It’s more about the feeling a place generates and an opportunity to gently disconnect from digital distractions, slow down, and let go of our high-paced life. Morukuru Beach Lodge invites you to do exactly that.
You know you are going somewhere quite special as you traverse the 54km dirt road to the reserve gate. There is a further 15km through stunning natural fynbos and dramatic glistening white sand dunes rising to your right.
Morukuru Beach Lodge is a luxury, off-grid lodge voted in the Condé Nast Traveler awards as South Africa’s Best Hotel 2020. Quite a reputation to uphold. The lodge sits in the De Hoop Nature Reserve, a World Heritage Site just east of Africa’s southernmost tip in the Overberg, only three hours from Cape Town. Morukuru offers endless views of sea, sand, dunes, set within a floral sensation of rare fynbos plants, with roaming antelope, bontebok, Cape mountain Zebra, Eland, Baboons and Ostrich, and deserted coastline, just for starters!
Morukuru’s setting is unreal. Perched on a bluff surrounded by coastal fynbos, Nick Plewman’s contemporary Eco lodge blends into its dramatic, remote surroundings. Built-in roughly hewn local stone with acres of glass, it faces the staggeringly gorgeous Indian Ocean that welcomes us with its intense panorama of turquoise hues. Dramatic blinding white dunes rise to the right. We can’t wait to explore.
The reserve extends over 34,000 hectares with a marine protection zone that stretches 55 kilometres and reaches 5 kilometres into the ocean. Morukuru takes its name from the Tamboti Trees growing in abundance on the river banks in the forested Madikwe Game Reserve, the Morukuru Family Bush Lodge.
The lodge is entirely off-grid, there is some WiFi, but why not lock your phone in your safe! Morukuru’s design creates a mood of calm and tranquillity set within beautiful natural surroundings. It’s all about looking outside. The ocean-facing suites, dining room, and upstairs bar all have front-row views of the incredibly changing sky and waters of the Indian Ocean. The range of blues is breath-taking. In winter, the whales’ spouting, breaching, and tail-flapping action provide non-stop action through the winters when the southern right whales arrive from Antarctica to calve.
The minimalist scandi’esque interiors have a contemporary-cool vibe—light floods in, washing the natural timber and pale unpolished granite. Jewell toned natural textiles add a pop of colour and freshness in splashes of turquoise, green and yellow, juxtaposed with Nguni rugs and leather and colourful accents. The suites invite you to linger. Floor to ceiling glazed doors open to a balcony and allow natural air conditioning.
The honeymoon suite is at the back of the building with fynbos views and a private deck, with a roughly hewn double-ended stone tub. All suites have a wood-burning stove and a deliciously inviting day bed built into a large framed box window. Bathrooms have super luxe showers and oval-shaped tubs with ocean views. Cleverly the sliding doors conceal cupboards while providing privacy should you require it. With the option of sand boarding, private picnics, bird watching, mountain biking, hiking, nature drives, and guided fynbos and coastal walks, plus stargazing, spa treatments, and Whale watching through the winter months, you are unlikely to get bored! There is, of course, the option to opt-out and just chill.