Top 10 beach stays

Perfect Paternoster
This hamlet on the West Coast is struggling to retain its fisher-village ambiance as all and sundry dream of building a cottage there. However, once you visit, you’ll be hooked by the long beach littered with colourful boats and gregarious seagulls. There are a number of good eateries either on the beach or in the village.

$ to $$ Blue Dolphin is practically the last house at the northern end of the beach and you can sit on the patio and be mesmerised by the waves. B&B is R400 a person sharing; the self-catering cottage costs from R1 000 a night (sleeps four to six). Tel 022- 752-2001, e-mail bluedolphin@mweb.co.za, web www.bluedolphin.co.za.

Chi-chi Churchhaven
If you crave your own spot on this part of Langebaan Lagoon’s turquoisegreen waters, you’d better know the right people. Most of these cottages within the West Coast National Park are privately owned and access is limited. However, some of them can be rented, just book well in advance.

$ Jo Anne’s Beach Cottage is a short walk from the lagoon and has three bedrooms. It costs R1 105 for the first four people. Tel Sanparks at 021-428-9111, e-mail reservations@sanparks.org, web www.sanparks.org.

Pringle Bay utopia
This lovely little bay in the Western Cape is one of the few northerly-facing beaches on False Bay. It’s no longer a secret and weekend cottages have mushroomed in the last decade, but it’s still a charming spot just an hour from Cape Town. Choose accommodation within walking distance of the beach and you’ll be in bliss.

$ to $$ Barnacle B&B has a lovely spot on the corner of the beach where the Buffels River lagoon meets up with the sea. B&B or self-catering options range from R250 to R400 a person sharing. Tel 028-273-8343, e-mail barnacle@maxitec.co.za, web www.barnacle.co.za.

$$ Wild Olive Guest Lodge is a few minutes’ walk to the beach and the owner is an award-winning chef. B&B is R475 a person sharing, dinners an optional extra. Tel 028-273-8750, e-mail g-langer@mweb.co.za, web www.wildolive.co.za.

$+ Holidayscape has a range of self-catering cottages, from basic to luxury to choose from. Tel 028-271- 5775, e-mail info@holidayscape.co.za, web www.holidayscape.co.za.

Secret Suiderstrand
You won’t find it on many maps, but if you go to Cape Agulhas, pass the southern tip of Africa and head west into Agulhas National Park, some way beyond the remains of the Meisho Maru, shipwrecked on this rocky shore in 1982, there’s an enclave of beach houses clustered around Pebble Bay. Park off with a fishing rod and let the surf wash away your cares, or trudge to the next sandy bay to swim … or to the next. You’ll probably have it all to yourself.

$$ Pebble Beach Boutique B&B is a stone’s throw from the sea. The modern, thatched house sleeps six guests. B&B is R360 to R425 a person a night sharing. Turnstones, a self-catering cottage, costs from R650 a night (sleeps up to six). Tel 028-435- 7270, e-mail stay@pebblebeach.co.za, web www.pebblebeach.co.za.

Paradisiacal Nature’s Valley
Nestling under the forest canopy between the tranquil lagoon of the Groot River and a sandy hill is a village of low beach houses. Strolling to the only shop and restaurant, you could spot a bushbuck. On the long, sandy beach or round the corner to Salt River mouth, leopard spoor are sometimes seen. Giant yellowwoods remind you that you’re in the heart of the Tsitsikamma National Park with its network of hiking trails. This is as close to paradise as you’re likely to get in this lifetime.

$ Nature’s Valley Guest House has five bedrooms and a family suite. There’s a communal kitchenette and braai area for guests’ use. B&B is R275 a person sharing. Tel 044- 531-6805, e-mail reservations@naturesvalleyguesthouse.co.za, web www.naturesvalleyguesthouse.co.za.

$ Amicus offers three self-catering units, costing from R300 for two in a flat in low season to R1 500 in a four-bedroom (sleeps eight) house in high season. Tel 083-291-7163, e-mail amicus-nv@mweb.co.za, web www.stayonthebeach.co.za/amicus.htm.

