“But it’s so far “, she said. “And if it’s so nice, how come no one has ever heard of it? “, she continued. And, finally,”And what do we do when we get
there? “
The questions were being put forward by my wife, more often referred to as The Boss and , being the typical male that I am , I hedged my bets with a “We will see when we get there! “And left it at that.
Breedezicht is a private estate on the shoreline of the Breede River mouth, at Witsand .So, at exactly 14h00 hours, or two-o’clock to you and me, we departed from Cape Town and headed east.
In the late afternoon, we spotted the well marked turn-off, which is about 40km on the other side of Swellendam.
And suddenly, there it was. Glistening in the low sun of the early evening, the small village of Witsand bordered by the impressive wide Breede river mouth
and the seemingly endless ocean.
Breedezicht Estate in Witsand
The walled estate that is Breedezicht is situated on the outskirts of the village, with an array of homes running along the ridge overlooking the river,
as well as homes facing inlands towards the mountains.
We were hosted in a beautiful contemporary styled home with amazing sea views and all modern conveniences, plus!
To call it a holiday home would depend on what you consider a holiday home to be?. In this case we were talking three upstairs on-suite bedrooms, two of which had balconies overlooking the sea.
On the ground level, a sumptuous lounge and dining room with a large enclosed balcony giving uninterrupted views of the water and an ultra modern kitchen, backed by a scullery area which concealed all the working aspects of a home that we sometimes prefer to keep hidden.
After a brief scout around we settled down to enjoy a quiet dinner for two, whilst watching the moon rise over the silent waters.
It was the sound of silence that awoke me the next morning, very early. I sat for a while on the balcony, watching the early birds busy looking for the first
worms of the day.
We strolled through the estate to enjoy a fine breakfast at the Pili-Pili restaurant, which is part of the Breede River Lodge complex.
This is also situated on the river’s edge, faced by the small harbour which serves as shelter fishing boats and pleasure craft. And it was on one of
these to which we and a few other guests were given an hour-long amble up-stream along the Breede River.
Breakfast at the Pili-Pili restaurant.
The shoreline is dotted with holiday homes of all sizes and descriptions, from the ultra fancy to the ultra simple and yet they all seem comfortable with their surroundings. There is a constant feeling of calm pervading the environment and one very soon lapses into a comfortable zone of total relaxation and an ever increasing desire to never return to the big city.
With our senses awakened by the spray of the water from the boat’s wake, we decided to take a ride through to Riversdale. Thus we found quaint coffee shops, craft centres and antique stores with much to offer those looking for a chance to while-away some time in search of that hidden bargain.
The highlight for us however was a visit to the Baleia Winery, which can be found just off the main road as you enter the town.
With its attractive winery and tasting room, we spent an enjoyable time trying out some very good, award winning wines.
The area has not yet become overcrowded every weekend or holiday, with none off the traffic, queues, noise that many holiday resorts are now cursed with. It does mean that the infrastructure is rather lacking, just come well prepared and you will want for nothing. And an estate such as Breedezicht offers an opportunity to create your own bit of heaven in the countryside.