West Beach, Blouberg

Made up mostly of spacious freestanding homes with gardens, plenty of palm trees and a few townhouse complexes, West Beach is a relatively affordable family suburb by Cape Town standards. It's popular with people relocating from around the country, beach lovers who can't quite afford beachfront property prices and property investors, providing plenty of rental homes in the area. The proximity to the beach attracts overseas tourists and visiting kite-surfers, so there's a scattering of B&Bs and hostels, but it's also a close-knit neighbourhood. "There's a good community, everybody knows each other on our street and introduces themselves to new neighbours," says Mrs Krige, resident. "We have a network of trustworthy handymen that we all use, a new camera system in the roads has increased security and the armed response teams patrol regularly. So, for us, safety isn't a concern."

"Kids in our road play in the street on their skateboards and ride bikes, and the field across from us is a very popular dog-walking area," says Toni-Natanya Bosson, resident. The wetland area is West Beach's best-kept secret, she says, and is home to Egyptian geese, freshwater crabs and frogs. "A rare species of frog was discovered in the wetlands years ago which helped us to stop the development of low-cost housing and a shopping centre, so it remains a greenbelt." And the beach is practically on the doorstep, whether you're a kite-surfer waiting for the wind to pump, which it does regularly in summer, or a dog-walker or runner enjoying the kilometres of beachfront all with the postcard-picture view of the mountain. A more sheltered local favourite for sundowners and bucket and spade play is Kleinbaai, with rock pools and a curve of sand, and Big Bay just beyond is vibrant surf spot.West Beach itself has little in the way of restaurants but you only have to head to the Blouberg beachfront for a choice of cafes and eateries. For shopping, you can walk or cycle to friendly local shopping centre West Coast Village, or drive for five minutes to Bayside, or the new Table Bay Mall which has all the main high street stores, a Virgin Active gym and a trampoline park.