Wonderful Wilderness
Always a romantic spot with wild waves pounding a beach stretching almost to infinity, this has long been a favourite with lovers. Once the honeymoon is over, the tranquil lagoon will keep the kiddies fascinated. There are some great day hikes, boating on Island Lake and a range of eateries to choose from in the village.

$$ The Pink Lodge on the Beach is perched on a dune with beach views and has tastefully decorated en suite rooms. B&B is R650 an adult sharing. Tel 044-877-0263, e-mail info@pinklodge.co.za, web www.pinklodge.co.za.

$ Wilderness Bushcamp has a number of self-catering chalets high on the hill above the bay, some with views of the lagoon, others tucked in a forest. It costs from R350 to R550 an adult sharing. Tel 044-877-1168, e-mail wildernessbushcamp@mweb.co.za, web www.boskamp.co.za.

$ to $ Ebb and Flow Rest Camp in the Wilderness National Park has rondavels and chalets beside the Touws River from R460 a night for a twosleeper to R905 for a four-sleeper, plus conservation fees of R18 a person a day for non-Wild Card holders. Tel 044-877-1197, e-mail elsabet@sanparks.org, web www.sanparks.org.

Casual Kenton-on-Sea
In this part of the Eastern Cape’s Sunshine Coast, a casual collection of beach houses is sandwiched between the Bushman’s and Kariega Rivers. Punctuating the long sandy beaches, the lazy estuaries make water sports almost mandatory. There are plenty of private game farms to visit, horse trails, boat cruises and fishing galore. Whatever you do, time seems to slow remarkably here.

$ At Woodlands Country Cottages, you perch in coastal forest among the birds on the banks of Bushmans River. It costs from R450 to R600 a cottage a night (sleeps from two to four). Tel 046-648-2867, e-mail woodlands@compuscan.co.za, web www.accommodation-kenton.co.za.

Chilled Coffee Bay
This is the Wild Coast at its best. The little settlement is smaller than Port St Johns and even more laid back, if that’s possible. The beach is awesome, the lagoon sheltered, the surfing cool, cliff abseiling hot and the fishing good. You’ll find yourself wondering if you could possibly live off the bounty of the sea here.

$$ Most of the rooms at Ocean View Hotel have sea views and the rate of R460 to R500 a person a night sharing includes DB&B. Tel 047-575- 2005/6, e-mail oceanview@coffeebay.co.za, web www.oceanview.co.za.

$ Coffee Shack Backpackers has en suite rooms for R340 a night, as well as campsites costing R60 a person. Tel 047-575-2048, e-mail happydays@coffeeshack.co.za, web www.coffeeshack.co.za.

Tranquil Trafalgar
In this sleepy hollow on KwaZulu- Natal’s South Coast, you’ll still find lush, subtropical bush instead of wall-to-wall development. Next door are walking trails in the 66-hectare Mpenjati Nature Reserve, which includes a lagoon where you can fish, boardsail, boat and canoe.

$$ From the deck at Yengele Paradise, you can spot whales, bush creatures and abundant birdlife. B&B is from R290 a person sharing, self-catering from R230. Tel 039-313-0641, e-mail info@yengeleparadise.co.za, web www.yengeleparadise.co.za.

Marvellous Mtunzini
You know the locals have their priorities right when the beachfront has been declared a nature reserve. This spot alongside Umlalazi Nature Reserve on KwaZulu-Natal’s North Coast has unspoiled beaches, a timber boardwalk through mangrove forest and a cathedral-like grove of raffia palms which is one of the few declared floral monuments in the country. The possibility of sighting the rare palmnut vulture drives twitchers wild.

$$ Mtunzini Forest Lodge has 22 chalets tucked into the coastal forest, costing from R770 to R1 130 (sleep four to six). Tel 035-340-1953, e-mail mtunzini@goodersons.co.za, web www.goodersonvacations.com.

$$ Stay in a mini English manor house on a sugar-cane farm at Toad Tree Cottage. It sleeps two to six and costs R400 to R1 000 a night, depending on numbers and season. Tel 035- 340-1531, e-mail bruhop@mweb.co.za, web www.toadtree.co.za.