The house has some great positives and some big negatives - it's well protected from the wind, which is hugely important when staying so close to Cape Point, and has a lovely glass front to the living /dining area that allows plenty of light. We could not open the whole front however to benefit from the full impact. The house should have fabulous views - and it does have a view, just not the view it should or could have - but in order to get the whole bay view you need to stand on a step ladder as the hedges have been grown too high and the view is thus cut in half, which is a huge shame and really frustrating. While seated at the lovely large dinner table outside, or in, the view is not available really, even though the space is pleasant and green.
The main bedroom is a decent size but the other 2 are small and cramped and have no light. The 4th bedroom is in a completely separate cottage which is half storeroom /garage and half bedroom. This was not made available and anyway had a crack in the ceiling which didn't look good, so we would not have slept there even if we could have.
The house has a great sofa and chairs and table, but no loungers for outside. So there was no possibility of just hanging out at the house for a day and lying by the pool or on the terrace. You could only sit on outside dining chairs.
The garden has beautiful vegetation and a visiting porcupine at night which I loved. Buy bottled water before you arrive as the tap water is not safe to drink and none is provided. The house is not really good for shorter people (I couldn't reach the safe or the higher shelving without a small ladder). The kitchen has a good gas hob and all the amenities, but very little workspace.
The entrance area from the street gate to the house is extremely steep - short, but steep, and not recommended to anyone with hip problems or disabilities.
The house has an alarm but we were told not to use it as it's erratic and complicated - we would have preferred to have the added security but it was not essential.
Mary was lovely and friendly and helpful and told us we could ask Gillian for whatever we needed, even to shop in advance for us. We did not take her up on the offer but we're grateful for it nonetheless.
The area is beautiful, residential, Simon's Town has a real feel to it with old houses and streets and odd little shops and working people, not some chic tourist haven, which is a blessing.