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The Big Pineapple Did you know that the Eastern Cape produces over 75% of South Africa’s juicy, golden pineapples? In Bathurst, one of the province’s agricultural hotspots, you can celebrate this delicious fact by visiting the Big Pineapple. This special attraction is the largest man-made pineapple building in the world, reaching an impressive height of almost 56 feet. 068 761 5312

The Toposcope is a heritage site commemorating the 1820 settlers and their descendants. It is located on a particularly scenic hill with many landscape views. Plaques reflecting the names and ships of the parties arriving in the Eastern Cape in 1820 appear around the Toposcope. 0746957296

The Historic Pig and Whistle Inn is a national monument housing the oldest continuously licensed pub in South Africa, located in Bathurst, just a 10-minute drive (about 15 km) northwest of Port Alfred. Established in 1832 by Thomas Hartley, it features classic English pub food, 10 beautiful antique-furnished rooms, and deep 1820 settler history. In keeping with the Inn's English heritage, the restaurant serves traditional Sunday roasts and classical pub food, alongside vegetarian meals and Mediterranean favourites for the modern palate. The menu also features other signature dishes, such as the renowned pot pies, and freshly baked cakes and desserts. Guests can enjoy their food whatever the weather. The dining room is pleasant come rain or shine, and the veranda is a lovely place to enjoy a meal in the balmy Bathurst summers. The pub, with its friendly patrons and bar staff (not to mention wood-burning fire) is also an amiable and comfortable place to enjoy a hearty meal. There is also an enclosed outdoor area for children to play in. An exploration of South Africa would not be complete without a drink at the oldest continuously licensed pub in the country. The pub is a favourite among locals thanks to its warm, companionable atmosphere, and the fascinating history makes it a popular watering hole for holiday-makers to the Eastern Cape.

Developing the original building, known as the Royal St Andrews Lodge, into the award-winning Eastern Cape tourism beacon it has become today, it always remained important to the owners of the Hotel to deliver a product that heavily practices and promotes responsible and sustainable tourism, with tangible green initiatives.

Let’s have a look at 4 of the major commitments the Hotel has made to responsible and sustainable tourism: 1. Minimizing negative Impacts on the environment With our state-of-the-art inverter room, 600 panel Solar Plant, we are committed to conserving energy. Electricity usage in all our rooms is controlled by ESU’s (Energy Saving Units), that works with a magnetic strip card. In addition to the above the Hotel has three onsite EV Charges onsite. Similarly, we conserve water through our 220 000-litre capacity, onsite Reverse Osmosis water plant, micro irrigation system and water saving The original Tudor Style Hotel (built in 1924), is now a Heritage Site and has been preserved during the renovation process 2. Maximizing Positive Contributions. We fully support our local economy sourcing products and services locally as far as possible The Hotel is involved with various local NPO’s including NEMATO Change a Life, Mzansi Rugby Academy and the Sunshine Life Centre We support local business, schools and organizations like the SPCA in the form on various sponsorships The Hotel is the driving force behind the Port Alfred Easter Festival by providing the town with free marketing platforms to promote all Easter Weekend sporting events and festivals. The Hotel is the main sponsor behind two of the country’s biggest surfing events hosted by Surfing SA and RipCurl over 5 Days and also a big music festival that sees some of south Africa’s best and biggest bands coming to Port Alfred. All these events result in vast increase in occupancies across all hospitality establishments in Port Alfred. 3. Shared Responsibility. The Hotel takes a leading role, in partnership with the Sunshine Coast Tourism Board, in doing destination marketing for the entire Sunshine Coast. Destination marketing of the entire area, and not just marketing for the Hotel, is crucial in the long-term sustainability of the Hotel and Tourism along the Sunshine Coast. All guests are informed about local activities in the area and we assist guests in booking these activities, ensuring that many service providers in town benefit from tourists. Our Sales and reservations departments liaise directly with service providers in the area to ensure that our guests can experience all that Port Alfred and the Sunshine Coast has to offer.

