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CAPE BEACH WEDDINGS AT THE LONG BEACH BOUTIQUE HOTEL *****

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THE LONG BEACH

Each of The Long Beach's six luxury suites was designed with comfort in mind - to make the most discerning guest feel relaxed and thoroughly pampered. Decorated in Anna Carst interiors - hand-painted natural fabrics with tranquil blues and salmon pinks against a warm ivory background, the suites echo the colours of the hotels exquisite coastal setting. Each suite is adorned with colonial-style lime washed wooden shutters, which, when opened depict spectacular views of the crystal blue Atlantic Beach and the pure white sands of Kommetjie's famous, Long Beach. Guests can step off the pool deck outside their elegant suite straight onto the unspoilt dunes. Breakfast is served overlooking the pooldeck and the beach, with lunch and dinner available on request in the elegant dining room.

Yellowfin: This exquisite suite offers a double bed en suite luxury room with a private patio looking onto the sea.

Bluefin: This luxury twin bedroom with bathroom en suite includes all of the standard luxury amenities and facilities.

Blackfin: A luxury double suite with a private balcony and splendid views of the sea and mountains from the shower.

Longfin: This luxury twin bedroom with bathroom on suite includes all of the standard luxury amenities and facilities.

Dining Area: Enjoy lavish breakfasts in the spacious dining area. We have chefs on call for special, private dinners.

Accommodation Includes:

• A lavish breakfast • Heated towel rails and underfloor heating • Private safe • Satellite TV • Mobile Phones • Air-conditioning • Modem / Internet and Fax services

Unique Accommodation Facilities:

• Relaxing sundeck with ocean views
• Resident's bar
• Chauffeur Service available
• Certified tour guides arranged
• Spa treatments can be arranged en suite
• Free local drinks
• Pool on the dunes

Beach Horse Riding

Noordhoek Beach is famous for its horse rides. There is nothing quite like galloping through the waves, the spray in your face and the wind in your hair.Horse rides along Noordhoek Beach are available from Imhoff's Farm just outside Kommetjie or from a number of stables in Noordhoek itself. Horse riding lessons for riders or all ages and levels are also available.

Beach Horse Riding Highlights:

• Horse rides on Noordhoek Beach
• Horse riding lessons
• Unique camel rides
• Bush rides

Sunrise, Lunch & Sundowner Rides can be booked. Imhoff's farm offers 2-hour horse rides along Noordhoek beach, combined with a short bush ride. An abundance of bird life is visible as the bush ride circles the wetlands. Water birds, cranes, geese and rare flamingo flocks can be seen. Dolphins playing in the waves can sometimes be witnessed, with the occasional sighting of whales.

Horse Rides on the Beach from Imhoff's Farm need only be booked 24 hours in advance. The 9 a.m. morning ride can be combined with a champagne breakfast. Rides are also available at 12 noon and sunset, the time vary according to the season.

The Cape Town Camel Ride also offered at Imhoff's Farm through the scenic area is a novelty not to be missed by young and old.


Deep Sea and Shore Fishing

Kommetjie has often been called the home of the Cape Crayfish or Rock Lobster and in season from November to May crayfish can be caught both by potting with a net or by diving. White steenbras, stompnues and galjoen are caught from the rocks at Kommetjie and further along the coast.

The regions is an angler's paradise! From Kommetjie it is only about 30 nautical miles to the deep sea fishing grounds off Cape Point.

Cape Game Fishing Highlights:

• Phenomenal deep sea fishing off Cape Point
• Shore-based fishing in Cape of Good Hope
• An angler and boat fisherman's dream
• Cape snoek run

The deep sea fishing grounds off Cape Point are home to an abundance of tuna, albacore, yellowfin tuna, black marlin and mako sharks. There are many professional tour operators in the region offering big game fishing expeditions.

The Cape of Good Hope Reserve for example has Rooikrans which rates as one of the finest fishing areas in the world, and Blue and Yellow-Fin Tuna have been caught off the ledge on the False Bay side of Cape Point. Bordjiesrif and Buffels Bay are also famous fishing spots.

