Unwind at The He(art)beat

Laurika WilliamsIt is a misty Friday afternoon, and a colleague and I walk into The Heartbeat – a local hot-spot tucked away almost imperceptibly on one of the many quiet streets of Swakopmund’s CBD.

Our mission is simple: to have a quick after-work drink and to check out the buzz which surrounds this place. Because buzz there is.

Marketing around The Heartbeat is not aggressive (as is the case with most hidden gems in this beautiful town) but word tra­vels from mouth to ear fast, and we’ve heard the name dropped enough times for our interest to be piqued. Ten minutes in, we couldn’t help but be pleasantly surprised.

This is a space designed to make you feel comfortable.

The Heartbeat is not just an outdoor restaurant, bar, art gallery, spa and artist corner, but all of the above, under one roof. A roof, incidentally, which has worn many hats. The 1905 building has been home to a butchery, serving railway workers, a mortuary through the Spanish Flu, accommodation quarters and a brothel (if one is to believe the gossip of locals!) and now houses this new kid on the coastal social scene.

A brainchild of Natalie Rowney, the idea around The Heartbeat took shape while she was studying in Cape Town. Enamoured by South Africa’s rich patriotic culture, Rowney feverishly longed for home and a place where locals and tourists alike could experience all that Namibia could offer, in terms of arts, entertainment and cuisine.

“The Heartbeat is actually more like the artbeat,” Rowney chuckles. “I wanted to create an art centre and social hub where people from all walks of life could walk in, relax, read a book, indulge in some beautiful art and enjoy themselves. Our vision has never been a nightclub with a rowdy crowd, but rather a safe space where businessmen, families and friends could come together in one big cosmopolitan village.”

A vision The Heartbeat manages to pull off quite beautifully. Designated areas include an outdoor bar, boma seating, a kiddies playground, salon, spa, restaurant, mini art gallery and poets corner.

“Art means everything to me, so naturally it is a big component of what we are. Currently we are showcasing a collage of portraits done by Swakopmund-based artist Lyn de Wet. De Wet is involved with the Rouagh Elohim Baby Centre, which offers assistance to vulnerable children and babies, and as a way to financially contribute to community development, all proceeds of her work on display will go directly to the baby centre,” Rowney explains.

Another popular drawcard is The Heartbeat Poetry Nights which will resume at the end of March and will be held on Wednesday evenings from 16h00 to 19h00.

“Because our aim is community arts development, we are not calling upon professional poets and wordsmiths, but rather newbies and those who are passionate about literature to come and share their work with us and our clientele on our specially designed Poets Stage,” says Rowney.

Additionally, for those looking to tickle their taste buds, cuisine has been kept traditionally chic. “Our menu is as proudly Namibian as we are, and we gladly offer our kapana platters, traditional chicken and pap and smileys. Traditional food is home and we want our customers, whether local or traveller, to come together and enjoy food which is truly reflective of who we are as a country.”

The Heartbeat is open from 09h00 to 21h00, Monday to Saturday. For more details on events and specials visit their Facebook page, Instagram @Heartbeat and find them on GoogleMaps.

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