One of the best known landmarks in Plettenberg Bay on the Garden Route is the Beacon Isle Hotel. Beacon Island is at the mouth of the Piesang River and has a history that goes back to 1771. In that year the first navigational beacon was erected on the island. The original was a square block of stinkwood, inscribed with the latitude and longitude of Plettenberg Bay, and erected to enable mariners to check their location and chronometers. It also gave Beacon Island its name.
One of the best known landmarks in Plettenberg Bay on the Garden Route is the Beacon Isle Hotel. Beacon Island is at the mouth of the Piesang River and has a history that goes back to 1771. In that year the first navigational beacon was erected on the island. The original was a square block of stinkwood, inscribed with the latitude and longitude of Plettenberg Bay, and erected to enable mariners to check their location and chronometers. It also gave Beacon Island its name. The wooden beacon was replaced by Captain Sewell with a stone one in 1881 and has been replaced a couple of times over the years. It can be seen in the gardens of the hotel.
Beacon Island Resort, in the heart of the picturesque Garden Route region, is one of the Western Cape’s premier holiday destinations. This award-winning Plettenberg Bay hotel and resort offers natural forests, mountains, sun-kissed beaches, and the vastness of the ocean – the ideal relaxing getaway for the entire family.
The Voortrekker Monument is 40 metres high, with a base of 40 metres by 40 metres. The building shares architectural resemblance with European monuments such the Dôme des Invalides in France and the Völkerschlachtdenkmal in Germany but also contain African influences. The two main points of interest inside the building are the Historical Frieze and the Cenotaph.The main entrance of the building leads into the domed Hall of Heroes. This massive space, flanked by four huge arched windows made from yellow Belgian glass, contains the unique marble Historical Frieze which is an intrinsic part of the design of the monument.
The shape of the memorial, consisting of three wings that cross over one another, is intended to symbolise flight. The wings each cover separate rooms that house a chapel, a caretakers office and a machine room. The hall between the wings houses a cenotaph as the centrepiece of the memorial and the rolls of honour.
