THIRTY-FOURABOUT FIFTY FEET FROM the gate, just beyond the guardhouse where two quad-bikes were parked, the road made a slow turn to the left then dipped down immediately, leading to a lazy slope for another hundred yards, then switched back on itself and descended even more, all the time crawling down towards the hotel.
Looking to my right I could see the ocean and the cliffs and Hout Bay in the distance. Through some trees and local shrubbery nearby, the hotel started to come into view. After turning again for the last stretch, I also got glimpses of the small stretch of private beach stretching out on both sides of the property. Then, level with the hotel, the parking area and some other small complementary buildings. I followed the wide cobbled road downwards.
The hotel was a large,
