Hout Bay (Atlantic seaboard)
Hout Bay has the largest share of our Western Cape homes. It is a working fishing harbour in a valley ringed by mountains, with a wide sandy beach, a weekend market and boats out to the seal colony on Duiker Island. Chapman's Peak Drive starts at the edge of town and runs south to Noordhoek. Cape Town airport is around 40 minutes away, the city centre about 25.
Best for: Families and groups who want space, mountain views and quick city access
Not for you if: You want to swim every day: the Atlantic here is cold all year.
Cape Town city centre (City Bowl and Waterfront)
Our city homes sit below Table Mountain, a short ride from the cableway, the V&A Waterfront and the Robben Island ferries. The painted houses of the Bo-Kaap are close to the centre, and Camps Bay and Clifton beaches are around 15 minutes by car. Ride-hailing apps work well here, so you can manage the city without a car. Some listings use Kapstadt, the German name for the city. The airport is about 20 to 30 minutes away.
Best for: Couples and first-timers who want restaurants and sights on foot
Not for you if: You want a garden and pool: most city places are apartments or townhouses.
Fish Hoek and Noordhoek (southern peninsula)
Fish Hoek faces False Bay, where the water is a few degrees warmer than on the Atlantic side, and its beach is sheltered and shallow. Boulders Beach and its penguin colony at Simon's Town are about 15 minutes south, and Cape Point within an hour. Noordhoek, over the hill, has Long Beach, horse riding on the sand and the southern end of Chapman's Peak. The airport is around 45 minutes away.
Best for: Families who want calmer, warmer swimming and the penguins nearby
Not for you if: You want to be close to the city's restaurants: the drive in takes 40 minutes or more.
Gordon's Bay, Somerset West and Hermanus
Somerset West sits at the foot of the Helderberg, with Stellenbosch and the winelands around 20 to 30 minutes away. Gordon's Bay has a small harbour beach on False Bay and is the start of Clarence Drive, the cliff road east to Hermanus. In Hermanus, southern right whales come close to the cliff path from roughly June to November. The airport is 30 minutes from Somerset West and around an hour and a half from Hermanus.
Best for: Wine farms, coastal drives and whale watching in season
Not for you if: You plan to spend most days in central Cape Town: it is a long round trip in traffic.
Langebaan (West Coast)
Langebaan sits on a long, shallow lagoon about an hour and a half north of Cape Town. The lagoon is one of the best-known kitesurfing spots in the country, and the West Coast National Park runs along its southern shore, with flower displays in August and September after the winter rain. We have only two homes here.
Best for: Kitesurfers, birdwatchers and spring wildflowers
Not for you if: You want variety on the doorstep: Langebaan is a small town and quiet out of season.
The Garden Route (Mossel Bay, George, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay)
These towns are in the Western Cape but a long way from the city, and we have one home in each. Mossel Bay is closest, around four hours along the N2. Knysna is built around a lagoon with forest behind it, and Plettenberg Bay has long sandy beaches. George has the regional airport, with domestic flights from Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Best for: Forest walks, lagoons and a road trip east of Cape Town
Not for you if: You want to combine it with Cape Town in a week: the drive is four to six hours each way.
