Dune House

Rooms

The 5 double bedrooms are uncluttered and spotlessly clean. Décor embraces sea colours (soft blues, faded greens) and quirky vintage sports gear hangs on the walls. Super-comfortable beds are fitted with crisp, white cotton linens and there are thoughtful touches like chambray robes, hot-water bottles and swimming/beach towels. There's no air con but each room has a fan.

You can gaze at the ocean from the kingsize bed and free-standing tub of the master bedroom (which can connect to the bunk room). The 2 lower-floor bedrooms share a sheltered patio area and have a pretty garden outlook.

Features include:

• Bathrobes
• Fan
• Hairdryer
• WiFi

Eating

The kitchen is perfectly equipped for self-catering. There’s a huge fridge/freezer, a wine fridge, a large range/oven, even a pistachio-green KitchenAid. Behind the main kitchen area is a scullery where you can hide dirty dishes or pop it all in the 2 dishwashers. As if by magic, it’ll all be cleaned and tidied, thanks to Chris’ unobtrusive presence. There are even 2 barbecues - a Weber (kettle barbecue) and a gas-fired one.

Some basics are provided - salt, teas, coffee, sugar, etc - but you'll need to buy most groceries. There’s a Spar supermarket and excellent just-frozen fish in St Helena Bay (7 mins' drive) and you’ll spot small shops and farm stalls/delis en route. The Woolworths supermarket in Vredenburg should have everything else you need, bar unusual gourmet ingredients.

The best restaurants in the area are in Paternoster, a 25-min drive away. Wolfgat won overall Restaurant of the Year in the 2019 World Restaurants Awards, and we love Reuben’s at Abalone House. Visit Oep ve Koep if you’re up for trying foraged foods, and tiny Gaaitjie on the beach is ideal for a romantic dinner. There is a restaurant at the estate next door but we didn't try it.

Features include:

• Barbecue
• Coffee maker
• Dishwasher
• Fridge
• Full kitchen
• Hob or stove
• Oven
• Restaurants nearby

Activities

• Walk or run along the sandy beach, try out the house's boogie boards, or go kayaking, kitesurfing, paddleboarding or surfing. There are 2 popular surf breaks
  
• Go fishing from the rocks and pick black mussels at low tide for your dinner
  
• The area is a bird-watcher’s paradise, with over 200 species, so bring your binoculars. They'll be useful for spotting dolphins and seals from the house, too
  
• Take a whale-watching boat to spot Southern Right Whales on their migration
  
• In springtime (Aug-Oct), day-trip to the West Coast National Park and marvel at the carpets of wild daisies. Don’t miss the spectacular Postberg section
  
• We love Paternoster, a quaint fishing village 25 mins away, with great restaurants and small galleries
  
• Visit local wineries for tastings and lunch
  
• There's a 9-hole golf course, a gym, tennis courts, a wellness centre/spa and a bowling green at the estate next door

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Birdwatching
• Boat trips
• Fishing
• Golf
• Hiking
• Kayaking
• Kitesurfing
• Plantlife / flora
• Surfing
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Whale watching
• Wildlife
• Wine tasting

Kids

Dune House is fantastic for children, with lots of space for them to play and plenty to keep them amused. There's a bunk room with 2 beds (and a mezzanine play area), which can interconnect with the main bedroom. There's also a small single bed in one of the lower ground-floor doubles, which would suit a younger child. If you are bringing a baby, you'll need to bring a travel cot.

Best for:

All ages

Family friendly accommodation:

Extra Beds Available

Distances:

• Airport: Cape Town International (2 hours' drive)
• Shops: 5 minutes' drive

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Dune House is on the shore at Britannia Bay, on the Cape West Coast, 160km (2 hours) north of Cape Town, South Africa.

By Air:
Most guests fly into Cape Town International Airport (160km). It’s served by flights from all over the world - click on the links below for more information.

From the Airport
Hire a car - Britannia Bay is 2 hours' drive. See our car rental recommendations. The roads are good if a little boringly straight for kilometres at a time.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to South Africa and getting around