Setting the scene
A couple of hours or so from Cape Town, just outside the village of Stanford, Coot Club is a lagoon-side retreat, tucked between the ocean and mountains. It’s a dreamy stay for anyone, but particularly for busy-bee families, with a boatload of stuff to keep everyone happy, from stand-up paddleboarding and volleyball to birding and whale watching (oh and wine).
Nesting arrangements
All aboard, mateys! Yes, the accommodation at Coot Club is suitably nautically themed, with Scandi-style boathouses called Port and Stern and cottages with names like Leeward Suites. The boat-tiful units sleep between two and six adults (plus space for kids). The cottages are tucked into the milkwood forest around the main clubhouse, while the three boathouses are set along the lagoon.
The décor’s all in shipshape – comfy-chic but not scary if you’re arriving with little ones in tow – with cosy couches, striped fabrics and colourful kitchens. There’s plenty of space for outside hangs, with terraces or private gardens, wood-fired hot tubs and outdoor showers (the latter probably most appropriate for a solo – or couple’s – hangout). There’s a communal heated pool on the lawn outside the clubhouse, too. And for those chilly winter nights, indoor fireplaces keep things snuggly.
Food philosophy
Meals are served in the clubhouse – a stone building from 1892, which is still sometimes called the “spookhuis”, a ghostly name it earned during its years of dereliction. You can dine al fresco too, under the shade of milkwood trees or on the beach. Breakfast (included in the rate) is from 8 am – 11 am. A lunch menu is available from 11 am – think good, homey grub, like roast chicken, pizzas, salads and burgers. Dinner is a choice of casual, home-style cooking and sharing platters, which might be just the ticket if you’ve spent the day wining and dining.
Speaking of which, here you’ve got all the Walker Bay and Hemel-en-Aarde wineries right on your doorstep – you can pop round for a tasting, but Coot Club will have local pinot noir and sauvignon blanc behind the bar, too. For eating out, you’ll find restaurants in Stanford and on nearby wine estates – such as Wortelgat, Springfontein’s “wine dining” restaurant (they had us at that pun).
The secret sauce
Coot Club’s ace card is its location and all the activities you can do in the area – it’s Disneyland for folks with permanently itchy feet (metaphorically – otherwise, best to see a doctor). Walker Bay is almost obnoxiously pretty, with mountains on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other, sandwiching sandy beaches and swathes of fynbos (a native type of vegetation) across which teeny sunbirds flitter.
Hop on one of Coot Club’s fat bikes to explore the trails around the property or take a kayak out on the lagoon. There are quad bikes to hire and sandboarding sessions, too. See if you can spot the red-knobbed coot, after which the resort’s named, and watch whales lolling around just a few metres from shore when they visit from June to November.
One more thing
Every day, an hour before sunset, the ship’s bell is rung at the clubhouse, summoning (it’s not actually compulsory, but to us it might as well be) guests for sundowners on the jetty or the lawn. Sip a strong G&T and watch the sun set beyond the ocean. In South Africa, sundowners are a ritual and a lovely, chilled way to meet other guests and staff.
