Summerstrand is a seaside suburb of Gqeberha (formerly known as Port Elizabeth) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
Summerstrand is situated within the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, which governs the city of Gqeberha, Kariega (formerly known as Uitenhage), Despatch, and surroundings.
Located approximately 6 km southeast of the Gqeberha city centre, Summerstrand is primarily a residential suburb with shopping and business facilities. It is also home to three campuses of Nelson Mandela University.
Summerstrand lies along the Indian Ocean coastline between Humewood in the north and the Nelson Mandela University Nature Reserve in the south.
The M4 Metropolitan Route passes through the suburb along the coast, connecting the Gqeberha Central Business District to the north with Skoenmakerskop to the south. The M13 connects the inner suburban area of Summerstrand with Humewood to the north.
Education
The southern part of Summerstrand is dominated by the Nelson Mandela University (NMU). Nelson Mandela University has its South (main) and North Campus in the southern part, with the 2nd Avenue Campus in the northern part.
Although the suburb is dominated by NMU, there are also other schools such as:
- Cape Recife High School
- Dolfyntjie Pre-Primary School
- Pearson High School
- Summerwood Primary School
Entertainment
Summerstrand is home to the Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World, the only casino in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro. The casino also includes a hotel and is owned by Sun International. The complex was recently updated with a shopping centre, replacing the original open-area design with a closed mall surrounding a courtyard.
There are many hotels in Summerstrand, such as Road Lodge Port Elizabeth, Radisson Blu Port Elizabeth, and Protea Hotel (by Marriott) Port Elizabeth Marine. There are also numerous guest houses and lodges in Summerstrand.
There is also the nearby Bayworld in Humewood, a museum complex comprising the Museum, Oceanarium, and Snake Park. Summerstrand is also near the Cape Recife Nature Reserve.
Sport and Recreation
There are also two beaches in Summerstrand, Pollok and Hobie Beaches. Hobie Beach is a famous beach in Gqeberha and includes the Shark Rock Pier, the only pier in Nelson Mandela Bay.
There are also the nearby Kings Beach and Humewood Beaches in Humewood, with Kings Beach being Gqeberha’s flagship beach.
Apart from the beaches, there are also other sports and recreation facilities, such as the Humewood Golf Club and the Summerstrand Tennis Club.
