Hout Bay

Hout Bay is a valley behind its own mountain wall, with a working fishing harbour at one end, a long beach along the bay and the Sentinel closing the view to the west. It reads more like a village than a Cape Town suburb, and the accommodation reflects that: mostly guesthouses, self-catering cottages and houses spread through the valley, along the beachfront and up the slopes towards Chapman's Peak, rather than large hotels.

As a base it makes sense if you want a quieter address than the city and expect to spend time on the peninsula. Chapman's Peak, Noordhoek, Kommetjie and the road to Cape Point are all close, and Camps Bay and the city centre are roughly twenty to forty minutes north depending on traffic. The trade-offs are real. You will drive for almost everything, there is one road in from each direction and both can back up, and the valley's evening options are limited compared with the city.

Within the valley the choice is broadly between the beach and harbour side, which is flatter and closer to the market and the restaurants, and the slopes, which are quieter and hold the view. Either way it is worth checking which road you would use to reach the rest of the peninsula, because that decides how each day starts.