Scarborough, Atlantic Seaboard

Scarborough, which lies just beyond Kommetjie, is one of the few suburbs of Cape Town that remains far from the madding crowds, despite its proximity to the city and a recent property boom that has sent even properties here in Scarborough into the stratosphere.

Scarborough is a conservation village and essentially a random scattering of houses and beach homes that lie embedded in the steep mountains of Slangkop and Red Hill, overlooking the thundering Atlantic waves. It is a nature-lover’s haven, seems miles from traffic jams and makes the crime of suburban living seem irrelevant. Despite the fact that its self-employed musician-writer-artist residents have been joined by the more affluent computer programmer and advertising exec, the easygoing lifestyle remains intact. Scarborough lies adjacent to the Cape Point Nature Reserve, which guarantees little development here in the future and means that the suburb is blessed with some of the greatest treasure collections of plants.

The rustic charm of the Scarborough village is further enhanced by the fact that it offers some of the best fishing and surfing on the peninsular. Body boarding, kite surfing, kayaking, windsurfing and crayfishing are all highly rated, and Scarborough’s beach is privy to some of the most awesome sunsets and wonderful windswept walks.

There are a couple of restaurants here and a small shop, but it’s not very far before you reach Simons Town, and Noordhoek and Fish Hoek are as easily accessible in the other direction, should you need to stock up on supplies.