Paternoster accommodation: Azzuro self-catering

By Roxanne Reid
Sea. Beach. Fresh air. This is the stuff of weekend getaways in the West Coast village of Paternoster, South Africa. To enjoy it to the full, you’ll be looking for Paternoster accommodation. So here’s a cool place to stay that I recently discovered: Azzuro self-catering. 

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When you live in Cape Town it’s almost impossible to resist the temptation to visit Paternoster for a couple of days every year or two. It’s just 160km away and it’s everything you could want in a weekend getaway.

​We love to pop in to the West Coast National Park on our way up and there are lots of things to do at Paternoster itself, like visiting the Cape Columbine nature reserve and lighthouse, whale-watching, enjoying a carpet of wild flowers in spring, kayaking or just sinking our toes into the white beach sand. And for food lovers like me there’s a bunch of really cool restaurants that consistently serve up delicious meals (including Wolfgat, which was declared the best restaurant in the world in February 2019). Some have kick-ass views of the beach and ocean to enjoy while you eat.

Spring flowers at Postberg in the West Coast National Park

Of course, you can go for the day and pack in a lot of activities, but I prefer slow travel where you can really unwind and immerse yourself in each moment without worrying about the time. That’s why staying over for at least a night or two makes me much happier.

For a small village, there’s an ample choice of places to stay, from luxury boutique lodges to Paternoster self-catering accommodation. For our most recent mid-summer visit, we planned to eat out to catch up on two of the Paternoster restaurants we hadn’t sampled yet and to revisit an old favourite. So all we needed was an affordable place that was self-catering; we’d have simple coffee and rusks for breakfast and restaurants would take care of the rest of our nosh. 

Restaurant with a view at Paternoster

Azzuro Paternoster: the cottage
When we looked for where to stay in Paternoster, we discovered the charming Azzuro self-catering accommodation in the Mosselbank section of the village. A little thatched Cape cottage, it was as cute as a button on the outside with its blue door and shutters, its potbellied braai-cum-pizza-oven on the stoep, a blue and red fishing boat plonked on the pavement to remind us that we were now at the seaside.

Inside, there was an open-plan living room and kitchen in front, a bedroom and bathroom behind. The living room had a squishy sofa, easy chairs, a large kist serving as a coffee table, TV and decor touches like a carved sailing ship. Books and magazines in a cupboard begged to be browsed.

The kitchen was fully equipped and had a big old-fashioned fireplace/hearth, into which a four-plate gas cooker fitted. There was also a microwave and a Weber kettle braai you could take onto the stoep outside. Best of all, there was a full-size dishwasher to deal with the aftermath. Next to the kitchen counter, a dinky little wooden table with two chairs was the perfect place for a romantic dinner for two.

It was a joy to get up early, go for a walk on the beach and then come back to brew some coffee, the smell and taste of it as relaxing as a hammock on a beach. Mugs in hand, we watched playful sunlight and shadows on the walls courtesy of the skylights in the steep thatch roof and a high stained-glass window.

Through a stone arch and down a few stairs were the bedroom and bathroom. I loved that the bedroom was big enough for a queen-size bed (I hate narrow double beds when it’s hot) and that it came equipped with both heater and portable fan, for either cold winters or hot summers. 

The bedroom led to an enclosed courtyard with an oval bath although we were too aware of the shortage of water resources in the area to use it; we showered inside instead. But the courtyard was also a protected place to get away from the spiteful West Coast wind when it came howling at the front of the house.

​How close is the beach?
One potential shortcoming at Azzuro is that there’s no sea view from the cottage, but the price takes this into account. We paid R900 a night for the cottage for two people when we stayed in February 2019. This is remarkably affordable in Paternoster, where accommodation can go for a stratospheric R4000 to R5000 a night for two people. And honestly, you’re one street or just 100m from the beach, so it’s very easy to enjoy an early morning reflective walk next to the sea, watch some of the fishing boats coming in, or take a pink-tinged sunset stroll. 

You’re also within walking distance of shops for supplies and a few restaurants where you can enjoy your lunch with a couple of beers or glasses of wine and not have to worry about driving back to the cottage.

Want to book for Azzuro Paternoster? Do it with Paternoster Rentals here.

A word about crayfish
Given that Azzuro is a self-catering cottage, I have to say something about rock lobster (crayfish). The official season is from November to March/April but crayfish is now on the red list of the SA Sustainable Seafood Initiative. This means you shouldn’t really buy crayfish at all because stocks are so low they’re unsustainable.

You will be tempted. If you visit during this time you’ll see many bag-toting locals wiggling their fingers at you from the side of the road to show they have crayfish for sale. These may or may not have been caught with the necessary permit but I recommend you resist the impulse to buy anyway, so as to give wild stocks a chance to replenish. You may be depriving someone of money today but you’ll be doing your bit to assure the survival of the species in the long term.

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