Sandown Self-Catering

We had a memorable stay here. The hosts were friendly, the braai facilities were great, and the area was lovely. It isn’t right on the beachfront, but there’s a beautiful view across the bay.

The view is lovely, getting to the beach is easy, and having a pet-friendly option was nice. The room had what we needed for self-catering. Still, we saw the hosts almost every hour and would have preferred more space to ourselves on vacation. In the morning we felt a bit rushed to leave, even though we had to wait for hot water after load shedding.

There’s a lot of potential here, and the area is handy for surfers or golfers travelling without a pet and looking for economical accommodation. It’s a short walk to one of South Africa’s best Blue Flag beaches, as well as shops, coffee, a convenience store and lovely restaurants. The parking is sufficient, though I wouldn’t call it private, secure parking in the sense an insurance company would. With a pet, I wouldn’t recommend staying here. It wasn’t suitable for us and made things more complicated and expensive. I booked a comfortable double bed room but was put in another room with single beds that really needs work. Then we moved to a room below another one, where the wooden floor made it impossible to sleep when people were upstairs. There was banging overhead every day. The TV is old and too small, the stove is badly rusted, and the shower head needs replacing. The towel rack is above the toilet, and there’s no outdoor shower or way to rinse off sand before going inside.

The owners are charming and friendly, and there’s a short path to an awesome beach. The deck is a highlight, with a braai and table looking over the dunes and sea. It seemed to have everything for a nice stay, though the bathroom was a little small. It’s above average, but not luxurious.