Stays in Port Alfred
The two Port Alfred hotels on this page are the Royal St Andrews Hotel on St Andrews Road, a short stroll from the Royal Port Alfred Golf Club, and MyPond Hotel at 33 Van der Riet Street, on the bank of the Kowie River. I would book the first for golf, the spa and the kids' club, the second for river views and the town centre's restaurants on foot. The town sits at the mouth of the Kowie on the Eastern Cape's Sunshine Coast, on the R72 between Gqeberha and East London, outside any malaria zone. Kariega, a malaria-free Big Five reserve, is about ten minutes inland from Kenton-on-Sea, the next town west on the R72.
Port Alfred in numbers
9.1Family-friendlyRoyal St. Andrews Hotel, Spa and Conference Centre
Camelot Spa, an outdoor pool and the golf club nearby
Royal St. Andrews is a historic hotel on St Andrews Road in Port Alfred, within the town grid rather than a fenced reserve. Air-conditioned, soundproofed rooms and suites sit alongside an outdoor pool, a hot tub, Camelot Spa, a kids' club, a games room and three eating rooms. The Royal Port Alfred Golf Club is a short walk away. A 9.1 rating from 675 reviews is excellent. I would recommend it for families and golfers.
8.3Family-friendlyMyPond Stenden Hotel
River-bank rooms, a plunge pool and a full massage list
MyPond Stenden Hotel is a four-star hotel on the bank of the Kowie River in Port Alfred, malaria-free and outside any fenced reserve. Rooms have air-conditioning, a satellite flat-screen TV, a fridge, a kettle and free Wi-Fi. A plunge pool, a sun terrace and a garden face the water, and the à la carte restaurant serves South African cuisine over the river. An 8.3 rating from 1,221 reviews is good.
What to expect
- Royal St Andrews Hotel, a 1924 lodge a short walk from the 1907 Royal Port Alfred Golf Club
- MyPond Hotel on the Kowie River, the training hotel of Stenden South Africa
- Kelly's Beach by the river mouth, with lifeguards in peak season
- The Kowie canoe trail, 21 km upstream to the Waters Meeting Nature Reserve
- Malaria-free coast, with the Big Five at Kariega near Kenton-on-Sea
Local tips
- Stay at the Royal St Andrews if golf is the point: the Royal Port Alfred course, an 18-hole links-style layout from 1907, is a short walk down St Andrews Road.
- Choose MyPond if you want the Kowie River outside the window and the centre on foot; you will still drive or take a longer walk to reach the sand.
- Swim at Kelly's Beach, where lifeguards work in peak season, and leave West Beach to the bodyboarders: its rip currents are strong.
- Go to East Beach, across the river, for space and bigger waves for body surfing, and swim there only when the seasonal lifeguards are on duty.
- Start the Kowie canoe trail at the Small Boat Harbour about half an hour after low tide, so the incoming tide carries you the 21 km upstream in around four hours.
- Book a game drive at Kariega, a malaria-free Big Five reserve about ten minutes from Kenton-on-Sea, which makes a beach and safari combination easy with young children.
- Avoid December and January if you want a quiet stay: South African summer school holidays bring inland families to the town and its self-catering houses.