Best Getaways 
Stay at Friends (Guest house)
"Stay at Friends", Betty’s Bay, is that kind of guest house one can call "home away from home". This pristine guest house is the brain child of the owner, Helene, a Consumer Studies expert who has create a serene retreat where you can rediscover your inner self. Stay at friends is a traveler's dream destination. It is a home that shouts out space and lots of light, the hosts artistic decorative flair pulled off a rustic elegance creating a unique ambiance. Throw in Helene’s bubbly, free-spirited personality and you have a place to stay filled with love, friendship, and good old-fashioned country hospitality. The host's motto in life is "Live life! And let live!" Helene a Consumer studies expert – suffice to say. The host loves cooking and entertaining which makes her breakfasts a real treat – no time here for getting out of bed on the wrong foot.
Area Info
Although less developed than her neighbour, Hermanus, the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens and the resident penguin colony at Stony Point alone make a visit to Bettys Bay worth it.
The botanical garden of Harold Porter, which stretches from the mountain-top down to the sea, is known as ‘little Kirstenbosch’ and contains some of the best examples of local fynbos, including proteas, restios and over 50 species of ericas.
Only an hour’s drive from Cape Town, Betty’s Bay is a picturesque seaside village situated along the scenic Clarence Drive Route (R44) between Pringle Bay and Kleinmond. The pretty town is positioned in a narrow strip of land sandwiched between the Kogelberg Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, and bordered by fresh water lakes and the Palmiet River.
Bettys Bay lies within the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve; the first UNESCO declared Biosphere in South Africa and is fiercely protected by the town’s occupants.
This part of the world is considered the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom due to the exceptional examples of fynbos and has largely remained unspoilt and isolated.
Although the Cape Floral Kingdom is the smallest of the world’s six plant kingdoms, it nevertheless has the 2nd largest diversity. The reserve stretches along the coast from Gordon’s Bay through to the town of Kleinmond and inland from the farms of the Elgin Basin through to Grabouw - a total of some 100,000 ha.
Locals venture here predominantly during the flowering season from October to February where a glorious array of gladioli, watsonias and the rare red disas are on display. The garden can easily be covered in three to five hours along pretty laid-out paths and hillside trails. For the more adventurous, Leopard’s Gorge offers a more taxing hike.
The penguin colony at Stony Point is one of four mainland colonies in South Africa and declared a municipal nature reserve in July 2002. Since then this important seabird colony has grown in size due to the breeding of both the endangered penguins and cormorants. The best time of day to view them is in the late afternoon, when the penguins return from fishing.
Units and Rooms
Cape Spurfowl: Family unit
Guests: 4
Spacious two-bedroom unit (bathroom with shower), open planned lounge with kitchenette. Bath-shaped hot tub on balcony is available at an additional R200 per refill. Weber is available for braai. Access to the unit is by staircase
Paradise Flycatcher
Guests: 2
Double Room has a quee-size bed with anen-suite shower .Beautiful sea view/sunset from deck. Outdoor build in Braai. Hot tub available at an additional R300 for 2 people for 4 hrs. Minibar Fridge and microwave. No children under 10.
Cape Sugar bird
Guests: 2
Double Room has a king-size bed with anen-suite shower .Beautiful sea view/sunset from deck. Outdoor build in Braai and shared splash pool. Hot tub available at an additional R300 for 2 people for 4 hrs. Minibar Fridge and microwave. No children under 10.
Honeymoon Suite
Guests: 2
A spacious Honeymoon unit with sea view.bath, walk-in shower and enclosed balcony. Seating area with fireplace. Situated on 1st floor. Prep bowl only for rinsing use, not for washing dishes. Hot tub available on ground floor at additional R 300 for 4 hrs.
