The Southern Beach House

"This is our 4th time visiting Pondokkie and each time is better than the previous. It's the perfect gateway destination for a large group and it is value for money. Like I always tell the people that go with me you basically need your own towel and clothes because Pondokkie has everything. (Obviously you need to take your food with). The place is always clean, neat and welcoming. We always make sure to leave the place in a good state. The owner is very kind and accommodating which is a plus. Go and see for yourself. Pondokkie is a hidden affordable gem. "

(visited May 2017)

"The wife and I spent 3 nights at this just wonderful Southern Beach House. We were allocated the 2 room, 2 bathroom upstairs unit with a great view over the sea and the rest of Suiderstrand. The unit is very well fitted out and equipped and besides our food all we needed to take was our towels. A great value for money place to stay to which we will certainly be returning."

(visited Mar 2017)

"My three sisters and their spouses including myself were very impressed at how clean and spacious the place was. There was every item we would ever need and more both up and downstairs, it lacked nothing. We loved your lovely craft items (we all enjoy craft work ourselves), so it was greatly appreciated. We enjoyed the beautiful views, with calm and serene surroundings. We will definitely be back!"

(visited Jan 2017)

"The house was clean and neat upon arrival, very spacious and walking distance to the beach. A lovely get away and a very safe area. It's cost effective and really one of the best holiday places I've visited. Thanks Lorraine!"

(visited Jan 2017)

"Even better than the pictures - we will definitely be back!"

(visited Oct 2016)

"We went as a family and we had an awesome weekend. Our host was so accommodating with our requests and she quickly sorted that out. The view is the best and we loved the house and the whole setup. Our time there was just too short. Everyone said they would love to go again."

(visited Aug 2016)

"Wow! What a wonderful surprise - the entire family fell in love with the area and thoroughly enjoyed staying at Pondokkie. My husband had some fantastic mountain bike rides and we had some awesome walks, especially one to the "Lagoon". Our evening braai's outside in the pit under the beautiful stars were very special. We had a very relaxed couple days, reading, playing many games of tile rummy outside amongst the franklins and other birds, stunning beach walks followed by sun downers on the balcony overlooking the sea. We will definitely be back."

(visited Apr 2016)

"We enjoyed our stay at Pondokkie. It is well equipped and has lots of space for a bigger family or group, including nice inside and outside braai areas. Suiderstrand is a quiet little mini-town, but is close to Agulhas and Struisbaai if one wants to get out a bit. There are good fishing spots in the area and routes for hiking and cycling. Lorraine, the owner, was particularly helpful to answer questions ranging from facilities, to getting there, to the weather. We can recommend Pondokkie for a value-for-money stay which will leave you feeling fresh and rested from the quiet of Suiderstrand and sea smell from the Southern tip of Africa."

(visited May 2015)

"Pondokkie is in a great location, close to the beach in the national park, and the price is reasonable. If you take the whole house its a little disjointed (we had small kids and babies and you can't listen for them if you're in the larger open kitchen downstairs). Unfortunately we had to leave a day early over Easter because of being bitten by fleas."

(visited April 2015)

Getaway Reply

"Dear Brendan, I am very sorry to hear about the fleas. It is unfortunately the time of the year where sand fleas thrive. My Manager Garth who lives two houses away is experiencing the same problem and he could have dealt with he situation if we had known about this. Sorry for any inconvenience caused."

(Lorraine van Zyl)

"We had a couples getaway for the weekend. (6 couples). Beyond beautiful house! Fully equipped, all you need is a towel and food. Walking distance to the beach. Very safe and neat. I would recommend this house to anyone especially big groups. Definitely going again."

(visited January 2015)

"Fantastic getaway for peace and quiet, bonding and plenty outdoor activities. Beautiful beach inspired house, cosy, comfy and packed with convenience. Love, love, love, love it!"

(visited January 2015)

"Wow! What a pleasant surprise awaited us. We had decided to have a family get together and needed all the rooms that Pondokkie provided. The house was spotlessly clean on arrival and is kitted out with everything you could possibly need. We felt so secure that we didn't bother to lock the doors whether at night or away. Rooms light and airy with fans. Enjoyed the lovely views from balcony, walks along the beach and bird watching (the feathered variety). We will be back."

