Weekend escapes: Ships in the night

Nick Yell spends a romantic night at the Arniston Hotel

I hatched the idea riding into the teeth of a southeasterly gale. After nine days away from my loved one and over 3000km in the saddle, I decided some romantic R&R was required. As I mulled over possible destinations, the Arniston Hotel quickly rose to the top of my wish-list. When I learnt they had a special running, booking a room was a no-brainer.

On the last gale-torn 100km to my rendezvous point, being pushed from this side of the road to that, I felt a strong sense of kinship with the damned passengers and crew of the Arniston transport ship that faced hurricane-strength winds near these parts almost 200 years ago. A lee shore is any sailor's worst nightmare and when you are the master of an old square-rigger with little ability to sail into the wind and get out to deeper waters, as was the case for the Arniston's Captain Simpson, the nightmare is increased tenfold.

Supposedly, one of the chief reasons for the Arniston's demise was the fact that there was no chronometer on board. Apparently the owners had been too stingy to buy one and the only way the officers on board could confirm her dead reckoning navigation was to get accurate fixes from the other ships in their convoy.

But, days before the night of the wreck (May 30 1815), the Arniston lost contact with the convoy during a squall while rounding Cape Agulhas. With no accurate confirmation of where they were and being driven towards the coastline by hurricane-strength winds a few days later, the captain decided to set a number of the ship's anchors. When two of the anchor cables parted towards dawn the next day, the captain took counsel from the ship's agent and cut the remaining cable in the hope that the vessel would beach itself with limited loss of life.

Yet, soon after the cable was cut, the ship apparently struck a reef and the vessel broke up quite quickly. Many of the 372 victims were drowned below decks and only six of the ship's crew survived the kilometre-or-so swim to the shore.

Describing the aftermath, Vice-Admiral J Brenton wrote: "At daylight the next morning . the beach was covered with wreck, stores etc and a number of dead bodies, which were buried by the survivors. Among them were Lord and Lady Molesworth, the agent, the captain and some children."

Snug before our fireplace, drinking champagne and eating snacks, our thoughts were far from the tragic events of that night. While we watched the fading sunlight turn the aquamarine waters in the bay to dark green, a knock on the door heralded the arrival of our room-service dinner.

Our decision not to move from our sea-facing suite and eat in was rewarded with an excellent seafood meal (a large, mixed seafood starter and one line-fish dish - more than enough for two) for around R200. It was a reunion dinner to remember.

While the Arniston Hotel of today offers four-star sophistication in 67 rooms and the pampering services of an in-house spa, the original hotel (built around 1935) started out as a much smaller seaside inn. The late Jock Dichmont, Cape Town lawyer turned fisherman and one-time owner of the hotel (he later became the barman of the Strandloper Bar), appears to be one of the most colourful characters ever to have lived in the village.

In his later years, he would apparently regale his patrons in the bar for hours with fishing stories, of which the one about the "Goatfish" seems to be the best known. Above the bar, Dichmont had mounted a stuffed musselcracker to which he'd added a goat's beard. When an American tourist asked him what sort of fish it was, Dichmont told him it was a "goatfish" - not just because of the beard but also because, at night, it crawled out of the ocean, fed on the grass ashore and then returned to the sea. The story goes that the American was quite taken in by the yarn, until the regulars couldn't contain themselves and gave the game away.

After an indulgent lie-in and a gourmet breakfast the next morning, we strolled along the beach in front of the hotel, taking in the tableau of fishing boats being launched into the turquoise sea of the bay, fringed with its installations of misshapen putty-coloured rocks. It was a scene from an artist's canvas and a perfect end to a romantic night out.

IF YOU GO...

Where is it: The Arniston Hotel is on the beachfront in Arniston, about two hours' drive from Cape Town and about an hour from Swellendam.

What it has: The hotel has 67 rooms of varying luxury, 35 of which have a sea view and a few with their own fireplaces. There's a spa; an à la carte restaurant; a relaxed bistro and bar plus a swimming pool and on-site barbecue facilities. Conference rooms are also available, as is wireless internet and entertainment facilities for children.

Why go there: The Arniston Hotel is the quintessential romantic breakaway but there are also many outdoor activities available to guests, such as horse riding; deep-sea fishing; golf in nearby Bredasdorp; mountain-biking (free use of bicycles for guests) and, of course, long walks on the beach and swimming in the sea.

The food: The food and the wine list are both top-notch and I would highly recommend the seafood and lavish breakfast spread.

Rates: From R1 185 per room per night (based on two people sharing) to R3 500 (valid until April 20 2014). A third person sharing pays an additional R400 per night and children sharing with adults pay R250 each per night.

Contact: Phone 028 445 9000; e-mail: info@arnistonhotel.com or visit arnistonhotel.com.

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