2 Best Hotels in Simon's Town, South Africa

On Jubilee Square, part of the Simon's Town Waterfront, this centrally located hotel has wonderful views over the bay, the harbor, and the yacht club. Rooms are light and airy, combining lime-washed wood with white walls, touches of silver and gray, and a beachy-clean atmosphere (some rooms are carpeted), though the bathrooms are small; there are a few guest rooms that have mountain views instead of water views.

This superb boutique guesthouse—a pair of conjoined seaside villas—puts you right in the heart of the penguin action, and you're just a short walk from Seaforth Beach and Boulders Beach. No ordinary beachside bed-and-breakfast, it comes with every imaginable luxury, including scrumptious beds in individually styled, comfortably laid out, and generously proportioned sleeping quarters. There’s an intimate rooftop terrace with a heated plunge pool and endless views. Downstairs, a variety of lounges, terraces, nooks, huge picture windows facing the sea, and quiet garden spaces provide opportunities for quiet reflection, and there's an in-house chef who whips up lunches and dinners on request and prepares a mean breakfast; at mealtimes, tables are set up in different parts of the villa, perhaps with a full-on sea view one morning, and in a quiet nook the next. You might see whales breaching and hundreds of dolphins swimming by at any moment. When you're done for the day (or maybe done listening to the braying sound of penguins), soundproof and light-blocking shutters come down completely to cut out the outside world so you get the most amazing night's sleep.