October 2023

Now, who said you can’t have a fun weekend by the sea when it’s raining?

We booked the last weekend of October at the lovely Haga Haga Hotel. This was also the weekend that the final of the Rugby World Cup was to be played in France. And to our delight, it was our own Springboks (the national team of South Africa) who would play in the final against the All Blacks of New Zealand.

The big question was: Who would spoil the weekend for us – the weather or the Springboks? And we were more than happy that in the end it was the weather that was not in our favour.

Where is Haga Haga?

Only 60km/37 miles east of East London, lies the small seaside village of Haga Haga. This village has been declared a conservancy owing to a number of rare indigenous species found in the area, such as the Cape clawless otter and the blue duiker. (Source: Wikipedia)

Haga Haga Hotel:

Stunning view from our room

Haga Haga Hotel is family owned and offers 10 self-catering chalets and 11 en-suite rooms with amazing views of the Indian Ocean. The people at the hotel are friendly and made us feel very welcome. It is rare that the owner of any hotel checks in with the guests to see if everything is alright and even the chef came after each dinner to ask if we were satisfied with our dishes. This is the kind of hospitality that will make us visit the Haga Haga Hotel again.

Our spacious room with a king size bed

We arrived quite late and there was just enough time to freshen up a bit before heading to the restaurant of the hotel to enjoy a few drinks and dinner.

Outside area of the restaurant

Lovely sunset colours

While Berto ordered a T-bone steak (with an egg on top and lots of garlic), I enjoyed my prawns and calamari steak on rice. We ended our evening with a bottle of red wine before heading to our room.

This hotel has a winning recipe here: It’s not just the rooms that have lovely views, their food is also delicious!

Delicious dinner

Pinotage – our favourite red wine

We had planned to do some of the hiking trails the next day, but heard there was a storm approaching with heavy rain and strong winds that would arrive overnight.

Our view the next morning (with the sliding door open and closed)

And sure thing – it was raining cats and dogs when we woke up. At the breakfast table, the owner told us about a museum (called ‘The Little Museum’) that we could visit if we wanted to stay out of the rain. So, we enjoyed breakfast, put on our rain jackets and drove to the museum.

A great breakfast to start the day

‘The Little Museum’ is just that – little! It is basically a small room with some exhibits about how the village of Haga Haga came to be, as well as information about the fauna and flora in the area. There is also a colourful mural (depicting animals, space, boats, sea life and even hot air balloons – I’m not sure what the meaning of this is, but it’s beautiful).

The Little Museum

We read that the village was started in the early 1920s when farmers from the hinterland acquired farms on the coast for winter grazing. The hotel began as a 5-bedroom boarding house during the depression years and later expanded into the hotel it is today. As we looked at the photos from earlier years, I thought that not much had really changed at Haga Haga – and we loved it!

Photo of Haga Haga in 1928 and then another one taken in the 1980s with the hotel on the foreground

Another interesting piece of history were the photos of the ‘Extreme Waves’ that hit Haga Haga on 1 September 2008. There were pictures of the waves during this storm taken from the hotel – I told Berto I just hope we’re not in for the same kind of waves today.

Photos of the ‘Extreme Waves’ in 2008 (photographed through the windows of the hotel)

When we left the museum, the rain eased off a bit which allowed us to take a walk from the hotel towards a lookout point and the beach.

A muddy walk towards the beach

It was better on the grass

The amazing beach at Haga Haga

Flat rocks on the beach

There was a race going on and we spotted some of the runners on the beach jogging in the rain. Now that’s what you call determination, right?

Runners on the beach

Just before we drove into the village of Haga Haga yesterday, we saw a sign with the words: ‘OppiePlaas Haga Haga’ (translated it would mean ‘On the farm Haga Haga’). We decided to drive there to find out what type of place it is. On the way, we quickly stopped in our tracks when we saw an antelope chewing on a bush.

Antelope in the village of Haga Haga

‘OppiePlaas Haga Haga’:

We rang the bell at the gate and a friendly voice invited us in. And what a lovely place! First you only see the beautiful green lawn and then you walk into a cozy restaurant/pub where friendly people welcomed us. There are two self-catering garden cottages as well as a few sites for camping.

Lovely green lawn at OppiePlaas Haga Haga

We first enjoyed a few cups of coffee (and rooibos tea for me). And then decided that this was the perfect place for lunch. We each ordered a pizza which, by the way, is baked in a real pizza oven. It was absolutely delicious!

My half-eaten pizza

Once we have brought our camping equipment from Langebaan, we will definitely come back to OppiePlaas Haga Haga for a camping experience.

Hiking time:

This post is getting long now, but before we wrap up, join us for a lovely walk on the beach!

On the way back to the hotel, it looked like we might have some luck for a quick stroll on the beach – the rain had stopped for now and it was just cloudy (and very windy and cold). We grabbed our rain jackets from our room again and found a footpath that took us down to the beach.

Lovely décor inside the Haga Haga Hotel

Part of the hotel

Beautiful garden at Haga Haga Hotel

We first stopped at the rock pool in front of the hotel where fishermen braved the cold. From there we walked along the beach to the Fairy Pool trail we read about earlier.

Fishermen at the rock pool

Apparently, the Fairy Pool are at the very end of this beach

More fishermen (how brave is that guy in the shorts?)

The sea was really choppy and the clouds were slowly but surely starting to get darker again. It was inevitable that it would soon start raining again. But we hoped to be able to walk just a little further.

Dark clouds rolled in

We are close to the Fairy Pool

The path became narrow and the rocks slippery

We decided to turn around when we heard the first rumble of thunder and large drops splashed down on us. The Fairy Pool will have to wait for another time – unfortunately.

I had to laugh – if you sit here, you have a view of the … bush (and not the ocean)

Pretty flowers on the way back to the hotel

Sea branch on the beach that looks like it’s been painted

With the hotel in sight, the heavens opened and we got drenched! We took off our muddy shoes and walked to our room where we enjoyed a hot shower. Back in the restaurant we had a few drinks and later enjoyed dinner.

The restaurant was getting ready for the big rugby game

Starters: Pea soup for me and crumbed mushrooms for Berto

Main dish: Sole, baked potato and veggies

And then it was time for the final of the Rugby World Cup. While all hell broke loose outside with loud thunder and heavy rain, the Springboks ended up winning by just one point against the All Blacks. We celebrated until well after midnight!

The Springboks are the rugby world champions

After a stormy night, the next morning was one of the most beautiful mornings we have ever seen here on the south-east coast of South Africa. We enjoyed Haga Haga Hotel’s breakfast one last time before driving back home.

Colourful breakfast table

Stunning morning at Haga Haga

This was truly a wonderful weekend that we will not soon forget – for the weather, the scenery, friendly people, great food … oh, and the Springboks’ victory of course.