Castle of the Wood's
Casa Madera is a private home where the Woods live. The name comes from a very pleasant holiday in Spain, where we discovered that Wood was translated as Madera and Casa indicates house or “castle”. The house has a separate self catering apartment which is completely private, with its own entrance and outdoor entertaining area. The accommodation is comfortable and provides a quiet refuge for those wishing to relax after a busy day sight-seeing, shopping or enjoying one of the good beaches in the area.
Casa Madera is situated in the village of Kini Bay which is a sought after area as it gives one the impression of being far from civilization while it is in fact a mere fifteen minutes drive from the city of Port Elizabeth. The beach is five minutes walk from Casa Madera and has a lovely rock pool for safe swimming. The village is purely residential with no shops or other facilities to detract from the quaintness of the place. Kini Bay is situated between Algoa Bay and Jeffreys Bay, a world renowned surfing destination. The area surrounding Kini Bay is covered by natural vegetation and is in the heart of designated conservancies. There are often sightings of different types of buck, especially the larger bush buck and monkeys as well as smaller species of fauna. It is a great joy to view the dolphins as they pass as well as whales in the season. Anglers also enjoy fishing at Kini Bay, with different degrees of success!
Five minutes drive from Kini bay is the larger village of Seaview. Here there are the basic facilities for the convenience of residents and holiday makers. A shopping centre houses a large Spar supermarket with bakery and delicatessen, a liquor store, a laundry, and a take away food establishment offering, inter alia, fresh fish on a daily basis. The Seaview Hotel has an interesting history, including being used as a naval centre during the second world war. Visit the Seaview lion Park for a close up view of the kings of Africa. There are other animals at the park such as giraffe, zebra, and tigers. If wild African animals are what you are after, pay a worthwhile visit to the Kragga Kama Game Park for a variety of our wild life including the huge rhinoceros. The largest nature reserve in the area is the Addo Elephant National Park. But you won’t only see lots of elephants.
The city of Port Elizabeth is the main unit in the larger Mandela Bay Metropolitan area. This “metropole” is the financial and industrial leader in the Province of the Eastern Cape. The popularity of Port Elizabeth is growing as a tourist destination. It boasts some of the best beaches in the world. The various malls and centres provide entertainment, shopping and restaurants to suit all tastes. The development of the deepest harbour in Africa has led to rapid development in the city, which is also the eastern gateway to the famous “garden route” between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.
