Travel | Bliss up the West Coast

Pack some snacks and make yourself comfy, because this is a long post!

Few road trips beat a leisurely drive along the West Coast. You're spoilt for views of field of flowers, sea views and long stretches of farmland either side of you. Not much farther along the road through Veldrif, you'll find Rocherpan. Tucked away and so rustic you'd almost miss it. Or you might actually miss it and drive halfway to Namibia like I did.
Pro tip: when someone gives you very specific directions, turn off your lame John Mayer mix CD and actually listen.

Photo: Alfred for The Good Holiday

Once you arrive at the reserve, you're confused. You expected rustic, which it is. But not to the point of camping. You'll find yourself quite impressed by how modern and chic the facilities are. I'll be honest. I did not expect such comfortable accommodation. The chalets are simple, clean and comfortable and they all face the breathtaking view of the water. And that little body of water houses a massive flock of bright pink flamingos that gracefully wade along the edges each morning and evening. The architect of these adorable eco-cabins is Justin Cooke from Architecture Co-Op. He did a fantastic job of ensuring they blended seamlessly with the surrounding landscape, while also using environmentally friendly materials. The cabins functions almost entirely off the grid with solar water heaters, gas stoves, and solar panels. You can't really ask for much more.

Photo: Alfred from Vuurtoring

The reason I went along on this trip was to play stylist and part-time model for CapeNature's latest online campaign. Our mornings started at 5am to get our shots of the flamingos and other bird life. I've never been a big nature person, and I was (embarrassingly) the cliched city girl asking an absurd amount of questions on the possibility of being carried away in the night by snakes and spiders.
Rocherpan actually shifted my narrow perspective somewhat, and I relaxed into nature and stopped fussing and worrying enough to really enjoy it. And you're actually forced to. The day moves at a slow pace after a bright and early sunrise, inviting you to come in after a morning of bird spotting, to a big breakfast fry up, and then to take to the balcony with a good book for the rest of the morning. I slipped on a comfy long dress and sandals and moved through the day at my leisure.

Photo: Alfred for The Good Holiday

Photo: Alfred for The Good Holiday

You can find the sandals (you'll see them when you scroll a little further down) HERE and a similar dress, even more perfect for lazy lounging HERE. I love finding cheap and cheerful holiday outfits from Mr Price!

Once the weather had warmed up enough, we made for the beach. We had kilometres of uninterrupted coastline at our disposal and after some beach reading, strolling and posing, we set up a picnic which was well oiled with some amazing wine from Avontuur.

The next day started much the same and I can officially be considered "outdoorsy". After spying on those long legged pink birds, we had a go at some biking through the reserve. Initially I'd wanted to go for a trail run - but after discovering it was snake 'mating season', I decided that I wanted to be off the ground.

The next evening we decided to put together a massive feast of a braai, and whip out the really good wines. Avontuur had spoiled us again with a selection of their finest wines. After our feast we ended up roasting marshmallows, all the while clinking our glasses and laughing very late into the evening. We then extended our evening into the early hours of the morning to do some star gazing. And when you are so far away from city lights, you get to see the best views our galaxy has to offer.

Photo: Alfred for The Good Holiday

Photo: Alfred for The Good Holiday

I hadn't expected to be won over by rustic cabins, environmentally conscious and nature-crazed hosts, bird watching and the general tranquility of the surrounds (I am a city girl, 100%), but to be honest, I will definitely be back Rocherpan. You're a total gem and when I need a break from the madness of city life, I couldn't think of anything better than a weekend with you.

Photo: Alfred for The Good Holiday

To get the full experience, check out the video we worked on all week - shot and edited by the phenomenal Dee Lourens from The Good Holiday. She was assisted by some of the best action and nature photographers in the biz, Alfred from Vuurtoring and Louise from Green Girls in Africa (Check her blog post on Rocherpan for a beautifully detailed post on the inner workings of this clever eco-friendly hideaway!). Go show them some love - I promise you'll find yourself inspired!