December 2023

While my brother and his family from the UK are visiting us in sunny South Africa, it is almost mandatory that we drive to the beach every day.

Because the coastal towns on the West Coast are located so close to each other, we visited two of these seaside villages on one day. Paternoster is only a 30-minute drive from Langebaan, while Jacobsbaai is just around the corner from Langebaan with a 20-minute drive.

Paternoster:

Turquoise sea at Paternoster

Paternoster is one of the oldest fishing villages on the West Coast of South Africa. Paternoster means ‘Our Father’, the first two words of the Lord’s Prayer in Latin and taking its name from the heartfelt prayers of shipwrecked Portuguese sailors.

The beach at Paternoster

While the family lay on the beach (and every now and then went for a quick swim to cool off), Berto and I went for a walk on the white 8km long beach.

It’s a beautiful pristine beach and one we don’t visit too often when we’re in Langebaan. The reason for this is probably because we are spoiled for choices when visiting the West Coast.

Sunbathers on the beach

As we walked, we saw a man approaching with two large animals. Because there are horse rides on the beach, we thought it might be two ponies. Great was our surprise, however, when they approached and two very large dogs calmly walked past us.

Big dogs on a stroll

Mondvol Koffiewinkel:

After about an hour in the sun we decided it was time for a light lunch and something cool to drink. Mondvol Koffiewinkel (translated to ‘Mouthful Coffee shop’) is perfectly located on the outskirts of Paternoster. The food was top notch, the coffee the best we’ve ever had and the service excellent – what a great way to end our day in Paternoster.

Cool outdoor seating

Madeleine (my sister-in-law) and I enjoy fresh juice

Johan, my one and only brother

The choices of fresh salads and filled croissants were all delicious and we ended the afternoon with creamy coffee and chocolate cookies.

Fresh avocado salad

Coffee and chocolate cookie

Jacobsbaai:

Jacobsbaai, situated midway between Vredenburg and Saldanha Bay, is an isolated and traditional Cape West Coast Village. Friends, who are holidaying in Jacobsbaai, invited us over for a ‘braai’ that evening. It was lovely to hang out with everyone and we talked until late at night.

Walking path along the sea at Jacobsbaai

Holiday homes across the bay

Just before sunset, most of us went for a walk through the streets of the small village.

Calm sea at Jacobsbaai

Golden hour at Jacobsbaai

Beautiful stone house

With a glass of wine in hand, we watched the beautiful sunset from the balcony. What a lovely day we had on the West Coast of South Africa.

Sunset at Jacobsbaai

Happy 2024!

We wish you a happy New Year! May it be filled with new adventures, good fortune and love.

Updated on 13 January 2024:

This post appeared on 3 January 2024 on Google News in South Africa. Since then, the views on this post has exploded and was read 40,774 times and counting. As an unintended consequence, the restaurant, Mondvol Coffee Shop (which featured in this post), was inundated by readers which requested this specific dish.

A screen grab of the post as it appeared on Google News