Beach breaks from National Geographic Traveller

Shelley Point Hotel, Spa & Country Club, Cape West Coast

Set back from the beach behind the hotel's nine-hole golf course, this 86-room, four-star establishment is a great family getaway with a supervised crèche and youth centre to ensure an undisturbed stay for parents (and keen golfers). Its best feature is undoubtedly the pool, flanked by a bar and deli that serves snacks and excellent coffee throughout the day. Ask for a loft bedroom with a view of the bay. The staff is impressively friendly and attentive, from room service to the team at the spa, where there is a good selection of treatments, plus sensation showers, a Jacuzzi and an indoor pool. There are also guided eco-tours, horseback excursions and beach walks planned for summer. At times, a surprisingly strong odour from the local fish-meal plants interrupted our idyll, but thankfully there is talk of the authorities taking action soon. Doubles from R1300. www.shelleypointhotel.co.za. - Delene van der Lugt.

Pod Camps Bay, Cape Town

This modern, contemporary boutique hotel cuts a new swathe on the Camps Bay strip with just 14 rooms that offer a personalised service designed to make you feel instantly at home. "Ibiza" lounge tunes mixed with a sophisticated yet understated "greige" colour palette make quaffing a glass of champagne after a long, hard day on the beach obligatory - to be followed by a night out on the Camps Bay strip, of course. But as each room is equipped with flat-screen TV, iPod docking station, incredible views and the most amazing double showers we've ever encountered, you'll find hanging out in your room just as tempting. Breakfast of fruit, muesli and a continental spread is included and served until 10am. Doubles from R1600. www.pod.co.za. - Luanne Toms

Oceana Beach & Wildlife Reserve, Port Alfred

Where else do you get to soak in a lofty, glass-encased bathtub while watching a rhino graze against a backdrop of seven kilometres of pristine, private beach? At Oceana, just outside Port Alfred, the only game reserve on the beach in South Africa. With just seven suites, plus a three-bedroomed house for rental, Oceana is perfect if you're looking for a mix of bush and beach in a secluded environment that offers every luxury from plush suites to a private theatre, an in-house spa, a five-hole putting green and more. With no set times for meals or game drives and with the entire reserve virtually yours alone to explore, we can think of no better place in which to get away from it all this summer. Winter stays are not advised if it's really chilly, as the house is not kitted out for the cold. From R3200 per person sharing, including all meals and activities. www.oceanareserve.com. - Kerryn Fischer

PHI, Kalk Bay, Cape Town

This luxury villa on Boyes Drive, St James is perfectly positioned between mountain and sea, so you're close enough to stroll down for a coffee in the hip village of Kalk Bay or hike the mountain trails that lie behind you. Stylishly decorated in a sashay of all-cream furnishings mixed with interesting decor pieces, there's a timeless French feel to the place that is comfortable and conducive to relaxation. Every en suite room leads out onto a deck that takes in the expansive sea and harbour views, and the villa is fully equipped for self-catering. It can be rented out in its entirety (sleeps 10) or divided into three zones including a penthouse (sleeps four), a ground-floor (sleeps four) and a garden apartment (sleeps two or three). From R12 000 for six nights. www.theoneonly.co.za. - LT

The Last Word Long Beach, Kommetjie, Cape Town

There's something very old world about the village of Kommetjie, with its seven-kilometre stretch of beach, the tallest cast-iron lighthouse in the country, and a tight-knit community of surfers and nature lovers. So to find a great guest house that sits slap-bang in the middle of all this - right on the beach - is a real find along this part of the Cape coastline. The Last Word Long Beach sells itself as a five-star boutique hotel, but it's more like a five-star guest house - in a villagey kind of way. Interiors are crisp, if a little twee, and the service is intimate and friendly with great attention to detail. Sit back in bed in one of six generous sea-facing suites and watch as horse riders, surfers and strollers indulge in their daily pilgrimage to sea and sand. If, like us, you arrive and don't want to leave, then dinner can be ordered by prior arrangement. This is another destination to avoid in winter as facilities are decidedly geared towards summer. Doubles from R2500 including breakfast. www.thelastword.co.za. - KF