4. Ethical Responsibility. Our hotel is the only Hotel in the area where all staff receive a basic salary each month (and are not hourly paid) – above minimum wage. We also offer our staff a provident fund, of which the company contributes 50%. It is extremely important to us that out staff are well looked after, prioritized and valued.

In 2023 the Hotel partnered with Rubicon SA to have its first Audi EV charger installed. This was a major innovation and first for the area - especially for the 300km distance between two of the Eastern Cape's biggest Cities, GQ and KG.

The town of Port Alfred is situated almost perfectly midway between the two cities. This valuable addition to the Hotel and the Sunshine Coast of SA fit right in with the Hotel’s goal to reduce its carbon footprint and become as emission free as possible. Being one of the first EV chargers developed by Audi, this charger is a little bit on the slow side. However, it was a start and as we all know: innovation is dynamic. It was not going to stay that way. . . In 2024, a mere 2 years later, Royal St Andrews Hotel in Port Alfred partnered with The Automotive Industry Development Centre - Eastern Cape (AIDC – EC), a subsidiary of the ECDC (Department of Economic Affairs) to become one of the EV Charger custodians in the Eastern Cape. The Hotel is now a hub for not one, but two of AIDC’s EV chargers, also powered by Rubicon SA. Not only is this a major attraction in terms of innovative technology for Port Alfred, but for the entire Sunshine Coast. A major difference between the two new EV chargers and the first one that was installed: the two new ones are fast chargers. Like we said, innovation is ever-developing and we have to keep up! These green initiative projects have helped enhance the profile of the Royal St Andrews Hotel – Port Alfred cement itself as a beacon of responsible tourism, through making it possible for us to provide a greener transportation alternative, ultimately leading to more visitors to the Hotel and the town. More people with electronic vehicles are stopping in Port Alfred to charge their vehicle, instead of just passing through. Visitors are coming to stay with us because of this provision. This leads to direct enhanced socio-economic growth for the area. Another key aspect of our vision for Port Alfred and the Eastern Cape. This perfectly aligns with the vision and mission of the Royal St Andrews Hotel to bring more visitors to Port Alfred, The Sunshine Coast and the Eastern Cape. We are committed to responsible and sustainable tourism and protecting the environment. A year before the first EV Charger was installed, the owners of the Hotel, Our CEO Mrs Linda Bekker and MD, Mr Justin Bekker, invested in a massive 600 panel Solar Plant at the Hotel, with a state of the art inter room, to ensure that we operate a sustainable, renewable and emission free Hotel. We very are proud to be associated with the Rubicon SA, the department of Economic Development, AIDC - EC and its commitment to E-mobility and the reduction of carbon emissions.

For more than three decades, the Diners Club Wine List Awards have set the benchmark for wine excellence in South Africa’s hospitality industry. Recognised and respected by both the restaurant and wine sectors, these prestigious annual awards celebrate establishments that demonstrate an unwavering commitment to elevating the standard of their wine offerings and enhancing the dining experience for their patrons.

The Royal St Andrews Hotel is proud to announce that the Thistle Restaurant has once again been awarded a Diamond Award for our 2025 entry.

This award is proudly accepted in recognition of Martin Bekker whose passion for wine led us to create this very special wine list and we would like to thank Diners Club for recognising our wine list.

In celebration of this honour and the advent of the winter season ahead of us we have selected some wines to celebrate winter and some of the dishes that we can look forward to.

From the Platters by Diners Club 2026 Top Performing Winery of the Year Diemersdal Estate, comes the iconic Diemersdal Sauvignon Blanc 2026.

Rietvallei Wine Estate, established in 1864 and one of South Africa’s oldest family-owned wine estates and among the first wine farms in the scenic Robertson Wine Valley brings us the Rietvallei Estate Calcrete Chardonnay. An elegant unwooded Chardonnay that is bright and vibrant with a palate that bursts with pineapple and orange tang and an almond overlay this wine is perfect alongside a bowl of our rich, creamy butter chicken served with garlic naan bread.

