Natural Selection, which operates safaris and lodges in Namibia and Botswana, will open its first South African property, the Lekkerwater Beach Lodge, in April. The seven-room ecolodge is in De Hoop Nature Reserve, home to some of the world’s best land-based whale watching.
Just over a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Cape Town (or well under an hour’s flight in a Cessna Caravan aircraft), Lekkerwater, which means "good water" in Afrikaans, is situated within the eastern area of De Hoop Nature Reserve.
The lodge has been built on the site of former South African president F.W. de Klerk’s retreat. In planning the design, the primary objective was to let the dramatic coastline do the talking. The bedrooms and main areas have large sliding glass doors that offer uninterrupted views of the Indian Ocean and the coastline. Interiors draw inspiration from the ocean with shades of blue and hand-woven baskets and rattan accents keep things earthy.
The lodge and its location are steeped in history. Just five miles to the east is the Klipdrift cave and shelter where recently some of the earliest evidence of modern human beings was unearthed, dating back to between 64,000 and 100,000 years.
Between 1990 and 1994, Lekkerwater became the “Camp David” of de Klerk, the place where he planned and deliberated how to elevate the old South Africa into the new, far from the stresses and demands of the politics of the time.
Accommodations at the lodge will be limited to a two-night stay. Colin Bell, Natural Selection co-founder and developer of Lekkerwater, said, "All guests will arrive on the same day as strangers and depart two days later as friends and comrades after enjoying the journey of discovery that the lodge’s guides and this pristine environment will unfold."
Activities will focus on learning about and exploring the spectacular beach, its rockpools and intertidal zones and its lush fynbos as well as participating in caving and nature drives within the reserve.
Meals will be cooked in front of guests, sometimes right on the beach, toes-in-sand-style, with the region's finest wines on the table. Prices at the Lekkerwater Beach Lodge vary from about $200 to $459 per person, per night. Rates include full board accommodation, meals, house wines, beers, drinks and activities.
For more information, visit https://naturalselection.travel/camp/lekkerwater-beach-lodge-at-de-hoop/.