Nestled in a milkwood forest virtually on the beach, this modern, open plan beach house exudes holiday charm. Flanked by Slangkop mountain and Skilpadvlei wetland, the ocean is two minutes away down a leafy lane - ideal to unwind to birdsong and the sigh of the surf. A braai/ BBQ /outdoor dining area lies adjacent a sunny swimming pool beneath the forest canopy. After a swim or surf, rinse off in a recessed, hot outdoor shower. The living area looks onto a deck to the braai and pool via wall-to-wall sliding doors to create oodles of space. At night, the tiled braai area is magical beneath the forest canopy, softly lit by weather-proof LED lights, providing cool shade by day. While ancient trees stand sentinel outside, inside enjoy 100mb/s optical fibre Internet, full suite of streaming platforms on a large smart TV, and full solar installation. The house is open plan, with slat windows at top and sliding doors to let in lots of light. Outside Clivias bloom beneath the milkwoods, and beyond, a wetland and the Slangkop hill above. We have three bedrooms, a main ensuite with super king bed, and soft duvet and down pillows that overlooks the pool and breakfast area. The second room has two small double beds with a huge T window framing the milkwoods. The third bedroom has a double bed. This house is the perfect spot to chill, but also to engage with activities in nature, with ocean and mountain close by. You are literally ensconced in nature. We have a kayak and life jackets, bodyboard and surfboards. You're welcome to use our herbs and chillies by the pool. There are numerous hikes from the house over Slangkop mountain, great bike rides, and attractions not far away. Kommetjie is centrally located between Cape Point and Cape Town, perfect to access a range of activities and places. Our house is a five minute walk from the village, with a plethora of quaint restaurants, coffee shops, a surf shop, bottle store and delis. This house was made for holidays.

Steve Pike is a conservationist, author and ocean journalist who works for NPO Protect the West Coast. He is the founder of ocean website Wavescape, and is the cofounder of the Wavescape Surf and Ocean Festival. He has written two books about surfing and the ocean around South Africa and is an avid surfer himself. His life partner Janet Heard is a renowned South African journalist and mentor to many budding young journalists and writers. They both love hosting and have set up the house to be the perfect home away from home. The fact that it is so near the beach, and is so geared for outdoor ocean, road and mountain activity, is testimony to their own enjoyment of the great outdoors. Steve loves cooking and braaing, and has set up the kitchen to be the perfect culinary complement to guests who love to create their own meals, although there are many options for eating out if you include Kommetjie, Scarborough, Imhoff and Simonstown.

Nicknamed 'the Kom', ocean lies on three sides. Walk to 10 surf spots from the house. Undulating tar roads perfect for skateboarding. Use our skateboard at front door. The Kom slipway is just up the road. Life jackets and two-man kayak in garage. We are virtually on Long Beach, one of Cape Town's best surfing beaches. Inside info: at high tide, swim in the Kom (“bowl” in Dutch due to the round shape of the bay down the road). Sun-warmed shallow water mixes in with incoming tide. Walk across the wetland to the slipway to the northern side of the bay. There is also spearfishing, diving and snorkelling. Pisces Divers is the go-to. Plenty of angling too. We have MTB and road cycling routes from the house. Road rides from the village and south up the hill past the lighthouse to Scarborough. Return trip is 17km. Or head to Cape Point and down Smitswinkel, through Simonstown, and left up Glencairn Expressway to Kommetjie via Sun Valley for a 50km loop. Not far from Tokai MTB or Red Hill MTB. Excellent walks, hikes and trail runs from the house. A fun walk is to a giant log about 1.8km at the other side of Long Beach (turn left back gate, and right at the beach). Walk to Noordhoek along a 4km beach to Aegir Brewery. Enjoy a coastal walk to iconic Kom lighthouse, or up the mountain to Cobra Camp, a WWII lookout point. Great views! Past the lighthouse lies the Soetwater Enviro centre. Ride horses on Noordhoek Beach. Google for operators. Cape Point Nature Reserve and Cape Point Vineyards are 20 minutes away. Wide range of produce and crafts Imhoff Farm, the Scone Shack, and Scarborough, a hamlet 9km south. Market at Espresso.kom Saturdays. Deep South Distillery: gin tasting. Birding at Cape Bird Club. Plenty great food, Asian, and Indian takeaways, and fun restaurants such as Green Room (burgers, craft beer) Fishermen’s Garden (pub grub), Kommetjie Pizza, Umami Sushi. Plenty coffee shops: Espresso.kom, Good Riddance, Whole Earth Cafe and Village Hub in Scarbs.