Sea Forever, Pennington, South Coast, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

 Visited in: July 2019

Far more luxurious than the pictures depict

We booked the cottage because of the great view, very reasonable rates offered and of course because Pennington is one of our favourite destinations. We were not expecting it to be quite as luxurious as it was. 

View from the outdoor area

Comfortable furniture (both indoor and outdoor), queen sized beds, cotton bedding, a stunning kitchen and the best finishings really make Sea Forever one of the best places we've stayed at within a limited budget!

Amazing kitten with all the necessities and more

Loungers - no beach house is complete without them

3 bedrooms comfortably sleep 6 people and 2 bathrooms (as well as an extra toilet and wash basin) ensure that nobody gets in anyone's way first thing in the morning.

Bathroom 1 - bath

Bathroom 1 - shower

Main en-suite bathroom with shower

Extra toilet and wash basin

The main bedroom has loads of cupboard space and all bedrooms have sea views. 

Main bedroom

Main bedroom - cupboards galore!

A short walk takes you to the gorgeous beach or you can just enjoy the view from the outdoor area. A truly under-rated gem!

Price: 

Less than R500 per person and well worth every cent!

Recommended for:

Families / groups / couples

The host/s:

Absolutely fantastic as always, thank you Bev!

For more information and bookings:

info@penningtonbeachholiday.com 

Family Tides Cottage, Port Shepstone, South Coast, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Visited in: June 2019

The unit is comfortable and conveniently located close to the local beach however it lacks the usual charm of a beach house. This is  perhaps due to everything being grey - the tiles, the furniture, the walls, the cushions... 

Lounge

Dining tables just off the kitchen

Lovely views can be enjoyed from the covered patio and the chairs have good cushions. There is a pool and a braai however as the house is just off the road, it does not feel very private. 

Patio 

Braai

Patio and pool

Ideal for a family or group of friends there are 2 bathrooms (one with bath and toilet, a separate shower and a separate loo) and 4 bedrooms. Good quality beds and cotton bedding are provided and sea views can be enjoyed from 3 of the 4 bedrooms. 

 While providing comfort and the necessities for a family / group stay, the house could use a bit more warmth. 

Traveller hints and tips:

* We were advised by two locals not to venture to the beach closest to the property but instead to use the main beach which is a short walk / drive from the house.

* Take your own double ply toilet paper.

Price:

Less than R500 per person

Recommended for:

Families / groups

The host/s:

Fantastic over email.

For more information and bookings:

https://www.wheretostay.co.za/family-tides-cottage-self-catering-accommodation-southport-south-coast

Ocean's Paradise, Anerley, South Coast, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Visited in: January 2019 

Great for a budget holiday where you will be using the facilities just to cook and sleep. The unit has 3 bedrooms - double bed, bunk beds and a single bed. There is also a "sleeper couch" in the lounge although this is held up by a brick so exercise caution. 

Double bunk room

Main bedroom with double bed

Bedroom with single bed

Sleeper couch in lounge

The kitchen, while nothing to write home about, has a double sink and is sufficiently equipped for self catering. 

Kitchen

Kitchen - double sink

Dining room table

The only thing less noteworthy than the kitchen is the bathroom with a hand held shower. 

Bathroom with hand-held shower

Basin in bathroom

One of the best features is the garden which is beautiful and bright with a variety of colourful plants. 

The view from the small uncovered patio is lovely but unfortunately the furniture is not geared for relaxation as the benches are really hard, even with cushions. This area cannot be enjoyed if it is raining so we moved a couple of chairs to the garage so that we could still be 'outdoors' during the storm. There is however a seating area just passed the lounge that you can see the view from if you don't mind being inside. 

View from the patio

Furniture on patio

Additional seating area

Overall - you get what you pay for. The unit is close to the beach and has the basics you need as a base for your holiday. 

Traveller hints and tips:

* The strangest part of this place is the fact that the entire house slopes downward (this can be seen in the picture with the birdbath as well) - a definite no no if you suffer from vertigo!

* Take your own double ply toilet paper

Price:

Way less than R500 per person, especially if you travel as a family / group. 

Recommended for:

Those just looking for a place to cook and sleep and don't mind the noticeable slope.

The host/s:

We didn't meet the owner in person but he was pleasant over email. 

For more information and bookings:

https://www.wheretostay.co.za/oceans-paradise-beach-cottage-self-catering-accommodation-anerley-soutn-coast

 

Codsview Beach House, Pennington, South Coast, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

5 Star service and accommodation - a definite must!

We had been trying to get a booking at this amazing beach house since 2016 so were absolutely delighted when it was finally available for our dates. Our hostess greeted us warmly at the house and had gone the extra mile to ensure we felt welcome and very special. It was a great start to an amazing weekend! 

