Peter’s Post
It is generally accepted that the Wild Coast runs from the Mtamvuma River near Port Edward to the mouth of the Kei River in the Eastern Cape. However, resorts between the Kei River and East London such as Kei Mouth, Morgan Bay and Haga Haga have been promoting themselves as part of the Wild Coast. In the end, it does not really matter — all the resorts have their charms and particular advantages. You can find a full listing of hotels at wildcoast.co.za.
The best-known resort is probably Umngazi River Bungalows, located down the coast from Port St Johns in a spectacular riverside setting ( umngazi.co.za). As with all the hotels along this coast, the staff will take excellent care of your children. Both Coffee Bay and Hole in the Wall have comfortable hotels, with the added benefit of being able to mix with the many backpackers who head here from all over the globe. Virtually all the hotels have great settings, with two of the best being Wavecrest ( wavecrest.co.za) and Kob Inn ( kobinn.co.za). At the southern tip of the official Wild Coast, you can find Seagulls ( seagullshotel.co.za) and Trennerys ( trennerys.co.za), two hotels which form part of a lively beachside community. They benefit from being only a few kilometres from the vehicle ferry across the Kei River, meaning that most of the journey is on tar road. You need to be aware that roads to some of the resorts are in very poor condition. If you don’t want to drive yourself, you can fly to East London or Mthatha and get the hotel staff to collect you.
Outside of the traditional “Wild Coast”, the best resort is probably the Morgan Bay Hotel, only a few kilometres from the Kei River. This charming beachfront hotel has been revamped in recent years and its most famous guests were Prince William and Prince Harry, who stayed there while biking down the coast ( morganbayhotel.co.za). When it comes to rates, most hotels offer a daily rate which includes three meals a day, as well as morning and afternoon tea. There are special weekly events such as braais and seafood buffets. The daily rates range from around R525 per person in the low season to
around R1 000pp in December/January. HOLIDAY TRAIN We will be in Amsterdam on April 30. As it is a public holiday in Holland, we were considering a day trip to Brussels. Will it be possible to buy a train ticket at the Amsterdam station on the day? Is this high season in Holland or will the trains not be that busy? — Magchel Koen There are always plenty of trains running between Amsterdam and Brussels, even on public holidays. There is the high-speed Thalys service, which takes two hours for the one-way journey, but you need to reserve a seat and purchase tickets in advance. However, you can also take the normal InterCity train, which takes three hours for the trip.
As you are contemplating a day trip, it makes sense to choose the high-speed train. The first service starts at 6.18am from Amsterdam and then every hour after that. The journey is just under two hours and refreshments are available on board. The last train leaves Brussels at 9.52pm, arriving in Amsterdam at 11.42pm. You need to book as early as possible as the ticket price varies considerably due to demand. April is not peak season in Europe, but the warmer weather means more people are likely to be travelling. The cheapest price I could find for the Amsterdam-Brussels leg was à45 (about R670), while there were seats available for
à29 (R430) from Brussels to Amsterdam. You can book on thalys.com.