Just beyond the quiet little dorpie of Velddrif, no more than two hours from Cape Town, an exquisite, untouched stretch of shoreline known as Dwarskersbos settles itself into the rolling sand dunes and indigenous coastal scrub. A place so lovely and remote, only the gulls and Cape Cormorants nosey over your sunbathing. Sitting directly on the beach, at the end of a lane that’s cushioned into the green belt alongside a tiny cluster of newly-built, secure beach bungalows, Villa Kersbos opens itself out to nothing but nature. Set on two levels of contemporary beach house living, with views of the ocean occupying every room, this simple and serene hideaway answers to the call for an escape to the wilds of the West Coast. Not that you’re likely to encounter anything more ferocious than the resident tortoise. But it’s the stillness and calm that reminds you how far you are from the city.