Fashion, Travel

South Africa | Cape Town’s Beach Suburbs

March 20, 2019

From Franschooek, we headed South East for a few days exploring the cape peninsula before finishing off in Cape Town itself. I really wanted to get at least a taste of living like a local for a couple of days at least and have our own space so loved the idea of renting somewhere right on the beach. My sister, a Cape Town regular, recommended the small, surfy beach town of Kommetjie (Komm-uh-kee) about an hour outside of central Cape Town as a place to base ourselves and the beach house we ended up renting really was a dream. I found it via Perfect Hideaways, an amazing resource for renting beach houses in and around Cape Town and beyond and honestly even if you’re not in the market for a holiday to SA, I’d definitely recommend diving in and having a look – the house porn is amazing! Complete with wraparound wooden deck, hammock in the backyard and the sound of waves trickling in from open windows and billowing curtains, I was living out all my Grace and Frankie beach house fantasies at this place. It felt like the loveliest family home too rather than a show home, and was clearly much-loved by the people who owned it. Kommetjie was the perfect base for us for a couple of days of getting a salty beach fix while also exploring neighbouring little towns like Kalk bay which is amazing for pottery, textiles, vintage shops and 100% make sure you have dinner at the delicious new restaurant Salt, Scarborough beach where you can get your acai bowl fix at Whole Earth cafe or a coffee and deli-style supplies at Foragers/The Hub, beautiful Misty Cliffs that really do live up to their name, and last but not least Nordhoek, an incredible, sweeping beach on your way to Chapman’s Peak Drive where there are some great spots for wine with a view or even a horse-ride on the beach. You 100% need a car to get around, buy supplies and explore, although we did get an Uber both nights to dinner which was a really nice surprise so we were able to have a drink with dinner.

In Kommetjie itself, there’s little else aside from a corner shop, deli (a lovely one with lots of healthy, wholesome options), a cafe for pastries, juices and coffee, a bottle shop for booze and a pub/bar opposite all the previous.I really loved how low-key it was as we really felt like we were calling it home while there. The beach is stunning with pretty white houses lining the sand dunes and tonnes of surfers or all ages congregating around the fare end of the beach as the sun starts to get lower. It really is one of those rare places that’s totally unspoilt and unpretentious while still feeling special, the kind of place you’ll instantly start plotting your retirement/dream life basically.