(visited January 2015)

"On arrival it was somewhat difficult to 'understand' the layout of the house and how we should best settle in, but wow how great it did turn out! Two (well equipped) kitchens and living areas, relatively big rooms and enough bathrooms gave ample space to every one of our family group of 12. Couple of minor things the owners will have to attend to but all in all a great getaway. Can definitely recommend for larger groups."

(visited December 2014)

"Pondokkie is amazing. The beauty is so overwhelming. To wake up to a spectacular view and the refreshing smell of the ocean is really a wonderful way to start each morning. Everything was perfect and I can't not wait to go back. You return home feeling like you left your heart behind."

(visited September 2014)

"Great experience and awesome time. I will always go back to Pondokkie house"

(visited June 2014)

"Awesome time at Pondokkie. Can't wait to go back."

(visited April 2014)

"Awesome weekend! I would like to say a big thank you to Lorraine & Garth. Thank you for having us and making our stay a splendid one. If we could we would have stayed longer. House is amazing both inside and outside."

(visited April 2014)

"Wow what a stunning view! We had a fabulous time. Walking on the pebble beach, exploring treasures washed up from the ocean, met the village pet (Winston) who is as friendly as they come. Fresh fish for dinner. We wanted nothing else."

(visited January 2014)

"My opinion is that you do not go to 13 Pandokkie. You cannot tell your clients that they need to call the "builder" to sort out the construction site that you advertised as " a wonderful getaway". Unprofessionalism at it's best."

(visited December 2013)

Getaway Reply

"Firstly you were refunded an amount for any inconvenience that the Builder may have caused you. Secondly the police where called because your crowd was disrupting the neighborhood so badly. We are still picking up bottles that were flung into the fynbos by your rowdy group. You may see me as being unprofessional but I see you as showing no respect for the neighbours or environment."

(Lorraine Van Zyl)

"A group of 9 of us visited 13 Pondokkie at the end of December 2013 after having booked in May already. The location is mesmerizing except for the fact that they should advertise that you need a 4x4 to get to the house because of the road being in such a bad condition. We arrived at the house and found it was under construction and some of the walls were boarded up with holes in it. The house itself was not cleaned properly with the two downstairs rooms being inhabitable because of construction and smell of mildew. No one was there to book us in and the lady we were corresponding with were in Centurion when we called her to complain. (there is no cellular reception thus we had to drive 5km's just to make that call again). She tacitly confirmed that she has not seen the place since construction started and wanted us to go and inform the builder that he must come and finish his work, which we did not do. She then agreed to pay back half our money before we leave the premises. She however only refunded us 1/4 of it and has a lot of stories now and says people visiting the place before us were very happy with it. If I could upload recent pictures of the place you would be surprised."

(visited December 2013)

Getaway Reply

"Firstly I cannot be held responsible for the condition of the road in the Agulhas National Park. Secondly in the 4 years that I have been renting out Pondokkie I have never had a situation like this before. The police had to be called out because of the disturbance your group was creating. Suiderstrand is a tranquil little village and people go there exactly for that, the tranquility. I had neighbours even 6 houses away complaining. One of the neighbours even threatened to book into a hotel on my account if the noise did not stop. That is how bad the disruption was. The place was left in a mess, food and dirty dishes left inside and bottles thrown into the bushes. After taking the cost that my cleaning service charged me (R1100) to clean the mess plus the cost of the calls that I had to make to deal with the situation and the inconvenience caused to all my neighbours and myself I felt a refund of R1000 was fair for any inconvenience that your group had suffered."

(Lorraine van Zyl)

"13 Pondokkie is a fun place. On the downside, the place is a bit higgledy piggledy inside and swimming, etc for little kids is distant. On the upside, the place has a ton of bird life and you share with a very sweet field mouse."

(visited December 2013)

"Wow, we had a great time with my 9 colleagues, we had a relaxed weekend and we definitely coming back."

(visited October 2012)

"Just spent a weekend away with my wife at 13 Pondokkie. Lovely gem of a place - everything you need to just get away as a couple - I would highly recommend this place. Sea view, built in braai, clean, interior modern but still very charming."

(visited April 2012)

"The stay at Pondokkie was wonderful. There was everything we needed, it was peaceful and the view from the deck was beautiful. Drinking coffee on the deck in the morning watching the birds was nature-inspiring. I would recommend this wonderful place to anyone who wants a real peaceful getaway."