Kommetjie has its own slipway, making for easy boat launching. In the colder months, the Cape snoek run offers tremendous fun and a fabulous abundance of snoek to be caught.

Whale Watching

Every year, from July till November, whales (particularly the Southern Right Whale) migrate to the waters off Cape Town to mate and calve their young. Watching these giant mammals cavorting in the sea is quite a spectacle to behold and one not easily forgotten.The best place to view whales is along the main coastal road between Kalk Bay and Fishhoek. The village of Hermanus, further up the coast is considered the whale watching capital of the Cape.

Cape Whale Watching Highlights:

• View whales close to shore
• The Southern Right Whale
• Hermanus - the whale watching capital of South Africa
• Witness whales breaching

Shore-based viewing in the region is plentiful but there are also many boat-based whale watching tours from which to choose.

Watch whales breaching (leaping out of the water), spy hopping (the act of a whale emerging from the water and viewing the environment with caution or curiosity) and slapping their fins in excitement in False Bay and along the Atlantic coast.

The most common whale to see the shores of Cape Town is the Southern Right Whale. It was considered the "right" whale to hunt because they tend to breed close to shore, are slow swimmers and their layers of blubber make them float. The name also derives from the fact that they live in the oceans of the southern hemisphere. Fortunately these whales are now protected from whaling, but they are still in danger from pollution and ships. Other whales that are sometimes spotted off the Cape's coast include Brydes Whale and the famous, Orca or Killer Whale.

Sea Kayaking

A water enthusiast's definite must do! Sea kayaking is the ultimate way of getting close to the ocean.Surf waves, tour the Cape from a completely unique angle and get incredibly close to marine life - there is nothing quite like the experience of seeing a whale at eye level or hundreds of dolphins playing in the waves around you!

Sea Kayaking Highlights:

• Experience the ocean and the Cape from a unique angle
• Whales, seals and dolphins at eye level
• Fantastic guided sea kayaking expeditions

Take a short paddle along a protected bay or embark on longer paddles along the Cape Peninsula. The ultimate kayaking experience is from Buffel's Baai in the Cape of Good Hope Reserve, all the way round Cape Point. You have the option of hiring a kayak yourself or joining a guided sea kayaking tour. Most guided trips run from Three Anchor Bay, Simonstown and Hout Bay. See the Cape Peninsula from a completely unique angle.

No experience is required to sea kayak. Please bear in mind that this is a weather dependent activity and could be cancelled due to poor weather conditions. Most tour operators will make every effort to reschedule your sea kayaking trip, or a full refund will be offered.

Beach Picnics

The Long Beach staff can pack a delicious picnic basket for you to enjoy at your leisure on any of the beautiful beaches in the area.The beaches around Kommetjie are often deserted and make ideal romantic and family picnic spots. Experience phenomenal sunsets whilst enjoying your picnic, sheltered by the surrounding sand dunes and mountain ranges in the area.

Beach Picnic Highlights:

• View spectacular sunsets
• Picnic on a deserted and sheltered beach
• Take romantic a stroll along Long Beach
• Explore the wreck of the Kakapo

Before or after you indulge in your picnic, explore the remains of the wreck of the Kakapo, shipwrecked in 1900 and now a landmark on Noordhoek Beach. Walk along the contour lighthouse path to the Slangkop Lighthouse, a vital beacon to seafarers rounding the African continent since 1918 - the tallest cast iron tower on the South African Coast.

CAPE TOWN ATTRACTIONS

Chapmans Peak

Chapmans Peak is probably more famous for its coastal road, known as Chapmans Peak Drive, which hugs the mountain from Hout Bay to Noordhoek, affording breathtaking views across the bay to the suburb of Hout Bay and beyond.Chapmans Peak, the mountain, is a favourite amongst hikers to climb as it is a brisk, energetic walk to the peak which then has magnificent 360 degree views of the entire Cape Peninsula.

