A couple of weeks ago, Fiance and I drove down to Hout Bay for the first time. First of all, it’s a beautiful drive. We saw a lot of pine-like trees that made it feel a lot more like Oregon than beachy Cape Town. The town itself is very cute and quaint and was fun to drive through.

After passing the parking lot a few times, we managed to get ourselves to Hout Bay. At first glance, it was a beautiful little beach with cliffs towering on almost all sides. We started to walk along the beach, which was unfortunately the dirtiest we’ve seen. There was a lot of litter and tons and tons of dog poop, which I managed to step in. Better yet, I didn’t even notice until we were in the car.

We also noticed signs along the beach discouraging would-be swimmers; the water is polluted. That was very sad, because, just like all the other beaches in Cape Town, the water was a gorgeous turquoise and was so calm thanks to the bay. This didn’t stop dogs and a few daring swimmers, though.

Even with the few disappointments, it was still a beautiful beach. The marina was fun and the background stunning.

This little beach also provided much more to do than other spots. There was a seafood restaurant that made me wish we hadn’t just eaten, a few shops that we explored, and a little ice cream shop.

Overall a fun trip, but I really wish the beach was better taken care of! It’s so beautiful and deserves as good of treatment as all the other magnificent ocean-fun spots.