If you are similar to the majority of people waking up in the morning, you crave a caffeine kick to propel your creative juices into overdrive, ready to start your day. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant activating alertness in your brain. With shots or a cup of caffeine, you feel alert and buzzing with responsive energy. On a drowsy morning, it is easy to overstimulate your body with two or three consecutive cups of coffee, creating an over stimulus of caffeine sprinting through your system. Caffeine energy drinks will have an enhanced effect, overstimulating your brain, leading to jitters. There are many positive health benefits of caffeine. Caffeine stimulates alertness, fights cancer, prevents calcium absorption, and makes you feel more energetic. Coffee culture has become a trendy morning ritual, savoring every sip of hot black brewed caffeine powered liquid.
The sunrise sun rays in Umhlanga shines brightly to start the daily early. It is an active morning exercise culture, as the sun rises over the ocean and the gold light jolts the east coast up for the day. The first thing in my brain is coffee, maybe exercise, but for almost eighty percent of people, coffee is an essential morning start. If you own a fancy home machine, a frothed or creamy coffee on the balcony or outside in the fresh air is a must. I often enjoy leaving early to experience the morning coffee culture buzz with a decadent, delicious barista cup of coffee in my hand.
So, where do we start? According to Trip Advisor, Eat Out, and a few online listings, these coffee shops will have a hot steamy coffee brewing fresh and early. There are many more to mention as the trusted Vida Cafe and Fego Cafe and so many more.
- African Roots Cafe
- Mayfair Cafe
- Gloria Jean’s Coffees
- Krispy Kreme Gateway
- Moto Cafe
- Ferrucci
- Tiki Tonga Coffee Roaster
- Circus Circus Cafe
- Prodigy Coffee
- Home Brew
The North Star Micro Hotel is not on this list, yet. The North Star Hotel opened in February 2020. The Hotel was open for one month, then COVID raced through the country, closing everything down into lockdown. There were moments of opening and trying to create a business, as usual, only to be restricted again. August has been the first month of operating without restrictions. The Belvedere bar is open daily for drinks. Business and leisure travelers are allowed to book and travel in South Africa.
The morning coffee run during the lockdown kept the local’s hearts warm with a North Star cup of coffee. With social distancing in place, people enjoyed coffee in the fire pit, on the balcony, and the neatly manicured lawn. There were few options available for a takeaway cup of coffee during the lockdown. The usual coffee gazebo’s and meeting places were closed, and with the beach closed, the North Star offered a welcoming stop for morning risers. Running, walking, or cycling through Eastmore crescent in Umhlanga Rocks, made the North Star Micro Hotel visible to all passing by. The new chef had a cake variety ready, and the staff sparked to serve coffee. The North Star quickly became a hotspot for Umhlanga locals in need of a fresh morning brew served with North Coast smile.
The North Star Micro Hotel is working hard to get onto the list of recommended coffee shops in Umhlanga. The service is always super friendly, dressed in a splash of tropical color. The Hotel doors are open early for coffee, and breakfast and they keep serving tasty lunch specials and a wide variety of wine and drinks on the menu during the day. In the afternoon, the Belvedere bar comes to life with locals meeting for a drink. The beautiful march light lights up. The lights are dim, and the fire is warming conversation. The coffee hour might have paused for a moment, but the other drinks are flowing. The nights are warm, breezy spring evenings by the pool. It feels comforting hearing all the happy sounds in the evening lights. Tomorrow morning will start early with freshly brewed strong coffee roasted and hand-selected for the North Star guests. A morning rich, fragrant coffee turns into a bubbly evening drink by the pool.
