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First-hand Stay
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By private charter to the De Hoop airstrip (roughly 45 minutes from Cape Town International), then a short transfer to the house, alternatively self-drive about 3.5 hours from Cape Town along the Whale and Garden Routes.
Following the 2026 refurbishment, the house has five en-suite bedrooms plus a dedicated children's bedroom, all done in a sophisticated contemporary Scandic style softened by the relaxed character of the reserve. Since the whole house is taken exclusively, the "favourite" is really the house itself, an extended open-plan lounge now with a TV room and library, a bar and lounge upstairs, and two rooftop terraces (the second, west-facing, added in the refurbishment) for sundowners over the fynbos.
Fully catered by your own private chef, all breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks are included, plus local soft drinks, house wines and local spirits, tailored entirely to your group's tastes and served wherever you like in the house, on the terraces or out in the reserve (premium cellar wines and massage treatments are extra).
Layers for warm days and cool, often breezy mornings and evenings on the Cape coast, a warm windproof jacket for whale watching and dune walks, neutral tones for nature drives, closed walking shoes for fynbos and tidal walks, swimwear, a sun hat, sunscreen and good binoculars for whales and birds, no malaria precautions needed here.
As an exclusive-use villa with your own chef, guide and vehicle, you set the pace entirely, plan drives, walks and meals around your group rather than a lodge schedule, ideal for a family gathering or group of friends. Come August–October for peak Southern Right whale watching straight off the coast (De Hoop is rated the world's best land-based whale watching), and make use of the included sandboarding, snorkelling and mountain bikes.
Ocean House sits within De Hoop's marine protected area and one of the world's most important Southern Right whale nurseries, and Morukuru's Goodwill Foundation channels guest conservation fees into coastal conservation and community projects, with links to the Two Oceans Aquarium Turtle Conservation Centre. The house runs sustainably in a sensitive reserve setting, and the wider Morukuru De Hoop operation is built around low-impact, renewable-led principles.
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