Plettenberg Bay South Africa's New Playground

Plettenberg Bay Top Marks in UK

A recent article by Douglas Rogers published in the UK’s Telegraph newspaper reported on Plettenberg Bay as South Africa’s new playground for the well to do. According to the article, it is Plettenberg Bay and not Cape Town that attracts the jet set these days and the region has gone into a literal status overdrive as a result.

When international celebrities like Bono or Oprah fly in to Cape Town for their annual holiday, South Africa’s own elite are nowhere to be found. A closer inspection reveals that they are 400 miles to the east, soaking up the sun and the surf in Plettenberg Bay. The hillside beach town overlooks a protected bay at the far east end of the Cape Peninsula’s world famous Garden Route.

When it comes to what the area has to offer, Plett’s surrounding wilderness is simply stunning, with a bay that forms a breeding ground for Southern Right Whales during calving season, the Tsitsikamma forest boasting miles of unspoiled hiking trails, as well as the gorgeous Knysna lagoon located just 30 miles to the west. However, recent years have seen Plett become far more commercialized, as the style and status overdrive has gathered momentum.

According to Di Valentine, who manages a new Afro-Arabic styled boutique lodge in Plettenberg Bay, “Knysna is for arts and crafts; but Plett is for glamour and style. We’re like the Hamptons – just without the Hiltons”. One of the primary reasons for this ‘glamorous reincarnation’ is evident before you even reach the seaside town along the Garden Route: polo. There are no less than six beautifully maintained polo estates that lie in the Tsitsikamma foothills.

There’s more to Plett than polo though, as the sleepy seaside town literally comes to life during the holiday season, with the majority of local visitors flocking here from Johannesburg. They come for some sun and sea, but also for the Tsitsikamma National Park, which is part of the largest natural forest in South Africa, an elephant park, the largest free-flight exotic bird aviary in the world, as well as the world’s highest bungee jump at the 700 foot Bloukrans River Bridge.

While glitz and glamour may not be your thing, it is still refreshing to hear of stories published overseas lauding South Africa’s little gems. There is no doubt that Plettenberg Bay and the rest of the Cape province have much to offer the tourist market, but it is even better to think that locals have just as much opportunity to invest in property and take full advantage of the natural landscape and developing infrastructure.

The information in this article is courtesy of Douglas Rogers (“Plettenberg Bay: South Africa’s playground”, Telegraph, 16 June 2008).

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