Glorious Gordons Bay

Gordons Bay

The area known today as Gordon’s Bay was named after Captain Robert James Gordon, an officer in the Dutch East India Company, who explored the area in 1778, how­ever, for many years before that, the area was known as Fish Hoek – the same name as another town on the oppos­ite side of False Bay. This little known fact is evid­enced by the name on the wall out­side the local Post Office. Another com­mon mis­con­cep­tion about the town is that the ini­tials GB (see pho­to­graph below), inscribed large on the moun­tain above the town, stand for Gordon’s Bay, how­ever, they com­mem­or­ate the General Botha, a decom­mis­sioned war­ship that used to be anchored in the har­bour, and was used for train­ing of navy cadets, who still reside at the Naval College, loc­ated near the Old Harbour.

Long the home to a rather elite group of loc­als, who live in the pala­tial homes clustered around the Old Harbour, Marina and Bikini Beach area of the town, the Mediterranean cli­mate and warm water enjoyed in the bay in sum­mer makes it a pop­u­lar des­tin­a­tion for vis­it­ors too.

The beaches, that seem to stretch for miles, are pristine white swathes along­side the calm, clear blue water of the ocean here, and can be quite crowded in the sum­mer, although well main­tained facil­it­ies mean that this is not a prob­lem. Bikini Beach, prob­ably the most fam­ous beach in the area, has in fact been awar­ded Blue Flag status, and offers secluded and wind pro­tec­ted sun bathing and swimming.

Gordons Bay

Along the beach road are numer­ous café’s, res­taur­ants and pubs, where loc­als and vis­it­ors alike gather dur­ing the sum­mer, often still damp from swim­ming in the sea, to enjoy sea­food, pizza or cock­tails. In recent years, an informal mar­ket has also sprung up along­side the beach, on the board­walk, and may be worth a visit.

Hiking in the Helderberg Nature Reserve is also a pop­u­lar past­time, as is a visit to the Steenbras Dam, loc­ated on top of the moun­tain, almost dir­ectly above the town, which sup­plies Cape Town with a large amount of its water. The Steenbras Gorge trail, a full day hike with stops along the way to swim in clear, cool moun­tain pools offers yet another hik­ing choice.

For less ener­getic vis­it­ors, a drive around the moun­tain towards Pringle Bay offers fant­astic views, as well as pic­nic areas along the way. Fishing from the Old Harbour wall, or on a boat chartered in the Marina, are also pop­u­lar activ­it­ies, as are pleas­ure cruises.

Other choices within easy reach of the town itself are the Blue Rock Cable Waterski, a motor­ized water ski­ing adven­ture, Monkey Town, home to count­less prim­ates, and with fun fam­ily activ­it­ies, the Helderberg Wine Route, and sev­eral golf courses. All in all, Gordon’s Bay offers the quint­es­sen­tial beach­front getaway.

Useful Links:
To plan your hol­i­day in Gordons Bay see:
Gordons Bay Accommodation
Gordons Bay Hotels
Cape Town Accommodation
Cape Town Hotels