Where to stay in Cape Town if you have 5 days to spend in this gorgeous city? I was struggling with this question for quite a while. I didn’t want to stay in the hustle and bustle of the city center and I didn’t want to stay too far from all the sightseeing spots that were on our bucket list. So, according to the map Hout Bay seemed as the obvious choice. There are quite a few good rated accommodations in Hout Bay so it was quite a challenge to decide which one to pick. Hout & About Guest House had perfect reviews of the rooms, as well as breakfast, which is very important in my survival book. We gave it a shot and we fell in love instantly.

Location

Hout & About Guest House is located in Hout Bay, an easy 10-minute walk from the beach, as well as from some shops, cafes and grocery shops. It will take you about 40 minutes to reach the place from Cape Town International airport by car. Probably even a bit less if you are used to driving on the left side. A complimentary parking space is provided in front of the property. You’ll reach Boulders Beach with penguins in 40 minutes, Lion’s Head and Table Mountain parking lot in 20 and Cape Town center in around 30 minutes’ drive. So, in terms of location, we almost hit the Jackpot.

The property

Like almost all the properties in South Africa, Hout & About Guest House is surrounded by a concrete fence and a safety entrance gate. The house has around 5 or 6 rooms (honestly, we only minded our own business so we didn’t count them😉), a very spacious dining lounge with a covered terrace and a pool deck with a small pool where you can lick your wounds while looking at the ocean. You do know that the water in Cape Town is too cold to swim in, right?

The rooms

We stayed in Deluxe King with Sea and Mountain View room and we absolutely loved it. Yes, it does have both, sea and mountain views, and they are fantastic. Ok, to be honest, the ocean is quite far away, but you DO get to see it, and with the clear skies you’ll wish you could run down to the beach and swim like mad. But again, you probably won’t. 😛

At first, our room felt a bit awkward because you get the feeling everyone can see you – the room has panoramic doors (or windows, whatever you call it) but the terrace is more or less private and the other guests stick to their own rooms. At least they did in our case. Just to be sure, we had the curtains closed after dark – but we would do that anyway because of the morning sun.

The room was spacious, very modern designed and had everything we needed: very cozy bed, hairdryer, USB charger, coffee and tea machine, well working AC (unfortunately it blows directly to your head, so that is a small minus) and it was cleaned every day. The bathroom was really sexy, with walk in shower, 2 sinks (yay!) and the basic toiletries like shampoo, conditioner and body wash.

Breakfast with a view

My favorite part of the property was the dining room, which is designed as some kind of gallery, so you really feel like you can breathe in there. And you WILL need to breathe, because the views from the room and the terrace are really nice. Your breakfast will be made by a real Chef named Thomas, who has been in gourmet business since… well, he is younger than me, so I can’t go too far there. The food, as I keep on saying when it comes to South Africa, is out of this world. Everything these guys make is fantastic. Fresh fruits, yogurts and healthy cereals every day, as well as eggs of your choice or “a la carte” dish of the day. You should try it at least once; Thomas knows what he is doing.

Anda’s rate: 9,5 from 10

Bottom line: If you are searching for a place to stay in Hout Bay, look no further. Hout & About Guest house has it all, the owners (also Alice whom I didn’t mention before, but she is also really cute and knows her way with guests) are great people, the rooms are new and spacious, the location is close to perfect. The only minus, as I said before, was the location of the AC unit. By the way, if you are combining your Cape Town with safari, check out my post Safari for first-timers. Enjoy!