The Strandveld Navigator, with notes of dark chocolate, plum, and fine tannins, finishing with a savoury, salty minerality — the signature of Elim’s windswept coast is a great choice to have with our Pistachio crusted rack of lamb served with sweet earthy root vegetables and a mint jus.

For a night out to celebrate winter and a special occasion look no further than a bottle of the Chenin Blanc driven Sparkle Horse Cap Classique by Ken Forrester Wines. This wine aged for 18 months on lees to develop a creaminess and delicate mousse while still maintaining bright, fresh apple, pear and quince aromas is the perfect way to celebrate your significant other. https:

Red wine and a roaring fire are synonymous with winter and we can’t think of a better way to spend an evening out. Try a glass of Leeuwenkuil Swartland Reserve Red Blend produced by the Dreyer family in the Swartland. With an abundance of red & black fruit: cherries, cranberries and dark plums with a peppery, savoury finish, it is a fresh wine with depth and complexity, finishing long and begging another sip.

The inaugural Port Alfred Easter Festival is approaching quickly, and we wanted everyone to know what is happening in Port Alfred over the Easter weekend.

What:
The Port Alfred Easter Festival is Justin Bekker's brainchild. He is the chairperson of the Sunshine Coast Tourism Board's Tourism Events Subcommittee. It is a multi-sports and music festival with 15 events lined up over the four days of Easter.
The events are:
1. The Rip Curl GromSearch and the
2. Rip Cup, with both contests presented by The Royal St Andrews Hotel.
3. The South African Bodyboarding Challenge.
4. The Species Spectacular Easter Fishing Competition
5. Port Alfred parkrun.
6. The Cycle Asylum 10km Fun Ride
7. The Marina Easter Swim
8. Sunshine Coast Open Tennis Tournament
9. Sunshine Coast Junior Tennis Tournament
10. Easter 2 Ball Alliance Golf Tournament
11. Sunshine Coast Open Pairs Bowls Tournament
12. Port Alfred Easter Croquet Tournament
13. Nemato Change A Life Handball
14. Wharf Street and Van Der Riet Street Market
15. Bands At The Beach Music Festival In Aid Of NSRI
The full calendar can be viewed here.

Where:
The events, contests, races, tournaments and competitions are happening all over Port Alfred. The surf and bodyboarding events are split between East Beach and West Beach. Other venues include the Port Alfred Tennis Club, the Marina, the Royal Port Alfred Golf Club, the Port Alfred Bowls and Croquet Club, Guido's, the deep ocean for fishing and the streets of Port Alfred for cycling.

Why:
"I have wanted to do something of this magnitude for quite some time now," said Justin Bekker. "The goal of the Easter Festival is to bring people into our wonderful town, to explore and experience what we have to offer, to enter some fun events, and to listen to some great live music. In the process, we aim to put Port Alfred on the map as an amazing venue to host events and as a serious destination for people to visit and enjoy our town, restaurants, beaches and sports clubs. We have planned for a minimum three-year project, and we hope this festival becomes a permanent fixture and a highlight on many calendars for athletes, holiday makers and spectators across the country."

Who?
The Port Alfred Easter Festival is presented by Sunshine Coast Tourism.
The Rip Curl GromSearch and the Rip Curl Cup are both presented by The Royal St Andrews Hotel and supported by Sea Harvest,
The Fun Cycle is presented by Cycle Asylum and Round Table 177 Port Alfred.
The Species Spectacular Fishing Tournament is presented by Buco
The Royal Port Alfred Golf Club 2-ball Alliance is presented by Buildit.
The Marina Easter Swim is hosted by Halyards Hotel and presented by Edge Finance.
The Surf and Bodyboard Tournaments have Port Alfred NSRI Station 11 doing water safety.