Azamara World Series, South Africa: Part 2, Richards Bay to Cape Town.
Sailing overnight from Richards Bay we arrived into Durban early the next day. We had a lazy morning with time to spare before our 11am shore excursion departure (though somehow we still managed to be the last ones on the coach - that’s what happens when an excursion expects you to find your own way ashore rather than meeting on the ship:-)). Once on the coach we set off for a drive along the coast road to the north of Durban. We were greeted by the most beautiful scenery, with stunning white beaches to one side and rolling green hills to the other. Our first stop was lovely Westbrook beach busy with locals swimming in the sea, surfing and enjoying a braai. We just had time to wander down to the seashore and dip our toes in the glorious, warm Indian Ocean before we had to head back to the coach for our drive a bit further north to Ballito, a small coastal village.
Again there were lots of families milling around on the beach and in the roadside restaurants. This beach was rockier than the previous one and bathers were using the rock pools to lie in and keep cool while sunbathing. Back on the coach and a quick drive to reach our much anticipated destination, the Oyster Box hotel. This is an opulent hotel located in Umhlanga, a vibrant, modern town boasting a mix of luxury beachside hotels, swanky city apartments and bustling business centres. The Oyster Box hotel is an old colonial style building with a large lighthouse situated on the beach in front of the hotel pool. We started our afternoon in the Lighthouse bar situated on the second floor, a trendy cocktail bar with large terrace overlooking the hotel pool and infamous lighthouse. After a drink in the bar we headed down to the main foyer where the afternoon tea was laid out. The spread was amazing, with a large array of hot and cold savouries, delicious scones, miniature sweet treats and a fantastic array of sandwich cakes. We were greeted with a large glass of chilled champagne and told to help ourselves to the afternoon tea buffet which was served with a choice of any tea, coffee or hot chocolate.
An hour and a half later and probably at least half a stone heavier we got back onto the coach for our drive back to Durban, this time taking an inland route up to a viewpoint affording views over this large and sprawling city and beyond, out to sea. Back on the ship we just had time to drop our stuff off in our room then make our way to the pool deck for the Kangaroo ZULU dance and acrobatic dance troop who came on board to entertain us for half an hour. And entertain us they did, with their incredible drum sounds and amazingly brave acrobatics. They treated us to an absolutely awesome show which has to rank as one of, if not the best show we’ve ever seen at land or at sea. After our over indulgence of the afternoon we decided to just pop up the windows cafe this evening for a small plate of the Indian buffet. The evening was balmy and smooth so we sat out on the sunset terrace for a good hour watching the shoreline disappear as we sailed away from Durban, before heading in to The Den to listen to Gemma tinkle the ivories whilst we enjoyed a nightcap or two.
Our next stop was East London which we weren’t arriving into until after lunch the next day. Although we had been told to expect unpredictable weather (in fact they had only been able to dock here once in the last 3 planned stops due to the notorious high winds), the weather for our arrival was beautiful, with smooth seas, low winds and blue skies. As we hadn’t made any plans for this port of call and as the weather was so pleasing we decided to buy a spa pass for the day and after a delicious brunch served in the Discoveries restaurant, we settled in at the spa area at the front of deck 9. The position of this sun deck afforded us a view over the open wing to watch as the captain, staff captain and pilot as they manoeuvred the ship alongside. With most passengers disembarking for various excursions, we managed to bag ourselves the lovely double canopy for the afternoon, allowing us to catch up on some much needed rest following our the last few busy days out exploring.
And a restful afternoon was just what we needed in preparation for one of the highlights of any Azamara voyage, the White Night. White Night started with a bbq, followed by a performance from a local African song and dance group, the crew parade and an open deck party with singing and dancing from the whole entertainment team. The evening was very balmy and we didn’t leave east London until late so the conditions were perfect. And the party didn’t stop after we left East London with most of the passengers heading in to the Living Room for more dancing late into the night.
Having left East London in relatively calm seas the wind and waves had really picked up by the time we went to bed and it was definitely a night for ear plugs and a sea sick tablet. Despite our late night we still woke quite early but the sea swell put us off getting up for a bit so we lazed in bed for the next couple of hours. We finally got up to get a coffee from the cafe and some fresh air on the pool deck. Although the skies were blue the winds were high and after an hour or so we decided to head inside to the Living Room where it was a little less blustery. And we were glad we did as the sky clouded over, so we stayed put for a couple of hours, passing our time with a few board games and a good book. Later that afternoon, Rich headed off for an engine room tour whilst I headed to the Spa for a massage.
