Sondel Beach House Self Catering Accommodation In Plettenberg Bay

SONDEL Beach House offers visitors to Robberg, Plettenberg Bay with wonderful upmarket self catering accommodation.

The SONDEL Beach House, located in a quiet suburb, is a large luxury holiday home, tastefully decorated and situated a mere 160 meters from Solar Beach, Robberg, Plettenberg Bay. This stretch of coast line falls along South Africa's splendid Garden Route, offering discerning visitors a holiday of peace, beauty and comfort. Enjoy the sea views, the Tsitsikama Mountain panorama and listen to the waves crash against the shoreline of the little used beach.

The beach can be reached directly from the house along a wooden boardwalk which opens up to a breathtaking 5km stretch of fine golden sand and adjacent safe swimming beaches. Views run across the bay with the historically rich Robberg Peninsula to the right and to the left the Tstitsikama Mountain vista.

The accommodation consists of five en-suite double bedrooms, fine finishes, large open-plan entertainment areas, barbeques and a solar heated private outdoor swimming pool. The house is tiled throughout except the bedrooms which are carpeted. All bedrooms have ceiling fans, are twin bedrooms while three can be configured with kingsize beds. All ten beds are extra length beds.

Although in a quite part of Plettenberg Bay, away from the hustle and bustle, the home is fully alarmed and is linked to a quick response reaction unit.

Ground Floor

Undercover patio, solar heated swimming pool which is protected by means of a pool net, wooden decks and an outdoor barbeque area, a second small living room with small kitchenette and LCD TV leading to the four downstairs bedrooms, all with en-suite showers while two bedrooms have baths in addition to the showers.

A double garage provides lock-up secure parking for two vehicles and is accessed directly from the home itself.

Upper floor

Master bedroom with full bathroom, and spa-bath. The living area, with LCD satellite TV, opens through surrounding fold-away glass doors to a surrounding balcony creating a large entertainment area, with lounge, dining room and granite surface kitchen. The kitchen is fully equipped, comprising two Bosch combination fridge/freezers, oven, microwave oven, ice maker and reverse-osmosis water filtering system. A separate scullery houses a dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer, chest freezer and leads onto an outside under roof drying area.

The dining area includes table seating for twelve and has a double door under counter beverage cooler, food warmer and serving sideboard. There are three separate upper deck terraces each facing different directions, one of which has an under-cover built in gas barbeque.

A small breakfast nook, facing north, leads off the kitchen.

WiFi is available throughout the house albeit stronger in some areas than others. The code will be provided on arrival.

The home is classified as Superior by the AA Travelguide

Attractions In The Region Around Plettenberg Bay

The Garden Route - Plettenberg Bay is in the centre of the Garden Route which, as its name suggests is a picturesque stretch of coastline which starts in George and Herolds Bay to the west through the Wilderness, Sedgefield, Knysna and then heading east from Plettenberg Bay, Natures Valley, a beautiful little holiday village on the coast, Storms River and beyond.

There are a wide variety of activities and attractions in and around Plett. In the Craggs one can visit African Wild Cats, Birds of Eden as well as Raptors in the world's largest single span aviary, an elephant sanctuary and even snakes at the Lawnwood Snake Park. Bird watching can be undertaken with Bitou Bird Adventures, at Buffalo Hills game viewing is on offer, there are horse rides through the forest and a wolf sanctuary off the N2 near Harkerville can be visited. Of course Robberg itself, a mere three kilometres from the home, has splendid hikes of different categories affording one magnificent views over the bay and out to sea. There are four excellent golf courses in and around Plettenberg Bay.

Heading to the east towards Port Elizabeth and beyond:-

Bloukrans Bungee Jumping - 45 kms or a 35 minutes drive. The Bloukrans Bungee jump, started in 1989, has an international reputation. It is reportedly the world's highest jump being 216 meters high.

Storms River Mouth 70 kms or 1 hours drive. Beautiful scenery awaits you as you walk along the boardwalk and suspension bridge at the mouth of this river. Also in the area is a guided tour in the Tsitsikama National Park which incorporates a trip to a cove where one can see ancient rock paintings and a trip up the Storms River. Also in the area is the Tsitsikama Marine Reserve where one can do some snorkelling and view the brightly coloured fish and reef.

The Otter Hiking Trail is a world famous hiking trail that starts at the Storms River Mouth but needs to be booked at the National Parks Board at least a year in advance. This trail is physically taxing and not for the faint hearted but extremely rewarding for those that are able to undertake it.

