Plotsklaps Self Catering Cottage — Hotel in Tokai

If this place is available for your dates, book it. Seriously. Book it right now, before somebody beats you to it.

Let's start with the hosts, Rachael and David. Kind, friendly, great communication every step of the way, and a genuine pleasure to be around. Some people are born to host. You know them when you meet them because you just feel completely comfortable around them. If you like that feeling, this is the place for you.

The cottage is spacious, well laid out and suited our little family perfectly. The master suite, under the gorgeous thatched roof is bigger than the entire apartment we rented in Paris! Waking up on the first morning to the birds and the breeze in the trees, with the horses from the next door paddock neighing... priceless. And having the kids' bedroom downstairs gives great separation for the grown ups to chat and enjoy a cold beverage after bed time. With a full kitchen, dining room, living room and private patio, there's room for everyone to do their own thing, and also room to gather for a meal (indoor or outdoors) or a movie.

The grounds are what drew us to this place first, and they are, in a word, perfect. Sipping a chilled glass of wine, in the sun, poolside, while the kids splash in the water for a couple hours? Check. Yoga on the sprawling lawn, while the chickens peck away for little snacks in the shrubbery? Check. Game of pool under the covered “lapa” while the kids tire themselves out on the play-structure? Check. And all this surrounded by a secure gated wall, with the backdrop of the mountain, and everywhere you look a huge mature tree, or an exquisite flower, or an eye catching succulent. If you're in need of a bit of lazy downtime after all the action, this place has everything you could possibly want to get refreshed and rejuvenated for another day of sight seeing.

Now let's talk location. We chose this spot because it's central to everything we wanted to do. 5 minutes from a winery and golf, 15 minutes to a warm water beach, 30 minutes to visit the penguins at Boulders Beach, another 30 gets you to Cape Point and the tip of the peninsula. Head the other way and you in the city bowl, Waterfront and the aquarium in 30 minutes. Plus, and this was a HUGE bonus arriving late at night: just 25 minutes to the airport. Stay in any other location and you are sacrificing a lot of sightseeing time just to get to the sights!

We have stayed in AirBnBs on 3 continents and both hemispheres of the world, and nothing has even come close to the experience we have had at Plotsklaps.

Best....

Our family of four had a wonderful 2 week stay with The May family in their beautiful cottage in October/November this year. Nestled in the shade of the mountain above the Steenberg Estate in Tokai, the cottage had everything we needed. The house has a large garden with a jungle gym and plenty of space to roam about (you might bump in to the odd chicken on the walk!).

Facilities are great, with a BBQ (braai!) available in the lapa and at the cottage. The house is clean and well looked after, with twice weekly cleaning available if you want it. Wifi is excellent to keep you connected and the property has a generator for those pesky load-shedding moments (I - sadly - had to work for a week of our stay, and was always online when I needed to be, even during load shedding).

We loved the pool and lapa area, and our hosts were happy for us to have family around to the cottage (well behaved, of course). Amy the dog kept our youngest entertained, and Snoopy, Peaches and Lilly the cat were most patient with our kids!

Shops are a 3 minute drive away at the Steenberg centre, with a selection of local cafes and restaurants (including some good coffee shops!). Slightly further afield is the larger Blue Route Mall, and you have easy access to the whole peninsula. And of course the Constantia Wine Route is on your doorstep - a huge win for us!

The May Family are the perfect hosts, making you feel welcome and available when you need them, without being obtrusive - there was regularly an offer of a drink around the pool! We felt really comfortable at the property, and this was amplified by the care David & Rachel took in understanding both our children's additional needs; they were genuinely inquisitive as to how they could be more inclusive to accommodate them. I can't thank them enough for this!

Unfortunately we weren't able to take David up on his offer to go out fishing, but we will be in touch when we're back in Cape Town in the new year :)

Thank you guys for the warm welcome. Looking forward to catching...

Plotsklaps is the perfect place for an extended stay. My husband and I and two children, age 11 and 13, travelled from New Zealand and stayed with Rachael and David for a three week period over Christmas and the New Year while visiting family. The location is perfect whether heading into Cape Town or south towards some fabulous beaches and Cape Point.

The Annexe is clean and comfortable and is fully equipped beyond expectation. We found everything we need whether heading out for a picnic at the beach - beach chairs, umbrellas, cooler boxes - or whipping up a pavlova in the well-appointed kitchen. The famous South African loading shedding was hardly noticeable with a generator on site.

We made use of the Lapa on a number of occasions for BBQs/braais to host family, and managed to fit 18 of us quite comfortably around the dining table. This was such an added bonus. The Lapa is well equipped with everything you need (including glasses, plates, cutlery etc.) and has a large amount of bench space for preparation. The extensive grounds, pool table and swimming pool were fantastic to keep both older and younger children busy while the adults relaxed in the comfortable seating area.

David and Rachael are attentive hosts who like to ensure their guests have everything they need. My husband and son had an enjoyable day out fishing with David, with my son catching a large yellowtail, much to his delight, which was enjoyed by all that evening. We were also provided with a voucher for the Folk Cafe in St James, which is part owned by David and Rachael, and had an excellent lunch there (I highly recommend the woodfired flatbreads).

We will definitely be staying again and can...