South African Break Aways

ROSE & ALE, Gonubie (East London, SA)

Three weeks at Rose & Ale

With our arrival in East London, we had to decide where we would like to stay during the next year. Since we don’t know East London, we thought it would be better to book into a self-catering cottage for three weeks, while looking at different accommodation.

Gonubie:

Thus, for the next three weeks, we ended up in the little beachside village of Gonubie (approximately 25km north of East London) … it almost felt as if we were on holiday with the lovely beach just 500m away from our front door.

Rose Cottage at Rose & Ale:

We found great self-catering accommodation in the form of Rose & Ale and our little cottage (Rose Cottage) were the perfect choice.

Before we show you the beautiful beach of Gonubie, we would like to give a quick review on Rose & Ale – a place that almost felt like a home away from home.

There is a small enclosed garden at the front of our cottage
The bed with luxurious linen

The cottage is supplied with everything one could need – in the kitchen there is a fridge, microwave, toaster, kettle, oven/hob and a full range of crockery and cutlery. The cosy lounge area has a sleeper couch and two chairs, as well as a small desk where one can set up a work station (like Berto did and enjoyed very much).

The little breakfast nook
Part of the lounge and the small desk area

I found the different rose images very charming – it was perfect for our cottage. One can see the owner has put a lot of thought into the decoration of Rose Cottage.

Here are just a few rose images we spotted:

A very original name image for the cottage
The mirror in the bathroom and a rose tile in the lounge
A cushion and wall decoration
The pillow on the bed

The outside area of Rose & Ale is also luscious and green, with lovely areas for entertainment. Surely, a family with kids will have no problem in keeping the little ones busy as there is a swimming pool, trampoline and a jungle-gym.

Trampoline and swimming pool

Of course, for us, there is always that one thing that is non-negotiable at any accommodation. Those of you who are regular readers, will know … it’s a braai/barbeque! And we were very happy that we had this facility at Rose & Ale – our first meal in East London was non-other than a proper braai!

Our first fire (of hopefully many) in East London
Something to drink and meat on the fire – happy days
Our first meal (and dessert which Berto made – yummy Apple Crumble Pie)

We were very happy and comfortable in our first accommodation in East London. Rose & Ale definitely exceeded our expectations – they even arranged that our cottage was cleaned once a week and provided clean linen and towels. We feel very welcome in East London!

When you look towards your right outside our gate, there is the beautiful view of the ocean

As mentioned earlier, our cottage is only 500m from the beach and in our next post we will take you on a scenic walk along the ocean.

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wetanddustyroads

52 thoughts on “ROSE & ALE, Gonubie (East London, SA)”

    1. Dankie Elsabe. Dis ‘n klein juweeltjie hier in Gonubie … soms knyp ‘n mens mos maar oe toe as jy ‘n bespreking op die internet doen en hoop vir die beste (alles lyk mos soveel mooier op foto’s), maar ons was werklik verras met hierdie plekkie. ‘n Goeie begin sou ek dink 😉.

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    1. Absolutely Hannah … a really nice place (and we were lucky to have found it I would say). The trampoline – you will not believe it … I have tried it 😄 (the cleaning ladies had such a laugh)! The water in the pool is a bit cold (even though the temperatures were in the mid 20 degrees Celsius these last couple of days) … it seems winter here is like spring on the west coast where we just came from (I like that)!

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  3. The cottage looks cozy and comfortable, so I can certainly understand the vacation vibes that you are getting. As someone who had to choose a longterm accommodation in various places throughout the years, finding a short-term place while looking around is the best way to approach it. Lovely that you are so close to a beach.

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    1. We really enjoyed our time in this cottage … it was great diving into bed in the evenings and being able to hear the crashing of the waves! And yes Leighton, you’re absolutely right, during our stay here, we had a good chance of looking around and finally choosing a house that will fit us for the next year. But can you believe that we have eventually chosen a place in the glorious hills (and not close to the beach)? We hope it was the right decision 👀 …

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  4. Your cottage looks idyllic Corna and I adore all those rose prints around the place from pictures to cushions. Great too that it has a barbecue and an attractive outdoor seating terrace. You surely must feel as though you are on holiday especially as you are a stones throw from the beach. I checked the temperature out there and it’s not that much different to our summer so you can still enjoy beach life in mid-winter too!

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    1. Thank you Marion 🌸. We were very lucky with this find – it had everything we needed (and that’s saying a lot since we stayed here for three weeks)! To hear the waves crashing against the rocks just added to that holiday feeling … maybe a good start to settle into a new city? Oh yes, it seems the temperatures here are close to the spring temperatures on the west coast where we just came from – while it’s currently cold and raining back home in Langebaan, we have lovely sunny days on this side of the country (rain season apparently starts in the summer … but it’s rain with hot and humid conditions). Maybe we’ll skip the cold winter this year 😄.

