I felt right at home as I stepped into dk villas The Boardwalk apartment that would be ours for the weekend. My impression was of a delightful combination of a modern, luxurious home-from-home (as glanced at kitchen and living area) to five-star hotel room when I entered the master bedroom and the en-suite.
Main bedroom, dk villas, The Boardwalk. Image credit: Elise Kirsten
‘We did it all ourselves,’ commented owner, Johann de Kock on he and his wife Petra’s efforts, as I complimented him on the decor. My husband and I were the first guests to stay in that particular recently renovated apartment, which opened in October 2018, in The Boardwalk suite of apartments that overlooks Victoria Road – the main road that runs from Cape Town along the Atlantic Seaboard and down the infamous (cyclists may argue) Suikerbossie Hill into Hout Bay.
I noted the artwork (I particularly loved the pieces in the lounge area), and Johann mentioned that these were all sourced from local artists.
dk villas, The Boardwalk. Image credit: Elise Kirsten
Standing in the lounge, there’s a view across Hout Bay, the sea and Chapman’s Peak, while the foreground is filled with the bustle of life on the street down below. Not that the hubbub is distasteful. The apartment is situated among art galleries and diagonally across the road, very conveniently, you’ll find a well-stocked Spar (with towers filled with a selection of Lindt balls in every conceivable flavour). A string of restaurants also lines the road.
We arrived quite late on the first evening and despite the gorgeous kitchen decked out with Smeg appliances we opted for takeaways. I was in the mood for Chinese and to my delight we discovered Mila Noodle. With a few tables and sparse (if any) decor the joint is designed for meals on the run. What matters is the food and the service and this is where it excelled. We strolled back across the road to our new home and enjoyed chicken chop suey and chow mein along with a bottle of Saronsberg Seismic (an odd pairing perhaps but delectable nonetheless) at the semi-formal, dining-room table.
dk villas, The Boardwalk. Image credit: supplied
My husband tested out the TV remote. It seemed to need some recurrent testing, as the Ryder Cup was on DSTV that weekend and the comfortable leather couches could easily have tempted us (or more specifically him) to spend the weekend indoors.
dk villas, The Boardwalk. Image credit: Elise Kirsten
My one daughter joined us on the second evening and we took a short drive down to the Hout Bay harbour, where boats bobbed, lights twinkled and all seemed well in the world. As the darkness approached, we were entertained by a local who was feeding scraps of fish from his mouth to seals in the harbour.
Hout Bay harbour. Image credit: Elise Kirsten
That night we familiarised ourselves with the compact, yet, exquisite kitchen and the Smeg oven (we had to Google the symbols to decipher them). There’s a Smeg dishwasher, fridge/freezer and even a Smeg washing machine and tumble dryer set – if you so need or desire a longer stay. The tiles on the splashback behind the stove top are made up of an intricate arrangement of hexagonal tiles each with its own motif and varying textures. I found the variety of texture in the bathrooms and bedrooms was also appealing.
We found small personalised touches throughout the apartment, like the gorgeously soft bathrobes in the rooms, the chocolates and champagne on arrival, and sugar sticks for tea and coffee instead of the familiarly boring granules. There’s also free Wi-Fi (which I found to be fast).
The Boardwalk apartment with its comfort and attention to detail is the perfect spot to base yourself on a holiday in Hout Bay.
dk villas, The Boardwalk Image credit: Elise Kirsten
Cost: R2300 per night (1 October 2018 – 14 December 2018 and 7 January 2019 – 30 April 2019); R2710 per night during high season (15 December 2018 – 6 January 2019 ) and R2020 per night (1 May 2019 – 30 September 2019); sleeps 4 max.
Contact: Johann de Kock 0829220775, email: in[email protected] , website: dkvillas.co.za
Things to do in Hout Bay
Hout Bay craft market. Image credit: Elise Kirsten
Take a boat trip with Drumbeat Charters, which offers daily scenic cruises drumbeatcharters.co.za 0217914441, visit the craft market on weekends at the harbour or the popular Bay Harbour Market bayharbour.co.za, the World of Birds 0217902730 worldofbirds.org.za or paint ceramics at the Clay Café claycafe.co.za
Drive Chapman’s Peak, this must be one of Cape Town’s most scenic drives and one you shouldn’t miss when you’re in the area. 0217918222
Eat out: Restaurants in the area include Massimo‘s pizza 0217905648; Dario’s Café 0217910021, The Lookout Deck 0217900900, Mariners Wharf 0217901100; La Cuccina 0217908008; Mila Noodle 0217900336; the acclaimed La Colombe restaurant sits above Hout Bay on Silvermist Estate, Constantia Neck, 0217942390.
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