, oven, fridge-freezer, microwave, smoothie blender, washing machine, cutlery, and crockery and ample cupboard space for groceries.

The living area features comfortable couches, a flat screen Smart TV with Netflix, YouTube, Disney+ and other streaming apps with FREE high speed uncapped WIFI as well as the full premium selection of DStv channels.

A large dining table with ample seating, countertop chairs and an indoor and outdoor braai area.

The lounge and the long outside patio area offer uninterrupted views of the ocean, an outdoor table and chairs are provided for guests to enjoy the view of the sun setting over the Bobbejaan Mountains and the waves of the Atlantic sea.

Contact Oceanic Elandsbaai:

Click on an image to enlarge the photo:

Groceries & supplies

If you’re staying at a self catering house (I recommend the beach house, Oceanic Elandsbaai) or camping in Elands Bay, you will need to bring your own food supplies.

However, there are 2 local shops (Elanda Winkel and Sonskyn Kafee) and 2 bottle stores where basic necessities can be found such as dry groceries, tinned food, wine and booze, milk, eggs, toiletries, chips and sweets, sodas, cigarettes, briquettes, wood etc.

The closest grocery shops for fresh meat and fresh veggies can be found in Lambert’s Bay, a 30min drive from Elands Bay.

There you will find a Usave, SPAR and OK – we recommend the OK due to it’s size and variety of goods.

There is a great fish shop called Die Vis Winkel that sells fresh fish right off the fishing boats, it is worth the time to pop in there to see what the Catch of the Day is!

Elands Bay does have a small petrol station at the Hotel, with  1 petrol pump of an unknown petrol brand. There is a bigger petrol station (Atlantic Oil) in Lambert’s Bay as well as a great car wash.

A pharmacy, PEP clothing store, hardware, furniture shop, coffee shops and restaurants can also be found in Lambert’s Bay.

Experience an

idyllic beach life

Only 220kms away from Cape Town lies the quiet little resort town of Elandsbaai or Elands Bay.

Elands Bay is world famous for its wonderful surfing opportunities and is a favourite coastal town known for its natural wonders at Verlorenvlei (a marsh) and it’s clean untouched long white beach that stretches for miles.

Elands Bay is the perfect place to unwind, it is  surrounded by an endless beach offering hours of long scenic beach walks.

Doze off the the rhythmic sounds of the distance railway line or to the gentle lapping waves on the seashore.

Things to do

Elands Bay is an outdoor lover's paradise! It is a great place to enjoy activities like kayaking, wind-surfing, rowing, sailing, rock climbing, hiking, mountain biking, 4x4 trails, bird watching, whale watching and fishing to name a few.

The many soil types of Elands Bay aids in the prolific flora during Spring. The Verlorenvlei, which once flowed into the Atlantic Ocean at Elands Bay, is one of the biggest estuaries in the Cape West Coast region with over 180 bird species including flamingos and pelicans, a bird watcher’s paradise.

The consistent Atlantic swell that wraps around a rocky outcrop creates one of the best left-hand Surf breaks in South Africa where many South Africans and International Visitors come to enjoy. Hire surf boards, boogey boards and wet suits from the Wit Mossel Pot shop on Hunter Street.

Crayfish Diving is very popular In Elands Bay during the crayfish season. The season lasts from approximately the middle of November to the end of April, but the dates vary every year. (For exact information you can contact the Department of Sea Fisheries). You have to have a valid license to go crayfish diving in South Africa. Permits are available at any Post Office.

The Bobbejaan Mountains have produced valuable archaeological finds. Elands Bay Cave is a National Heritage site situated on a rocky outcrop known as Baboon Point featuring Sand Rock Art. It is located near the Elandsbaai Harbour. There are 3 dilapidated buildings near the cave that were once a radar station during World War II.

The Elandsbaai Rockshelter Museum near the Main Beach entrance, is an interesting place to read up on the West Coast Heritage sites including the Elands Bay Cave that has been recently added to the list.

The Crayfish Trail could be one of South Africa’s best kept secrets. It is a slackpacking trail along our beautiful West Coast. Slackpacking is somewhere between hiking and walking but is far more leisurely as you do so without the schlepp of a hiking bag. There are between 1-5 night packages available that includes accommodation, all meals, a local guide, transport of luggage and daily activities. The trail is suitable for anyone with a moderate level of fitness and for children over 12 years of age and is led by local guides who give guests a unique insight into the culture and history of the area. Guests are treated to the local cuisine prepared by local people.

I would recommend that you add to your travel list the following places that are just outside of Elands Bay:

Bettie Bok stall: Cheese tasting, local produce and coffee shop with the best Turkish Delight Cheesecake – the Chocolate Cheesecake is a close second! Located on the R365 on the road to Lambert’s Bay.

Bird Island Nature Reserve: A 3-hectare Cape Nature nature reserve at the Lambert’s Bay Harbour. It is a breeding site for Cape gannets and crowned cormorants and features a protected site where you can view them up close from large windows.

Shopping

Elands Bay was once a fishing village where catching West Coast Lobsters and Snoek was art of daily life. Things are different today but Elands Bay remains a small quiet holiday town.

As it is a small quiet town, there are not many shopping options and no Malls to visit! If you are looking for random holiday memorabilia or toys for the kids you can try the following places:

Die Rooi Stoor: Bric-a-brac, home bakes, local produce, jams, honey and more can be found at Vensterklip Guestfarm’s Padstal, down the road from central Elands Bay. 

Die Wit Mossel Pot: a rustic surf shop, deli and restaurant. If you’re looking for a fridge magnet or beach shorts, this is the place that sells them. 

The Chinese Shop: a local ‘spaza’ shop that also sells cheap toys, clothing, shoes and random odds and ends including batteries!

A little further outside of Elands Bay, you will find the following curio and gift shops in Lambert’s Bay:

  • Driftwood Den – curio shop
  • Mad Hatter – gift and coffee shop
  • Die Lappop – curio shop
  • Alle Dinge – gift and coffee shop

There is also a pharmacy, PEP clothing store, hardware, furniture shop, OK, SPAR and Usave in Lambert’s Bay. 

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