South Africa January - March 2013: February 12

12^th February.

We left this very good hotel (Beverly Hills Hotel) to go south to Port Edward. This little village is living of tourism and the big Sun Hotel with an enormous Water world, Casino and the famous golf course Wild Coast Sun, which is a rated as no 10 in Golf Digest.

We have booked a room in Ocean View B&B. A nice place where the family shares the living room and kitchen with the guests (which we have not tried before) and you come to learn the owners pretty well, even if we stayed in our own room. There are 2 restaurants, and a KFC fast food restaurant. The B&B had a fantastic view, a nice garden and salt water swimming pool, which we can use. We had a nice dinner in neighboring restaurant PEG & PUNTER, which was cheap and good.

View from the swimmingpool

We are 10 minutes from Wild Cost Sun Golf Course. What a course. Long often hilly holes, and wind from the mighty Indian Ocean as a big factor when you play. The first day (February 13th) we had difficulties exactly because of the wind, but we got through loosing around 6 balls each!

Finishing around lunchtime, we decided to go to the hotel to see it and to have lunch. We passed the Wild Coast Water Park with many, many visitors with screaming kids; we got to a big parking lot, and ended up inside a huge building like in Sun City with gambling machines and casino.

But they had a restaurant with ocean view. It was not pretty. It was brownish with plastic covered tables, placed just beside the casinos glittering lights. And there were tons of people, mostly older like us. And the casino restaurant had a special old citizens 3 course lunch for 12€. The restaurant was full – just besides the casino!
We had to try it. And the food was excellent, the wine and coffee as well. Afterwards we walked around and found it was 90% older women staring at machines with spinning wheels or pictures shifting and lights blinking in this fatamorgana world at 2 PM.

We got out, and found the sun shining, went back to have a swim and a rest. The evening we went to Beach Bubbies restaurant. That was not good.

The second golf round (February 14th) was better for us, we teed off 7:30, still a lot of wind, but a little more favorable direction, and did ok. I was a nice round on this fantastic course. Today we got a “spotter” called Wonder Boy to help see the balls. It was ok, and relieved Anne of looking after Niels` balls as he can’t see the “long” drives. The spotters relive the caddy, as it is obligatory to drive around this long hilly course. At one place we saw small old rail tracks, and were told it was an old lift to help the caddies up a very steep hill.
Getting a coffee afterwards we met 8 Danes, living in the area for 9 weeks each winter playing golf and enjoying the weather. They came from Copenhagen, Værløse golf klub.

To night it was Valentine’s day, and we are booked up at PEG & PUNTER. That is a feast evening in SA, we got a nice buffet, again it cost nothing and was very good. We left before it got “hot”, and got safe home.

We heard that the N2 main roadwas under repair, and advised by the locals we decided to go via Queenstown, a detour of 200 km. But a fine road, and very beautiful.

We had found a B&B; top modern, and also a gallery. It hosted a very fine restaurant - The Gallery - mainly visited by business people. We had 2 course dinner main course Kudo Filet and very good. Perfect vine, and all for 35€ - for both! A pearl in a small but important town, with many houses belonging to the rich. Absolutly worth the detour, and knowing of delays of 2 to 4 hours, it was no doubt a good idea.

We left early to go to Fish River Sun golf Resort to play. They had a Valentine Package - €130 pr couple for D&B&B. The course rated 32 and again the situation is fantastic towards the Ocean, and of course the wind! We played it twice, and if we drive by we will play it again, but will not drive to play it. The hotel is fine price performance, so was the course, green fee 28€ for 2, buggy 16€. A spotter cost 7,5€ but we pay 15€. He finds the balls taken by the wind – and many are taken adrift.