Jacobsbaai seems more film set than reality.
With its lime-washed houses, fairytale blue bays, intriguing rock pools and dramatic rocks, Jacobsbaai is indeed a splendidly appealing lifestyle seaside village.
Serving up an impressive slice of seaside action, it boasts seven individual bays: Kwaaibaai which, as its name suggests, is fiercely popular with surfers; Hospital Bay, so named when ships dropped off their sick in the 1800s, is the place to be if you want to swim and catch a tan; Jacobsbaai, Smalbaai and Moerie se baai (Mauritzbaai) are great for launching boats; while Bamboesbaai and Toothrock are superb diving, fishing and crayfishing spots. For hikers, artistic rockscapes form a wondrous backdrop.
Its charms are no secret to the lucky 416 residents. They enjoy its isolated rugged beauty, with gravel roads ensuring slow traffic – for cars and the local geese! Lying midway between Vredenburg and Saldanha Bay, it was originally established on the farmland registered as 109 Jacobsbaai. The name is said to have evolved from a colonial West Coast trader, Frenchman Jacques Titius.
The fynbos covering this region so generously is a sight to behold during spring, while oystercatchers, cormorants, buzzards and terns hold the fort in Smalbaai and Moerie se baai.
With one café, one restaurant and two art studios, millionaires would travel the earth to find such solace. And best of all, when the weekenders head home on a Sunday, this village becomes resolutely and wonderfully idle.
