Mazeppa Bay

posted : 2010-02-22 at 07:12:04

The school holidays were over and, as parents, our holiday had begun!   Leaving the kids in the care of the grandparents my wife and I headed to that most quiet, slow and peaceful part of the country, the Wild  Coast.  Traffic, timetables and schedules were left behind and as we turned off the N2 and hit the dirt road to the coast we switched off our cell phones.  The green, rolling hills, dozing cattle and polite villagers lulled us into relaxation.  On the final descent to the coast the sea breeze wafted through the open car windows and the palm fronds waved to us in greeting.  Mazeppa Bay – palm fringed beaches, warm water, white sand and lots of sun – was to be our home for the next few days.

The hamlet - one country shop, one hotel and a few beach houses – faces onto a small bay with a headland on the right and another, which becomes an island at high tide, on the left.   The beach is wide and relatively sheltered.

We checked into the Mazeppa Bay Hotel and it was immediately obvious that the entire atmosphere is one of leisure.   Dogs and cats lie sleeping on the verandas, guests are dozing at the pool and the staff move with unhurried efficiency from room to room.  The hotel’s centre of focus is the picturesque bay, with all the bedrooms having a sea view.  The dining room, lounges and bars all overlook the warm, blue ocean too.  The hotel buildings are set in lush indigenous gardens and there is a constant melody of birds chirping.

As soon as we had unpacked we picked up a couple of G&T’s from the bar and headed to the pool.  We lazed in the sun, took a refreshing dip now and again and then took an afternoon nap in our room with the doors wide open and the rhythmic crashing of waves ushering us into a deep, contented sleep.   Apart from the odd light walk, a bit of fishing and snorkelling, this set the tone for the rest of the week.

One of the major attractions of the Mazeppa Bay Hotel is that all meals are catered.  That means no shopping, cooking, setting a table and no washing of dishes!  It also means that there is more time to relax.  The food is good and the hotel caters for different diets.  The breakfasts are buffet style with plenty of cereals, yogurts, fresh fruit, coffee and tea on display.  Eggs, to your taste, may be ordered from the waitresses.  Lunch and dinner come in courses.  Dinner starts with a soup, moves on to fish, then a main and finally a dessert.  Oh, there’s also cheese and biscuits if you can find the space.

The rooms are perfect for a beach holiday, with big, airy windows and basic furnishings that won’t suffer from wet towels, sandy feet or fishing tackle.  Our long, deep lapses into dreamland are testament to the comfort of the beds.  The upstairs lounge is spacious, comfortably furnished and a great place to sit and contemplate the events of the day, before being summoned by the dinner bell to another sumptuous meal.

Although we spent most of our time doing very little, there is plenty to do.  Fishing seems a favourite and the bar is full of pictures of some really magnificent catches.  Fishing rods are available for hire and tackle is sold in the bar.  Apart from the swimming and the beach, children may keep themselves busy on the jungle gym and, in the event of rain, there’s a games room.  There’s also a tennis court, plenty of walking trails, sand boarding and a pool table.

We loved our stay and are keen to return, this time with the rest of the family.