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    1. Ja Aletta, ons was gelukkig om Rose & Ale te vind en het heerlik gebly. As mens kan kos maak (al is dit op ‘n klein stofie) en ‘n vleisie kan braai, is die wereld ‘n lekker plek 😉.

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    1. It sounds like a great plan Mel, but it’s quite expensive to stay in a self-catering place like this on long term. We realised that it will be cheaper to rent an unfurnished place on the long run … but that means we have to move from Paradise … unfortunately! Hopefully our next place will have its own lovely spots!

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    1. So … we are not staying in East London in the UK … but East London in South Africa ☺️ (though I wouldn’t mind if it was in the UK). I will shortly post about our walk on the beach, it might just show then that we’re definitely in SA.

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      1. Oh, how daft can you get? I should give my head a shake. I did wonder how on earth you’d found a beach in that vicinity. And it isn’t even April Fools Day! Feel free to delete the comment, or you can just give others a giggle.

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  10. I can see that you found the perfect place to stay while looking for your new ( I guess temporary) home. 😁
    It’s very nice to live so close to the sea as you are doing now. I can miss that from when I lived in Malta and had walking distance to the Mediterranean Sea, on the other hand, now I have walking distance to the countryside.

    The cottage Rose & Ale looks really nice, I’m glad you found it and I’m glad for your sake that they also have a barbecue area!!! 😄

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    1. Yes, temporary (for a year) … but we were still adamant that the temporary home must also be a fit. Unfortunately we are now (almost like you) moving away from the sea to the countryside – quieter and more bird life (but without the sea) … I guess you give up the one thing to gain on something else 😉.
      Oh yes, it would have been a difficult three weeks without a barbecue 😅, it was a great place to get used to our new surroundings and we are now looking forward to feel (more) at home between our own stuff.

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    1. Dit is regtig mooi Una. En ja, daardie strand stappies was heerlik elke oggend … nou sal ek moet gewoond moet raak om meer in die heuwels te gaan stap … of wag, daar’s ook ‘n rivier naby ons nuwe huis, so ek gaan tog nog water kan sien. Die strand is darem nie te ver nie – net so 20 minute se ry (nou nie so naby soos jou paar tree tot in die water nie 😁).

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      2. Haha Una 😁 … ja, ek sal darem seker so ‘n oorsig gee. Ons was vandag daar en op hierdie stadium is ons huisie nog net ‘n lee dop. En die tuintjie het BAIE aandag nodig … maar daar’s ‘n braai, so ek’s seker ons sal alle probleme daar opgelos kry 😄.

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    1. From the moment we walked in, we loved what we saw. A place well taken care of and owners that want to make sure their guests are happy – what more could we have asked for? Indeed, it’s going to be difficult … but at least, we have a new home to be looking forward to (with a little bit more space) and to be surrounded by our own stuff.

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    1. Yes Sarah, we were lucky with this temporary accommodation … it was certainly nice to be so close to the beach. But soon we’re moving to the hills (with hopefully its own beauty). I actually can’t wait to just unpack our suitcases – living out of them for a month now 😊.

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    1. Indeed Linda … I loved all the detail in the Rose Cottage (Berto was not so fond of all the flower detail … ah, men 😉). But it was super nice that we had the beach just down the road, although it is not really summer temperatures to enjoy the ocean or the pool – but hopefully that time will come!

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    1. Roses are one of my favourite flowers (and isn’t it amazing to see in how many colours they come). This was indeed a beautiful cottage and we felt right at home … like you said, the perfect start in our new city 😊.

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    1. Thanks Henrietta, we were really happy with that cottage. I can see why it is so popular with tourists – it’s got all the amenities you’re looking for in a holiday home. Thank you for taking time to read about our stay in Rose & Ale 🌹.

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    1. Dit was so lekker om hier in te stap (veral na daardie vlug) 😄. Behalwe dat dit so mooi is, is die personeel wat daar werk, net so vriendelik. Dit was beslis goeie eerste indrukke van Oos-London (gelukkig het ons deur die stad in donkerte gery … ook maar goed so). Ek bly sommer lekker as ek sien die eienaar het regtig moeite gedoen en letterlik aan alles gedink wat mens kan nodig kry (soos bv. ‘n goeie rasper en lekker potte 😄).

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    1. Thank you … it was definitely a great place to stay for three weeks. I can just imagine how busy Rose & Ale will be in summer time (that swimming pool ☺️). A great find and ideal to introduce us to East London!

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    1. This was a lovely place indeed Lisa! I found the rose theme beautiful … let’s just say that Berto was not so keen to be surrounded by roses constantly, but he survived 😄. It was just that homely feeling that made us appreciated the place so much more!

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