Experience magical Cape Town and more
Fin Whale Beach House is a perfect place on a perfect beach!
So what’s it like to stay on one of South Africa’s most perfect, and lauded beaches? Ask anyone who has spent time with us here at Fin Whale Beach House and they’re sure to say it’s the lure of that soft, white sand… There’s nothing like digging your toes into it and when it’s topped off with breathtaking scenery and views out over the endless ocean, it’s just perfect.
In fact, Fin Whale Beach House is the perfect beach getaway in many respects, not the least of which is that you literally step out of the house on to Kommetjie’s Long Beach and enjoying long walks in this coastal paradise. The beach is home to a variety of bird and animal species and while the sea may be a touch on the chilly side, Fin Whale Beach House’s pool is the place to cool off and swim.
Living the beach life, even if just for a few days with friends, family and fur babies gathered round you (we are dog-friendly), is the best way to relax. And to top everything off, Cape Town is just a short drive away, offering a host of things to see and do.
There’s a reason that Cape Town is called South Africa’s “Mother City” – it’s here in Table Bay that South Africa was first put on the map, quite literally, by the early European explorers and seafarers.
The history of what is now Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula is long and chequered. Portugal’s Bartolomeu Dias made mention of it when rounding Cape Hope in 1488, calling it the “Cape of storms”. But it wasn’t until 7 April 1652 when Jan van Riebeeck of the Dutch East India Company landed that what was to become Cape Town was officially settled. Settlement of the rest of the country spread from there and the rest, as they say, is history.
Grapevines were introduced a few years later by Van Riebeeck’s fellow Dutch East India-man Simon van der Stel at the settlement of Stellenbosch, where wine began to be made just a few short years later. To this day, the region around Stellebosch is globally renowned for its wine making and wonderful vintages.
As a result of all of this colourful history, Cape Town has some of the oldest buildings in South Africa, which can be visited by tourists. The Castle of Good Hope is one, dating back to the time of Van Riebeeck who originally built it from clay and timber. It was rebuilt from stone between 1666 and 1679 by the Dutch East India Company and is now the oldest existing colonial building in South Africa. It’s a unique, pentagonal fortress with five bastions housed a church, bakery, living quarters, workshops, shops and prison cells. Its walls were painted yellow to reduce the effect of heat and sun.
Cape Town’s busy harbour is now one of its most popular tourist destinations and home to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront – a wonderful, sprawling community of shops, restaurants, art galleries and artisanal crafters. Spend the day there and use a great network of water taxis to get you from one part of the harbour to the other and as night falls you can enjoy the sight of a floodlit Table Mountain towering over this beautiful city.
