We rang Vicky on our arrival as instructed and she was soon on hand to give us the keys and the lowdown on the house. It was pretty much as we expected, and we particularly enjoyed sitting at the large table on the front stoep looking out over the garden and the mountain view. It's a very friendly home for kids and adults and we could relax with our 6 yr old without worrying too much; he loved the kids toys, the slide into the pool and the swing. The kitchen provided all we needed. Rondebosch is a pretty, leafy suburb, and the house is in a quiet cul de sac so we felt completely safe. There are a couple of restaurants around the corner, but this is not a lively corner of Cape Town and it's a bit of a drive to other places for dinner, except for the excellent Hussar Grill. It's not far, however, to the lovely Kirstenbosch Gardens. Beware visiting Cape Town over the New Year - it's insanely busy and there are queues everywhere and for everything. Because of this, we spent far more time at the house than we anticipated, partly because it was so peaceful and easy to hang out at, though we didn't use either the pizza oven or the braai, because who wants to cook on holiday. We liked the fact that the towels Vicky provided were good quality and plentiful, including a basket of pool towels.
If we had a niggle it would be that the ground floor bedroom needs a fan on very hot summer nights and a mozzie zapper, and the hot water ran out leaving the kids to duck under cold water, but there were 9 of us and first come, first served! Our 80-year-old mother was comfortable in her own separate flatlet attached to the house, though the loo was a bit temperamental. The pictures on the website accurately reflect this very geniune family house, and we enjoyed our hosts eclectic tastes.