The house is every bit as beautiful and well maintained as it looks in the pictures. Everything was spotlessly clean, the kitchen well equipped, comfortable furniture in the lounge, four bedrooms with cotton bedding, four bathrooms and a sparkling pool with an amazing view - there was nothing to fault. 

Inside dining area

Lovely kitchen

Sparkling splash pool with loungers yay!

One of the four bedrooms

Another bedroom

The best part of course is the fantastic outdoor area - a massive patio with a small overhang in the front and covered on the side with puffy cushions on the chairs. We spent a great deal of time watching dolphins and whales pass by as well as lots of birds flitting around and even a fish eagle! Meals were taken at large dining table and when it was too cold for the beach (which is just a ten minute walk or less than a 5 minute drive away), we enjoyed the jacuzzi. 

Outside dining area

Partially covered - front of patio

Covered side of the patio

Jacuzzi - great for even the cold days

This really is an incredible beach house and you will be pleasantly surprised at the affordability of all this luxury. 

Traveller hints and tips:

* If you are staying for more than just a couple of nights, take a few extra rolls of toilet paper. Each bathroom is supplied with one roll of two ply.

* Be careful around the jacuzzi area as the tiles do get slippery when wet. There are rubber mats supplied but keep a mop on hand. 

Price: 

Less than R500 per person (off season), can you believe it!

Recommended for: 

Families / groups of friends

The host/s:

Absolutely fantastic, went the extra mile and really made us feel welcome!

For more information / bookings: 

https://www.penningtonbeachholiday.com/

On the rocks beach house, Glen Gariff, East London, Eastern Cape

This was a very special trip for us - a birthday and an anniversary celebration and thanks to a great deal from SAFAIR we were able to explore a part of our country we have both longed to do for quite some time. 

The house is every bit as beautiful as the pictures on the website and the 180 degree sea view is just breath-taking. To boot, your own (almost completely) private beach is just a five minute walk to the left. We could not have asked for a better place to spend our weekend. 

Back of the house

View from the back of the house

It can be enjoyed from the lounge and 4 of the 5 bedrooms

Stunning Glen Eden beach

It was just the two of us but the house is equipped with 5 bedrooms and 3 three bathrooms so ideal for a large family or group of friends. 

Downstairs bedroom - sunniest room in the house

One of the upstairs bedrooms

Second upstairs bedroom 

Main en-suite bathroom 

Main en-suite bedroom

One of the upstairs bathrooms

The kitchen is spacious with strong wooden and marble counters, a gas stove and oven, a massive fridge/freezer and all the utensils you need to cook up a storm. There is a separate scullery with a dish-washer as well as a double sink.

Scullery

Kitchen

Although we spent most of our time exploring all the beautiful beaches within close proximity to the house, there is also a lovely outdoor area with couches around a braai, a table for outdoor meals and a swimming pool.

Sheltered outdoor area designed for comfort

Pool and loungers yay!

If all the raw natural beauty surrounding you and absolute luxury of this beautiful house is still not enough, you can enjoy a game of table tennis upstairs or watch dstv in the lounge or main bedroom. 

Downstairs lounge 1 with fireplace

Downstairs tv lounge 

Upstiars - table tennis and board games

The house does have an alarm but we never once felt unsafe during our stay (complete opposite to July 2017's trip https://ontheroadagainwithsandyfeet.blogspot.co.za/2017/08/the-beach-house-sea-park-south-coast.html ). In fact the total lack of fences in the entire area really put our minds at ease. We are so glad we booked an extra night because three days would not have been long enough in this magical part of our country. We cannot wait to go back. 

Traveller hints and tips:

* If you are going in winter, be sure to pack lots of warm clothing because the back of the house does not get any sun in the afternoon and it is quite cold inside. Definitely make a fire in the lounge, we did every night. Ample wood was supplied for free.

* If you are like us and want to enjoy the view for as long as possible, we also recommend borrowing the bean bag from upstairs because the outside wooden benches are not conducive to relaxation. 

* The pool area gets quite a bit of sun during the day, this however did not heat up the pool (we stayed in July, I'm sure it's much warmer during the summer months). 

* Take your own water if you are fussy about what you drink. The water, although filtered and completely safe to drink, is rain water and tastes slightly salty. 

Price: 

Just more than R500 per person but worth it!

Recommended for:

Couples, families or groups of friends

The host/s:

We did not meet the owner but she was very friendly over email. The hostess answered our questions via sms and we dropped the keys with her on our way out. 

For more information and bookings:

https://ontherocksbeachhouse.co.za