Paternoster

Paternoster - Western Cape, South Africa

My partner was in need of a new vehicle, and the one he had his eye on was over a thousand kilometers from home. So naturally, we took the opportunity to plan a little exploration and coincide it with the purchase of this new four-wheel drive (Subaru XV in rust orange, for visual perspective).

The mission - fly into Cape Town, purchase the vehicle, drive up the R27 West Coast and explore as much as possible before driving back home to Durban. 

First stop - Paternoster. What a pleasant and pretty place, no wonder its name begins with a "P". It looks tiny on Google maps, and it is. But charming as anything.

There's a main road running though the little town and surprisingly it's not called "Main Road" but rather St. Augustine's. This is the official road linking the 5-star boutique hotel side from the 'hood'. There are one or two other roads, but mostly crevices posing as streets. 

There's a population of around 2000 people in Paternoster. At an average of 3 people per home, we're looking at roughly 733 houses. - which I would say is an overestimate. What a gorgeous little, Greek-flavoured picture of a fisherman village. The bleached white, flat roof houses with their blue window shutters and grey pebble decor will remind you of a trip to the islands of Santorini or Mykonos. For those of us who have not been there, it's a reminder of an afternoon at Flight Centre, staring at travel brochures. 

The ocean is as flat and calm as you will find in the coves of the Transkei and walking along the curved beaches at low tide brings you as close to the treasures beneath the sea as you could be without diving. 

Paternoster is one of two places; It's the complete break from your busy life in the Western Cape CBD or it's the gem one finds on an exploratory South African adventure. Where else in the world do you find fresh crayfish dangled along the roadside and small, cosy bars with inappropriate items of clothing hanging from the roof?!

Where to Eat

From casual tasty pizza and burgers at Blikkies to Gastronomical seafood and lamb at Gaaitjie, you have little chance of going wrong. Make a booking sooner rather than later. The Noisy Oyster is worth a visit and Getaway Magazine recommends a trip to Seekombuis for their snoek pate. Didn't make it there unfortunately but drove past on the way to the lighthouse to see what was on the other side.

Where to Stay

Close to half of Paternoster appears to be accommodation for visitors. Aah! is quaint, well situated and highly rated on Trip Advisor. We stayed at La Belaine self-catering cottages - a wonderful location for peace, comfort and a beautiful view.

What to Do

Eat, drink and be merry. Sleep would be high on the agenda as well. There is kayaking, horse riding and haggling with fisherman for the more adventurous. I recommend a glass of local sherry on a Sunday afternoon, relaxing alongside the ocean, with a pen and a book.

Paternoster is one of those places that represents the true flavour of a region. No matter what you expect, you are still a little surprised and certainly delighted by how special and charming it can be. As with most towns in South Africa, it's not without reminders of how challenging life can be for locals - but it doesn't get in the way of dancing outside your front door with your neighbour on a Saturday afternoon because your local rugby team just won a game.