Protea Hotel by Mariott Long Beach Lodge

Cosy atmosphere right on the beach

by Marita van Rooyen

The Protea Hotel Long Beach Lodge is a 17-room (16 double rooms and one family room) facility that was inaugurated as a Protea Hotel property in March 2008.

Managed by Magda Oosthuizen and her front-office supervisor, Lynn Haasbroek, Long Beach Lodge provides a cosy atmosphere right on the beach. All but three of the luxury rooms are sea facing and have their own balconies where guests can enjoy the fresh sea breeze, read a book or enjoy a sunset drink. The rooms are wheelchair friendly and include a TV, telephone, international wall plug, small fridge and tea-and-coffee-making facilities.

Catering for corporate clients, the lodge provides conferencing facilities for between 20 and 40 people, with snacks and drinks served on request. Magda, who has been part of the Protea Hotels team since 2005, says that this is one of the best environments she’s ever worked in. “Our work here is never done. We have constant developments and new projects, which keep me busy and the team on their toes.”

The lodge has a swimming pool and braai area, where guests can have fun in the sun with braaipacks, salads, bread and drinks ordered from reception. Picnic baskets for a day on the beach are also available on request. Magda and her team are happy to organise trips and activities in and around the area, which includes 4×4 drives, quad-biking or trips into the golden dunes of the Namib. Other activities include boat trips along the ocean, visits to Bird Island, Walvis Bay Lagoon, the Moon Landscape and marine safaris to the Pelican Point Seal Colony.

In-house coffee shop

Previously a bed-and-breakfast facility, the newest development at Long Beach Lodge is a coffee shop that offers cakes, light lunches and a set-menu dinner. All meals are prepared with great love by the in-house cook, Ernitha Uazengisa. Ernitha, who comes all the way from the small village of Okakarara in northern Namibia, moved to the coast a couple of years ago to build a better future for herself. She started out as fast-food chef at Henties Bay Take-Aways, from where she moved to Long Beach Lodge in 2007, to take on a job as housekeeper. “I’ve tried everything – from chef, to waiter, to cleaner and housekeeper, but I’m happiest to cook meals for guests and see them enjoy my food,” she says. And she does make a mean breakfast! The coffee shop, which opens early in the morning and stays open until 20:00, is also open to the public.

Protea Hotel Long Beach Lodge is situated exactly halfway between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, with the Walvis Bay International Airport just 25 kilometres away.

www.proteahotels.com/longbeachlodge

This article appeared in the Dec ‘09/Jan ‘10 edition of Travel News Namibia.