The Robberg Beach Lodge

The four villas share a number of facilities, including two swimming pools tucked into grassy courtyards. But there are private spaces too. Each villa has its own rooftop deck and plenty of elevated outdoor spaces perfect for reading, catching the rays, or gazing out to sea. Guests in rooms without self-catering facilities can head to the spacious breakfast room for the full monty, from cereal and pastries to eggs done your way. Two honesty bars invite you to help yourself.

Twenty-nine rooms range across the four villas – Beachy Head, Robberg, Cottage Pie and Cordovan. The interiors are crisp, clean and quite lovely, with furnishings that echo the pale blue and grey tones of the sea. All rooms have wi-fi, and en-suite bathrooms. Standard rooms for two open to interior courtyards; double and twin rooms offer partial sea views. The View rooms face the ocean or indigenous garden; the suites have extra space. The self-catering cottages have open-plan living/kitchen facilities.

Whether you're a beach-goer of the more tranquil ilk or need more action, this slice of coast won't disappoint you. Plett offers a quiet setting with shops and restaurants and a good bit of modest hamlet verve, from live music nights to craft markets. But the landscape is the real draw: a long crescent of white-sand beach, dune forests alive with birds, a nearby seal colony, and an ocean full of life. Catch dolphins riding waves or breeching whales (June–November).