Kommetjie, Western Cape

Bare feet welcome, sea views included. Just one block back from Long Beach, this double-storey Cape vernacular home brings character and easy coastal living to a fabulous Kommetjie position. Upstairs, exposed white rafters and terracotta floors frame an inviting open-plan lounge, dining area and country-style kitchen with a centre island made for gathering around. A generous picture window serves up sea and mountain views beside the lounge’s closed wood-burning stove—your front-row seat for winter wave-watching. Above the lounge, a library and reading room cleverly occupies the mezzanine, reached by a ladder on a pulley system—a nautical touch sure to delight the sailor at heart. A second fireplace keeps dinner cosy, while doors open onto a covered balcony where northern light, ocean views and long, lazy lunches are firmly on the menu.

Downstairs, three generous en-suite bedrooms give everyone their own space, with a nifty office nook beneath the stairs for those moments when real life insists on joining you. A kitchenette, laundry and large double automated garage with direct access keep the practicalities covered. Outside, a paved patio and swimming pool invite afternoons to drift by, with a generous natural fynbos garden adding that unmistakable Kommetjie feel. A 10-metre-deep well, linked to the irrigation system, helps keep the garden cared for. Beach walks before breakfast, a dip after lunch, and sundowners upstairs? You could get very used to this...