ABOVE ROTATING: Ocean House has a large pool. Whales cruise the coast off Ocean House. Ocean House’s bedrooms have sea views. Take your kids walking in the reserve.
OPPOSITE: Ocean House is in the pristine De Hoop Nature Reserve.
OVERLEAF (left to right): A little girl finds a starfish with the help of her guide. You can explore the reserve on bicycles. Sandboarding on the dunes here is great fun.
What set its apart
Our family fell in love with Ocean House. With the amazing staff, we felt welcomed, at ease and at home; they took the whole family on informative marine walks, and while the adults went whale watching by helicopter or lazed in the hot tub, the children had a ‘whale of a time’ with the team – snorkelling among the rock pools, building and flying kites and sandboarding on the famous De Hoop dunes. And as a malaria-free location, we didn’t have to worry about anyone getting sick.
This seamlessly-managed house gave us the chance to truly connect as a family; with our two older kids venturing out into their respective parts of the world we don’t all get to be together that often anymore. We’d be busy holding a serious sandcastle competition only to see a picnic brunch being laid out on the sand, without needing to ask.
With its stellar eco ethos – there’s solar heating, water filtration and recycling and even a ‘green roof’ planted with fynbos – the whole family also learnt about the importance of conservation, and we left inspired to apply our learnings back home.
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PHOTOGRAPHY: MORUKURU FAMILY