There are three restaurants to choose from at the fabulous Arabella Hotel and Spa on the Bot River Lagoon in Kleinmond near Hermanus.

The most casual one is just beyond the reception area, where I sat and relaxed with a cup of tea after checking in to my room.

From my comfy chair, I was spectator to the hotel’s 18-hole golf course, ranked in the top five in South Africa by Golf Digest. Beyond that was the lagoon, with a sliver of Indian Ocean visible beyond the dunes in the distance. I had plenty of time to check out the Arabella library, well stocked with the best collection I ever saw in one place of South African coffee table books  — books with names such as “Southern Africa Wildflowers, Jewels of the World,” and “Namaqualand — Garden of the Gods.”

My margherita pizza took a very long time to come and wasn’t great — just tomato sauce and cheese without so much as a garnish, and almost cold.

The grandest and largest of the Arabella restaurants is Jamani, which serves rustic South African food all day and braais on occasion. On one side of the restaurant, there’s a large balcony with views of Laughing Waters, the hotel’s waterfall and swimming pool area.

On the other side is another balcony where you can eat overlooking the Bot River Lagoon, a birder’s paradise. Following a workout in the hotel gym, I enjoyed a breakfast buffet at Jamani and wasn’t disappointed.

Here’s just a sampling of what was available at the breakfast buffet: fruit smoothies, pickled fish (a South African delicacy) and smoked salmon.

Omelettes and waffles were made to order, and I enjoyed this outstanding breakfast overlooking the fabulous Bot River Lagoon.