Chapmans Peak Highlights:

• Breathtaking scenery and vistas
• Spectacular coastal road
• Superb mountain hikes
• Alternative route from Hout Bay to Noordhoek

The historical Chapmans Peak Drive was built between 1915-1922. This road is carved out of the side of the mountain providing an alternative route between Hout Bay and Noordhoek, offering one of the most spectacular sights in South Africa. Perched on a rock in the bay near the Hout Bay end of the drive is a bronze leopard. It has been sitting there since 1963 and is a reminder of the wildlife that once roamed the area's forests.

Due to many dangerous rock falls, the road was closed in September 1999. A massive project was launched to save the famous road, and millions of rands were spent on getting the road safe again. It was recently re-opened in December 2003 as a toll road, in time for the famous cycle tour - the largest in the world - that traverses the Cape Peninsula annually.

Hout Bay

nestles behind the almost vertical Sentinel and the steep slopes of Chapmans Peak. Situated around a bay with a white sandy beach, Hout Bay is a fast-growing town that still manages to retain something of its village atmosphere.

The harbour still functions and the bay is an important fishing port and processing centre for snoek and crayfish. Eating fish and chips at the harbourside is an absolute must!

Hout Bay Highlights:

• Harbourside, quaint village
• The World of Birds Sanctuary
• Lunch at Dunes Restaurant overlooking the bay
• Sandy Bay - a secluded nudist beach
• Boat cruises to the V & A Waterfront and Duiker Island

The small town of Hout Bay is a superb residential area with many attractions to delight visitors to the area. The World of Birds Sanctuary home to over 330 species of birds provides family entertainment. On the other end of the scale, the nearby secluded beach, Sandy Bay is Cape Town's only nudist beach.

Hout Bay's expansive beach is ideal for taking long, lazy strolls or enjoy safe swimming, surfing, windsurfing, paddle skiing, kayaking and scuba diving. For a beautiful beach that is peaceful and secluded, head for Llandudno, on the other side of Suikerbossie Hill. Hout Bay is home to thousands of Cape fur seals, cormorants and sea gulls.

Browse through the craft market held on the first Sunday of every month or take a leisurely drive along the famous, recently opened, Chapmans Peak drive which originates in Hout Bay.

Kommetjie

Kommetjie is a delightfully rustic and unspoiled seaside village. Although conveniently close to Cape Town (approximately 30 minutes drive), the atmosphere of Kommetjie, even in peak season, is one of peace and tranquility. Away from the maddening crowds, take a stroll along the pristine beaches of Long or Noordhoek Beach, beautifully remote, but also popular surfing spots.

Kommetjie Highlights:

• Beautiful, expansive Long Beach
• Surfing and bodyboarding in azure waters
• Deep-sea fishing and crayfishing
• Remote, untouched wilderness

The unusual name derives from "Little Bowl' - the sheltered natural tidal pool which has provided safe bathing since the turn of the 1800s. The coastline around Kommetjie draws tourists and locals today as it did then, offering safe swimming spots, phenomenal surf breaks and excellent snorkelling and diving.

Offshore reefs and huge kelp beds in rock pools teem with crayfish, perlemoen and shellfish, delicious local specialities found in Cape Town's restaurants during the season. The crayfish season runs from November to April, and with a permit you'll be able to haul your own from the sea to take home. Kommetjie also offers excellent surf spots, sea kayaking and many spectacular mountain hikes in the area.

All the various routes on your approach to Kommetjie offer countless scenic delights. Across "Ou Kaapse Weg" one approaches Kommetjie via the barren but beautiful Silvermine Nature Reserve and has the panoramic view first of False Bay and the Cape Flats and then of Long Beach and the Llandudno mountain range. From Hout Bay, Chapman's Peak Drive curves along the Mountain edge and provides a dramatic vista of mountain and sea. From Muizenburg one travels either along the coast through the delightful towns of Kalk Bay and Fishhoek, or over the scenic Boyes Drive, with a glimpse of Simon's Town.

