Days in Paternoster chasing sunsets, horseback & walks on the beach. West Coast Road Trip Ep 4

On our road trip from Johannesburg to Paternoster and back, we spent just over a week in Paternoster, a beautiful sleepy town in Western Cape. Our days started with long walks on the beach in the morning, followed by exploring the little museums and galleries and of course, a late lunch or early dinner at one of the many fabulous restaurants. In the evening, we chased the sunset and enjoyed every bit of this magical town.

While we didn't' document every single meal we had and every single cute and quaint little shop and gallery we visited, this video is more about the experience rather than showcasing all the wonderful meals you can have there.

If you're looking for places to dine, my top three picks are:

Gaaitjie. They served the best, freshest oysters. I felt like I was eating them right out of the ocean. Their Seared Tuna with sushi rice balls, peas and greens was divine and beautifully presented. For dessert, I recommend their Chocolate Fondant. The setting is also simply unbeatable, with a direct view of the ocean and blankies were supplied to keep the West Coast chill at bay.

Leeto was a beautiful, elegant restaurant who also had amazing oysters (yes, I was rating them and they came in as my second favourite pick). Their West Coast Seafood Linguini is MIND BLOWING. If the place wasn't so elegant, I'd have licked the plate! It was so fresh, with proper selections of prawns, calamari, fish and mussels - no skimping at all - and just enough sauce to give it flavour without drowning it. Delish!

The Noisy Oyster. They also had good oysters (my third favourite I'd say). I loved the unique and quirky decor that was bursting with colour and charm and even though the restaurant was pretty full when we went, we felt like we were in out own little place. The food here is also top notch. The waiter recommended a popular dish, their Seafood Laksa and I can tell you, it did not disappoint one bit. It gave me a bit of asian/Thai but the spice was jus perfect to allow you to taste it without going overboard. Think Mussels, prawns, calamari and fish drenched in a creamy coconut broth served on egg noodles. Their apple crumble was just okay, I wasn't that impressed and probably wouldn't recommend for dessert.

So how have I rated these "Top Three" of mine. Well Gaaitjie in first place had the best oysters, delicious mains and delicious desert and I loved the ambience here. In second place Leeto, had the second best oysters, a just-as-delicious main, but maybe the setting was a bit formal. Don't get me wrong, it was lovely, but I preferred on the beach. And lastly The Noisy Oyster takes third place. It had the third best oysters, a very delicious main (seriously, of the three restaurants, I cannot rank my top main dish - okay), but the apple crumble was a let down so, that's that.

Another restaurant I think deserves a mention is the Whale's Rib. The food is okay, not bad but nothing that made me want to send a postcard. However they serve THE BEST WAFFLES in town and have a huge selection of flavours. Highly recommend them for their waffles.

Other restaurants we went to included: Voorstrandt, RocXiBeach (in Langebaan), The Jolly Roger, Koekemakranke Coffee Shop, De See Kat and On The Rocks.

For our horse rides on the beach we chose West Coast Beach Rides. We saw the horses when we were having lunch at Voorstrandt and noticing their immaculate condition, we booked a 10am ride. So many times I've been on rides while on holiday and the horses often look tired and worse for wear. Mark's horses were beautiful! Shiny, healthy and bright eyed. They also responded very well and had a beautiful nature. Gary rode on Marvin and I rode Dancer. We got to ride along the shoreline, going much farther than we had anticipated and even got to experience a bit of trails on the dunes. Our guide, Mark who is an ex jockey and farrier was fantastic. He had such a great personality, and you could see how much he loved his horses. Highly Recommend!

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