I have already mentioned that last September I took Jessica and Emily up with me to Mossel Bay for a couple of days at Pinnacle Point with Ryan. Unfortunately the weather didn’t exactly play along for our trip away from home, but nevertheless we made the most of what we had and even managed to nip in a couple of warm water swims at the excellent ATKV Hartenbos Seefront while we were at it.
If you aren’t aware of it, the small town of Hartenbos was (as a lot of our old towns were) originally a farm, but in 1933 the South African Railways and Harbours (Transnet) turned it into a holiday resort for their lower-rung employees. In 1936 the ATKV (“Afrikaans Language and Cultural Society” in English) bought the farm, divided it into lots (but didn’t allow the construction of permanent structures until 1994!) and expanded on the resort facilities.
Over the years Hartenbos has grown into a proper little town (though for the most part its iconic caravan parks remain), complete with schools, a private hospital, sports clubs and several churches, and more importantly, has embedded itself as and remains an integral part of Afrikaner culture – so much so that to this day Hartenbos remains a bastion for Afrikaans holidaymakers.
The ATKV Hartenbos Seefront (i.e. seafront) development stands watch over the beach and forms the central hub for holidaymakers and tourists alike. With its fun-packed waterpark, shops and restaurants, amphitheater, colourful facades and vibey atmosphere (especially during the school holidays period), it is pretty much the place to be in Hartenbos.
Mini doughnuts from the Pizza & Donut Den aside, we’ve also quite taken to their indoor warm water pool, so much so that nowadays a visit to the Mossel Bay area is pretty much guaranteed to include at least one swim in their relaxing lukewarm waters!
So for this trip, bad weather be damned – the girls had a blast, Ryan and I were tired out, and a feast of chocolate and caramel drenched donuts were ingested – Dit is altyd lekker by die see!
(In short, in season or out, the Hartenbos Seefront area is always a pleasure to pay a visit to, and yes, Ryan kept showing his middle finger to me in every photo thinking that would be enough to dissuade me not to post them. That doesn’t really work.)
Related Link: Hartenbos Seefront | Hartenbos