Tsitiskama Forest - located in the area around Storms River, is an ancient forest. There are some magnificently tall and old yellowwood trees in these forests. A Tsitsikama Canopy tour will undoubtedly remain an experience to remember. Such a canopy tour is in a full body harness along a steel cable moving from one platform to another (ten of them) positioned high up in the giant Outeniqua Yellowwood trees that are abundant in the forest providing a habitat for a multitude of birds and wildlife. The canopy tour lasts about 3 ½ hours.

Jeffrey's Bay 165 kms or 2 hours drive. Jeffreys Bay is an International Surfing Competition site.

Baviaanskloof Wilderness - 240 kms or 3 ½ hours drive to the start of this beautiful valley. The dirt road crosses the Gamtoos River two or three times. These river crossings need to be waded through - there are no bridges - so one should avoid visiting the area in the rainy season (October to March). A 4 x 4 is recommended although a vehicle with good ground clearance should manage comfortably. The valley itself is 95 kms long which will take more than one day to absorb simply because of the beauty of the valley. Fly fishing is popular in places on the pristine Gamtoos River that flows along the valley.

Addo Elephant Park is 300 kms 3 ½ hours drive away, beyond Port Elizabeth. This is a popular Big Five National Park with chalet accommodation facilities within the park. Should accommodation be required in the park one should book at least six months ahead of time so as to avoid any disappointment.

Heading westward towards George and Oudtshoorn:

Knysna and the Lagoon - 38 kms 30 minutes drive. Treat yourself to a pleasure cruise with Rivercat Ferries on the lagoon - a hit for sundowners - while a visit to the Featherbed Nature Reserve is always a pleasant outing. However to get there one will need to be ferried across the lagoon, the journey passing close to the Knysna Heads to the Featherbed Jetty. The lagoon is also popular with fishermen.

Oudtshoorn: An old farming town 160 kms or 2 hours drive from Plettenberg Bay. The Highgate Ostrich Show Farm is a top attraction, was established 100 years ago by the Hooper family. It offers guided tours, ostrich racing, a restaurant and curio shop. Besides the ostrich attraction there is a Bengal Tiger breeding program at The Cango Wildlife Ranch located a little way out of town on the way to the Cango Caves and the Swartberg Mountain pass.

Cango Caves 185 kms or 2 ¼ hours drive, being 25 kms beyond Oudtshoorn in the Swartberg mountain range. The Cango Caves are spectacular. One can easily spend three hours and more in this most beautiful cave.

Die Hel in the Swartberg is located 260 kms or a 5 hours drive along the same route that would take you to the Cango Caves. This is an area with an interesting history. A community lived in this 25 km long valley completely self-sufficient for well over a century. It was only in 1960 that a road into the area was built. Being part of the same mountain range a visit to "Die Hel" could be added to a visit to the Cango Caves, with this valley located only 76 kms beyond these caves. However the last 35 kms need to be taken slowly as the dirt road goes through several switchbacks to get to the bottom of the valley. It got its name from the postman in years gone by who had to make the trip down into the valley with his donkey to deliver post to the community. It is an exquisite little valley.

GOLF
18 Hole Golf Courses in the region of which four are in the top 100 in South Africa!

Plettenberg Bay Country Club - 6 kms or a 9 minute drive, one of the country's top 100 courses.

Goose Valley Golf Estate - 9 kms or a 15 minute drive. In the valley adjacent to the Bitou Estuary.

Pezula Golf Estate - 40 kms or a 40 minute drive from Sondel Beach House. Positioned on the hill overlooking the sea above the famous Knysna Heads. A Links course and one of the top 100 golf courses in the country.

Simola Golf Estate - 45 kms or a 40 minute Drive. A Parkland Golf Course and also one of the top 100 courses.

Pinnacle Point Golf Estate 150 kms or 1 ¾ hours drive . This is one of the top 100 golf courses in the country.

Prince Alfred Pass - a scenic drive of 60 kms or 1 ½ hours to the top of the pass. The gravel road winds its way up the mountains with Avontuur another 18 kms beyond the top of the pass. A round trip of 176 kms back to Plettenberg Bay via the beautiful Knysna forests and Knysna Town will entail a four hour drive. The pass was designed and built by Thomas Bain who took seven years to complete it between 1860 to 1867. The pass has four biomes that it goes through with the dirt road crossing the river 7 times. Care should be taken when travelling along this pass, constantly on the look-out for oncoming vehicles whose presence is often indicated by dust in the sky ahead. The road is fairly narrow in places.

Whale watching - the bay is often visited by the Southern Right Whale and on occasions these large gentle mammals can be seen from the balcony of the home no more than 400 meters away. They sometimes simply wallow just beyond the breakers. But besides the chance to see the whales from the home one often sees schools of dolphins surfing in the breakers. Then of course one can undertake an ocean safari departing from the village itself and get to see the whales, dolphins and seals from much closer.