False Bay

The largest true bay in South Africa, False Bay's coastline is approximately 30 kilometres in extent with many sheltered inlets and glorious beaches.Not as popular as the trendy Atlantic Seaboard beaches, False Bay lies on the Indian Ocean - on the other side of the peninsula from The Long Beach Villa - where the water is warmer and popular for swimming and sunbathing and is a great family destination.

False Bay Highlights:

• Muizenberg is a popular surfing spot
• Quaint towns of Kalk Bay and St James
• Naval Base in Simonstown
• Penguin Colony at Boulders Beach

The many beaches of False Bay include the expansive Muizenberg beach, which offers a long beach break, ideal for beginner surfers, St. James, a smaller beach famous for the colourful beach houses which are used as changing rooms, Danger Beach in Kalk Bay offers tidal pools for children to enjoy as well as the glorious Fishhoek beach which is ideal for families.

The main street in Kalk Bay is lined with craft, antique and decor stores - perfect for browsing on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Fishhoek is a sleepy town, but with all your major general stores and the naval town of Simon's Town has a touch of history to offer. The jackass penguin colony at Boulders Beach past Simonstown is a delight for young and old.

In whale season (July - October), False Bay is teeming with whales and you only need drive along the coastline to witness these incredible marine giants close to shore.

Noordhoek

Situated at the foot of Chapmans Peak, the village of Noordhoek has a delightfully rural atmosphere, but it has lots of offer in the way of attractions and activities.With incredible sea and mountain views at every turn, the village consists of mainly large smallholdings with horses, pigs, ducks, cows and other animals roaming the streets. Solole, the private game reserve in the area offers wild game viewing.

Noordhoek Highlights:

• Horse riding along the beach
• Long Beach - 8 kilometres of pristine white beach
• Kakapo Shipwreck
• Exhilarating mountain biking and hiking trails

Noordhoek is a vibrant rural and artistic community village with many sea and beach activities in the area, as well as the Long Beach Mall offering the ultimate in shopping. Alternatively, the Noordhoek Farm Village offers much in the way of arts and crafts and home grown farm produce. Mountain hiking up Chapman's Peak and through Silvermine Nature Reserve offers an exhilarating wilderness experience with spectacular views over the South Peninsula.

Indigenous Cape Fynbos - including groves of scarce Milkwood and Yellowwood trees cover the slopes of surrounding mountains and stretch down to the coastal plain and wetlands area.

The beach, known as Long Beach, stretches for 8km of sparkling white sand - meeting up with Kommetjie beach. The wreck of the Kakapo Ship lies eerily embedded in the sand. Shipwrecked over 100 years ago, this is one of the few completely visible shipwrecks in the world. The Slangkop Lighthouse, erected in 1918 prevents such mishaps from occurring now.

Cape Point

Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve is a favoured destination for anyone visiting the Cape and for good reason!The tip of the Peninsula juts out into the ocean, marking the spot where the Indian and the Atlantic Oceans meet. The scenery is breathtaking, with the ocean crashing below and acres of unspoilt nature reserve as far as the eye can see.

Cape Point Highlights:

• Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve
• Where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans converge
• Funicular taking you up to a spectacular view point
• Highest sea cliffs in South Africa

Situated just a scenic 15-minute drive from your luxury beach accommodation, The Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve is particularly noted for its floral diversity and countless brilliant flowers that bloom in Spring. The reserve is host to approximately half of the 2 700 species of indigenous plants contained in the Cape Peninsula. There are over 250 species of birds in the reserve, ranging from ostriches to sunbirds. Caracal, chacma baboon, a wide variety of buck and various other mammal species may be encountered. Tourists are requested not to feed the baboons as they become too dependent on handouts and eventually become annoyed and aggressive if food is not forthcoming,

There are a number of picnic spots and braai (barbecue) facilities are available. There are some interesting walks and trails with swimming in the many tidal pools. Some of the best angling spots in the Peninsula are found on the reserve with Blue and Yellow Fin Tuna in abundance. Tourists can take the Funicular Railway system to the viewsite at Cape Point where the views from the old lighthouse are unforgettable.