Paternoster ideal for a staycation

Knocks spots off pristine Santorini in Greece

- Elaine King

I have always wanted to go to Paternoster because in my romantic musings I imagined it to be like Santorini set on a pristine beach with the cutest whitewashed houses and blue shutters punctuating the little bay.

Well, it's a whole lot cheaper to get to Paternoster, there are no stacked sun-loungers on the beaches here like those in Greece, just endless white sand which you get all to yourself out of season.

With staycations all the rage now, South Africans would do well to consider Paternoster for a holiday. It's a two-hour scenic drive from Cape Town which is much more comfortable and pleasant than an airport and being squished into an economy class seat - not to mention you don't need a Schengen visa.

Right off the bat I must concede that the water is "brass monkey cold" as Paternoster is located on South Africa's West Coast where the icy Benguela Current flows from the southern Atlantic Ocean.