Meet South African mom blogger Janine, who blogs at Five Star Stories.
Recently when planning a holiday to the Garden Route with my husband and one-year-old
daughter we decided to give Brenton on Sea a try. This small seaside town is just a few
kilometres from Knysna but still offers a natural, unspoiled feeling, is quiet and relaxing, is
away from the crowds, and has some of the best views of the Indian Ocean. Perfect for one
of our first family holidays with the little one!
Having visited the main Garden Route towns of Sedgefield, Knysna, George, and
Plettenberg Bay multiple times we decided instead to spend a few days at Brenton Haven in
Brenton on Sea. One of the only resorts in the area, Brenton Haven, is located right at the
end of the main road – the closest you can get to the beach!
All the accommodation is self-catering which we found especially convenient when traveling
with an infant. Our unit also had a balcony with a built-in wood braai which was great for
those late afternoon sundowners once the baby had settled down for the night. And there
was also an option to include breakfast which is what we decided on – we were on holiday
after all!
Breakfast here is served in the ever-popular Butterfly Blu restaurant downstairs, where you
can also have lunch and dinner if you don’t feel like cooking.
In fact, even if you don’t decide to stay here and are just looking for a fabulous spot to grab a meal on your next Garden Route holiday, Butterfly Blu comes highly recommended. They serve some of the most
incredible milkshakes, smoothies, and cocktails, all set to the backdrop of fabulous ocean
views. We were hard-pressed to leave.
The other thing we really enjoyed about this spot is that it’s as close to the beach as you can
get. While some other towns in the Garden Route offer amazing lagoon, riverside, or forest
accommodation, our stay at Brenton on Sea was all about the beach.
This proudly Blue Flag beach is the perfect place to spend the day sunbathing, or you can
take a walk along the 5 kilometers of unspoiled beach all the way to Buffelsbaai. For us, we
preferred just to chill out in front of Brenton Haven, looking for the dolphins that love to surf
in the waves, and exploring the rock pools around castle rock. If you find yourself here
between May and November, it is also very likely you will spot the majestic Southern Right
Whales that frequent these waters.
When we couldn’t tear our daughter away from the beach (and to be honest, who could
blame her for just wanting to play in these white sands all day), the Indigo Deli located right
next to the restaurant was the perfect place to grab something quick and head down to the
beach. They have a fabulous selection of homebaked sweet and savory treats which we
loved.
And on the odd occasion that you do want to do something other than just hanging out on
the beach, there are plenty of things to keep the family occupied. There were various nearby
hiking trails through the fynbos where you can see different buck species and we enjoyed
heading down to Brenton on Lake, located just on the other side of the hill from Brenton on
Sea, on the Knysna lagoon. While dad was hoping to do some kitesurfing the wind just wasn’t playing ball so instead we took advantage of the flat waters and enjoyed some stand-up paddleboarding.
But if you are feeling adventurous, you could always book a high-speed boat trip through the
heads. We did so and even took the baby along for the ride! There’s also bungee jumping off
the Bloukrans Bridge at Tsitsikamma, or ScooTouring for a ride with a difference in the
forest. But that’s to name just a few of the activities this area has to offer.
All in all, Brenton on Sea proved to be an excellent option for our family holiday. We still got
the convenience of being close to Knysna but enjoyed the feeling of a small seaside town.
You can read more about Janine’s travels here and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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[…] Janine goes to Brenton on Sea […]