Princess Margaret Beach

Princess Margaret Beach, sometimes still called Tony Gibbons, is the long curve of pale sand immediately south of Port Elizabeth, backed by sea grape trees that give the only real shade. It is the beach almost every cruise passenger ends up on, because you can walk to it in twenty minutes rather than negotiating a taxi. The water is calm and clear, there is snorkelling over the rocks at either end, and a beach bar rents loungers and sells cold drinks and lunch. If the walk back looks unappealing in the afternoon heat, water taxis run straight across the bay to the jetty for about EC$15.