Feeling totally relaxed after a wonderful full body massage, I returned to our room to get ready for a fun-filled evening. First up was the Le Club Voyage (Azamara’s loyalty programme) cocktail party in the Cabaret Lounge, a chance to drink cocktails, meet some of our fellow guests and hear from some of the senior officers. We then had an invitation to the Grand Officers Hosting dinner in the Discoveries restaurant. We arrived at the restaurant and were delighted to see that we were sitting with the fabulous Fabio, the Quest’s Food and Beverage Manager. The meal and wine pairings were delicious and the company was exemplary, with our table being the last one left in the dining room, long after the other tables had retired for the evening. Eventually though we felt we should move on so along with some of our fellow table mates, we decided to head to The Den for a game of music trivia (which needless to say we didn’t win).
Overnight we had sailed back to Cape Town and early the next morning we were up and on a coach for our excursion to the South African winelands. And so it was that at 9am we were in Paarl, seated on the terrace of the Nederburg estate vineyard, tasting wines from their cellars. Feeling a little light headed from drinking wine at such an early hour we then stumbled our way around their estate, learning more about their wine production.
From Paarl we made our way to the rather lovely little town of Franschhoek where we had a free hour to wander around. With some quaint shops, artisan cafes and the most glorious backdrop, this little town reminded us of being in Switzerland in the summer. Before we knew it it was rime to visit another vineyard, this time it was the turn of the Boschendal estate, located in the Franschhoek valley. The wine tasting consisted of two reds, two whites and a rose which was followed by a rather delicious picnic in the garden, accompanied by a full glass of wine from their estate.
Despite a full day exploring the beautiful South African wine lands there was no time to rest this evening, this being the wonderful Azamazing evening. We just had time to change and grab a snack from the Azamazing evening buffet before we had to board our allocated coach for our ride to the grand Cape Town City Hall, the venue for this evenings event. Upon arrival we were greeted with an array of drinks and local delicacies to enjoy before our evenings entertainment, bought to us by the magnificent Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and the energetic Cape Malay Minstrels. And the evening didn’t end there, we were greeted by the ships band playing from the promenade deck as we made our way back on board for the late evening buffet and more singing and dancing in the Living Room.
Though we were feeling a little worse for wear the following morning we were not going to waste our last full day on board this magnificent ship or indeed our past full day in Cape Town. So we were up early and heading off on our last shore excursion of this voyage, a visit to the stunning Cape Peninsula. We started our coach ride driving along the Atlantic Seaboard taking in some of Cape Town’s most expensive suburbs, including the glorious beaches of Clifton and Camps Bay, with some of our party claiming to spot the odd whale or two along the way. We had time for a quick stop to take in the view before starting on one of the top drives in the world, Chapmans Peak drive. Cars and coaches are, for good reason, only allowed to go one way on this windy, hair-raising road but don’t let this put you off taking this route - the views along the way are breathtaking and the incredible scenery is imprinted in my memory until we can again return to this beautiful part of the world.
Following on from our drive was a visit wi the Cape Peninsula National Park. We parked up and headed to the funicular station which would take us to the peak. Unfortunately the funicular wasn’t operational when we were there so we had to queue for a minibus ride to the top instead. The view from the lighthouse at the top was worth the climb and with time in short supply we decided to walk back down to the car park rather than wait for the minibus, also allowing us some photo opportunities with the resident baboons.
Leaving Cape Point we headed north towards the infamous penguin colony at Boulders beach. This is a busy tourist spot with a one-way boardwalk path round the beach overlooking the large colony of African penguins going about their everyday lives. There is the chance to get up quite close and personal with some of them as they nestle in the sand dunes, so comfortable with human visitors that they hardly bat an eye. From here we headed back into Simon’s Town to a rather lovely seafood restaurant overlooking another gorgeous beach (South Africa really isn’t short of them) for a delicious late lunch.
The coach ride back to the ship was a bit of a sleepy blur, but before long we were heading back on board our home for the last 9 nights for the last time this voyage. Though we probably should have got an early night and spent some time carefully packing we just wanted to enjoy out last few hours on board, with some of the wonderful friends we had made along the way. And so it was that the clothes were flung in a suitcase and a bleary eyed couple waved goodbye to the ship the next day to begin the next part of our adventure, a 3 night safari at the amazing Bukela Lodge (click the link for more on that!).
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We would like to thank Azamara Cruises for paying for us to go on this cruise and for all of the shore excursions described above. For part one of this voyage click here.
If you enjoyed this blog, why not take a look at other voyages in our World Series, The Spice Route or Italy and the Adriatic.
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