Villa Stilte

Villa Stilte sits low on the land, so that from the road you see little more than a long stone wall, a timber roofline and fynbos. Inside, the house opens entirely to the west. A single long living space, with lounge, dining table and kitchen, looks through floor-to-ceiling glass across Walker Bay to the mountains behind Hermanus.

The materials come from the coast: rough-plastered whitewashed walls, local stone, pale timber ceilings and floors, linen and wool. Nothing competes with the view. In winter a wood-burning fireplace anchors the room. In summer the glass slides back, and the house and deck become one space.

The morning starts on the deck with binoculars, scanning the bay for the white plumes of whale blows. From roughly June to November, southern right whales come into the sheltered water below the cliffs to calve.

After breakfast, walk out of the garden gate and along the cliff path to Klipgat Cave. Spend the afternoon on the long beach at Die Plaat, or drive twenty minutes to Stanford for lunch.

As the sun drops behind the mountains across the bay, light the fire pit on the lower terrace, open a bottle from the Hemel-en-Aarde, and watch the lights of Hermanus come on across the water.