White Sands Review

There are few things better than taking a road trip just to adventure, rest & mostly gain perspective on life. For me, my trip would be absolutely incomplete without Bailey by my side. There have been times where we have wanted to stay as a gift to ourselves (hubby & I) that is a bit more 5 star & less back packer-ish which is what most, not all, Pet friendly accommodation is advertised online.  So, began my quest to find & review a 5-star Pet friendly accommodation around Cape Town. It´s tough guys, but someone has to do it 😉 …Then we found WHITE SANDS. Recently, we had the absolute privilege of staying the night at The Beach House Escape in one of their houses called “White House” in the small harbour Town of Yzerfontein, Cape Town. Driving along the West Coast to find our destination is always a treat & one to experience as often as possible. As you leave the City behind you are greeted with beautiful beaches that seem to go on forever. Yzerfontein is merely 90km away from Cape Town CBD & 30 minutes’ drive from where we live in Melkbosstrand, yet you feel miles away which is lovely. It was the day of our adventure & we were up and at ém at 6am with full intention on hitting the road at 9am SHARP in the quest to enjoy every minute, hour, day! HOWEVER, reaching said intention is almost impossible as a dog mom (& wife for that matter) – The husband ´faffs´ & the dog has far too many accessories for his own good.

CHECK LIST PROCESS FOR BAILEY (let alone my needs):

COLLAR

TOWEL

POOP BAG

LEASH (Nah)

FOOD (Will pack his Doggobone in a moment, don’t want it to defrost) Which I totally forgot to pack! Go buy Veggies & Meat at Local Spar!!

BOWL

WABOBA BALL

GOPRO (I guess it´s more for Bailey than me, right?)

2 hours later…Apparently in my household.

Right! let´s go!

Now being 11am & a touch stressed, 30 Minutes later we arrive in Paradise.

We were greeted by the friendliest face welcoming us with such warmth. Tinashe is the House Manager & from what I hear has made lifelong friends by his wonderful hospitality & humble personality. He showed us around & of course Bailey jumped straight in the pool ON arrival & made a great big splash, a shake & made Yzerfontein know that HE has arrived. I kept apologizing for Bailey wetting Tinashe and the whole (outside) area, clearly still on edge. However, Tinashe kept reassuring us that it is dog friendly – “Dogs are welcome, let him be, it´s ok”. Thanks Tinashe! From that moment on we felt right at home! This 5 Bedroom House sleeps up to 10 people. It is incredibly spacious, which is what one needs in order to rest and rejuvenate. Especially if you are sharing with both humans and well-behaved dogs, this setup works well. The design of this house draws in the beauty of its surroundings. We felt so close to nature by the well put together aesthetics inside the house & by the smell & sound of the Ocean which is literally at your front door! Inside you are surrounded by large windows that are able to open as doors. By opening these doors, you are inviting the natural cool sea breeze & the sound of the ocean inside. This automatically puts you in a holiday mode & fills you with peace! Besides it being absolutely incredible for humans, it is possibly THE best place to have your dog experience! The property is an open space, therefore there are no walls to contain your pet, we had no issue with this. Bailey is very good in that way, he is obedient and will never go roam if he can´t see us. I had no issue with chasing him down our quiet street to fetch him. He was pre-occupied by the stunning swimming pool, if not swimming he would cool down inside by the kitchen (obviously) on the cool concrete floor (which hides dirty paws). I would also find him upstairs like the human he thinks he is in the main bedroom staring out at the ocean, his happy place. It is not even 1 2 3 steps and we were ON the beach! We only saw 2 other people on this beach while we were there. It is very quiet and just so beautiful. We didn’t have much time to spend on the beach, but you can very easily walk for hours and hours! The main bedroom is basically the size of our home! If it was just that room on offer for the night we would have been just fine! You are spoilt with endless sea views on either side of the balcony, the view is just perfection!! You can put your feet up in your own lounge & roll into bed when you are tired. And of course, one must enjoy the shower. The shower is now my haven! I did not know I could love a shower that much. The wonderful thing about staying at White Sands was the fact that we could sleep with our balcony doors wide open! We felt so safe & comforted by the roaring sound of the ocean. If you have never fallen asleep or woken up to the sound of the crashing waves of our incredible sea you MUST add it to your bucket list. It is an incredible experience & one that we could enjoy here. The sun rose around 5:30am and we made sure we had at least one eye open to experience this magnificent view from our bed. All I can say is, what a site! This was then followed by some coffee in bed. The exciting part about The Beach House Escape is that the houses are not only used as accommodation but functions as well. The property comprises of 3 different houses named White Sands, Thyme & Tyde and Pearl Bay. Just imagine holding a company workshop or conference at this amazing location. What a way to do team building right?!. You could even have an epic birthday weekend with all your friends or use as a Yoga Health Retreat… Just enjoying the beauty of the scenery around. The kitchens in these houses are just so dreamy. I would not expect anything different from the lady herself, Ginger and Lime Queen Denise Levy . The Beach House Escape also plans to have interactive cooking weekends in these kitchens. Bailey already said he agrees to test the food and let everyone know if it’s edible. The possibilities are endless at The Beach House Escape. I can honestly say that this was an experience of a lifetime and Bailey already asked me when we are going back. Thank you to our wonderful hosts for having us stay & review such a timeless piece. Be sure to follow the links in this blog to find out available dates & costs! xxx