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Located in a quaint Victorian street and set within a private and tropical walled garden, Dunkley House sits less than a minute’s walk from the popular Dunkley Square with its restaurants, bars and shops.  This area is a particular favourite of film crews. A short walk west through Company Gardens lies the heart of the city.

A door from the street leads into the lush brick-lined courtyard.  The house itself is one storey, with most rooms opening onto the pool, though the apartment is located on the first floor. The old colonial shutters, high ceilings and unique mosaic floor create an airy bright atmosphere throughout the house. All of the bedrooms include flat-screen TV's, CD players, tea and coffee facilities, clock-radios, telephones, hairdryers and bathroom accessories.

The owner has decorated each room individually, using contemporary colours and furniture to result in a pleasing, comfortable and stylish environment without compromising the original character of the property.

Originally a Masonic Lodge, Hemingway House is located in a quiet gated cul-de-sac behind the Mount Nelson Hotel.  Immediately to the west is the park that gives the area its name, and a short walk in the opposite direction is the Gardens shopping centre.  To the south of the lodge, Table Mountain rears up to form an impressive backdrop, while to the north the centre of Cape Town is a short stroll down the shady lanes of what is known as the Company’s Gardens.  This route is also the beginning of Museum Mile.

The entrance to the house is through a hallway, through which the central courtyard can be seen.  To the right is the dining room and to the left, the sitting room.  The four bedrooms are located in the corners of house, with the exception of the North bedroom, which is slightly more central.  Behind the North bedroom is the Loggia which forms a wonderful outdoor sitting room as a part of the courtyard.  Another social area is the kitchen, which manages to be both extremely practical, and supremely comfortable.  All the rooms open onto the courtyard, which is strewn with plants and tables and chairs and candles giving it an idyllic lived-in-and-loved atmosphere. 

Decoration throughout is eclectic and wonderfully individual, making this an utterly unique, remarkable property that will charm any group of any size.  Just across the road is Hemingway Lodge which offers three extra bedrooms by arrangement.

The apartment is located in a prestigious security estate, with the shops, restaurants and cafés of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront just a short stroll away.  The International Convention Centre is just five minutes walk towards Table Mountain, and the vibrant life of the city bowl lies just beyond.  Popular beaches can be reached in a 10 minute drive, and the winelands in just half an hour.

The apartment is situated on the first floor, accessible by both stairs and a lift.  The main living area is open plan, with a large airy sitting room and a dining table.  Double doors slide away into the wall to reveal a neat state-of-art-kitchen.  There are two balconies, the one at the back overlooking the wide canal and offering tantalising glimpses of Table Mountain and Signal Hill, while the larger one at the front soaks up the sun over the marina. 

Furnishings are simple yet luxurious, with neutral colours and rich textures creating a calm elegance, richly fitting this desirable property.

Situated just about as high as you can get above the city, Cape Cove nestles into the side of Lion's Head in the prestigious residential suburb of Fresnaye,  within a short drive of the trendy beaches at Clifton beaches, the V&A Waterfront and downtown Cape Town.

It offers nine individually designed bedrooms and one self-catering unit all of which are decorated in a striking blend of contemporary European and African traditions. Earthy tones and natural textures have been used throughout to create understated elegance and design flair.

In another step away from the norm, the rooms at Derwent House are classed as ‘Beautiful’ or ‘Fabulous’.  Beautiful rooms have either a view of Table Mountain or an outdoor space.  One even has its own hot tub under the shade of the large oak tree.  Fabulous rooms all overlook the pool.  All rooms have elegant en-suite bathrooms, flatscreen TVs with satellite and DVD players, air-con and wireless connectivity.

Set in a quiet road just off one of the city’s most vibrant streets, Derwent House is well placed for those who like to be at the hub of things, and yet is a short drive from the popular beach at Camps Bay. The pool is one of the largest for a city-based guest house, and the living areas are funky and functional, with leather sofas and huge candelabras for the evenings.

An upmarket but relaxed guest lodge, Derwent House is clearly the pride and joy of its owners and their energy and the love they have for their adopted city is evident in every detail.

Separated from the next by a jumble of granite boulders, each beach has a distinct character. First beach is the largest and is where the volleyballers and frisbee throwers are found.  Second is the domain of the relentlessly chic and jet set.  Third is gossipy and social, and Fourth is family-orientated and a popular sundowner beach.

So which was I on last Monday afternoon?  Well actually, darling darlings,  I was overlooking all of them, basking in their beauty from the upper deck of a luxury motor yacht.  I’d been invited on a little jaunt along with a select handful of others who, I’m pleased to say, were no better than me at trying to appear languid and casual… we all kept lapsing into giggles at our luck.  We could happily have stayed there all afternoon, quaffing more champagne and telling increasingly outrageous stories, or dipping in and out of the water, or perhaps taking the jetski for a little spin.  Aaah, how the other half lives…

Eve is a Princess 67’ (for those in the know), a 21 metre powerhouse of sheer class and cutting edge design.  We had purred along the coast from the yacht’s elegant berth behind the Cape Grace Hotel, first enjoying the stares of envy from the hoards of tourists at the Waterfront, then soaking up the scenery as the city slid by… Greenpoint, site of the new stadium for the 2010 world cup, Mouille Point with its distinctive lighthouse, Three Anchor Bay and the famous Seapoint promenade and finally the gorgeous beaches of Clifton, appropriately named for the cluster of houses clinging with golden talons to the verdant cliffs which shoot up towards Lion’s Head.

We could have lingered to watch the sun set into the sea and then fired up the barbecue and dropped on some lobsters.  We then would have had the choice; weave our way back to the berth with the lights of the city stretching out to us over the water, or stay overnight in one of the three sumptuous double cabins.  We’d sleep like logs as the boat rolled gently on its anchor, and awake refreshed perhaps to spend the day further south – a spot of scuba diving anyone?

There is something about being out on a boat in good weather that makes the rest of the world seem insignificant.  So it was a blow to realise that we had to head home.  But by way of consolation, we spotted a Southern Right whale cruising just a few metres from the yacht - awesome.  It was late in the season for whales, but it seemed to us that perhaps, when you are part of the elite, anything is possible.

Our trip was just a teaser, a taste of what could be that left us aching for more.  There is a streak in all of us that longs for a touch of decadence, a chance to languish somewhere beautiful and be waited on hand and foot. I found it all too easy to picture the boat anchored just off Camps Bay beach and myself, glowing from the sun and clad in floaty white linen, stepping barefoot into the dinghy to head over for a light supper at one of the stylish restaurants lining the shore.  Or waking up to a breathtaking dawn over Cape Point with not a soul in sight.  Or lying on the top deck, gazing up at the stars and breathing in the cool sea air and feeling myself melting into the stillness and the peace.

Couldn’t you give in to the temptation of Eve...?