LOCATION
An hour from East London on the Wild Coast is the undeveloped seaside town, Chintsa. The name has a click and an accent but some in the Great Kei regions have always called it "since-sah".
STYLE
Airy, fresh, clean themes with classic features such as wing-back chairs, dark shutters and velveteen throws characterise Prana Lodge. Persian rugs cover just about all of the bare floor of what was once a family holiday home. Fresh herbs in lieu of flowers arrive in your room every day.
The property has jewel-named rooms scattered off walkways through tropical forest. You wander on the cemented paths, through foliage overhead and around, eventually reaching the beach or the pool area near the restaurant. On the wet days it was like running through a humid rainforest to get to breakfast. Monkeys are known to steal packets of sugar if you forget them on the balcony.THE EATING
The first meal started with a hand cleanse: little white tablets are placed in a stone pod, filled with water. A napkin expands and emerges in origami fashion, with the scent of tea tree...