(visited January 2012)

"We will definitely be returning to this facility."

(visited January 2012)

"We visited Pondokkie in December over New Year and had a wonderful time. We rented the cottage and the flat and it was ideally suited for our family. We felt so at home - it could have been our very own holiday house! We would like to suggest a staircase for the loft in the cottage instead of a ladder - espesially if you have small children. We had great weather, and enjoyed the outside braai area and shower - and LOVED the peace and quiet - it was exactly how I pictured it to be. A big thank you to Lorraine van Zyl."

(visited December 2011)

"My sister and I booked the place for 3 days in December and feel cheated. The 'cottage' that we were giving was not a 'cottage' but a the first floor of the house. With a family with 2 small children living above us. When renting this place you need to make sure that you get the house and NOT the cottage. The house has a view and all the wonderfull things promised, the 'cottage' is very hot and doesn't cool off even with all the doors open, has no views, and the balcony is right above the bedrooms which means if there is people staying in the house with children, you will hear when they are awake and walking on the balcony. In the 'cottage' there is only one bedroom and anoter one in the loft - which is way too hot to sleep in, and with a very unstable ladder. Since we were 2 single girls, my sister took the other bedroom (own access apart from 'cottage' access) which have a separate outside bathroom. There is one braai facility which you have to share with the other holiday goers that stays there. This was very uncomfortable the first night when we were having a braai and the other people also showed up. This meant that they did'nt use the braai for the rest of the time we were there since they had to walk past us / 'cottage' everytime they went to the fire. I think the thing that is the worst is that the price of staying in the cottage is the same as staying in the house. We had to pay for minimum 4 people, so R800 per night for 2 people was really not value for money and for R200 more we could've found a much better place to stay. The advertisement for the 'cottage' is false advertising, it should rather explain it as the first floor/level of the house. Cottage means that it is seperate from the main house. Maybe also put a Weber on the balcony so that they can braai there. I think the house will be perfect for a big group of people who accommodate the house as well as the 'cottage'."

(visited December 2011)

Getaway Reply

"Hello Rhona - I totally agree I would prefer to rent the flat and the cottage out to one large group of friends and family and this will now be the focus for the new high season. I am sorry about the misunderstanding. The advert does state that the cottage has a double room and bathroom plus a main bedroom and attic. There is also a fireplace and outside braai area. Then there is the flat which has it's own entrance and inside braai area. Therefore I am not sure why the other guests disturbed you at your braai area. My appologies for the intrusion. Unfortunately if you had wanted to book the entire place the rate would have been an extra R 800 per night as it can sleep up to 10 people. Once again my applologies."

(Lorraine van Zyl - owner)

"We are kinda late in posting on the site. After an amazing long weekend (3 days and 4 nights) at Pondokkie, the adjustment to reality was harsh and we are only now recovering. We were 10 friends, young professsionals who have started bi-annual weekends away. This was our 2nd trip away and we loved the place from the moment we got there. Upon arrival we were greeted by the gentlest bulldog: Winston, and he spent most of the weekend hanging with us. There was ample space for everybody to sleep and for us to be able to do separate things in smaller groups. We were not left wanting anything. The time we spent there was magical, the mornings were cool so you could sleep in, midday was sufficiently warm so the nearby beach was a welcome refresher. Afternoons were spent enjoying the view from the balcony and the evenings felt as if time and space stood still while we braai�d outside and enjoyed drinks sitting around the fire talking and laughing and just enjoying the freedom that comes with a mini holiday. I would recommend this place to anyone and we look forward to visiting again sometime!"

(visited March 2011)

"Ons het die Pondokkie baie geniet, dit was net reg vir ons gesin van sewe. Die twee ruim slaapkamers wat twee en vier slaap en die dakkamer met een bed was gerieflik. Die kombuis sit/eetkamer is basies,die badkamers oulik en alles was netjies versorg en skoon. Ons was bietjie onkant gevang dat ons vanaf die vuurtoring nog so 'n 5km langs die kus moes ry om daar te kom. Maar dit was heerlik om te kon stap see toe en na die 'pebbled musical beach'. Dit is 'n gerieflike wegspringplek om Cape Agulhas en Struisbaai te gaan besoek. Die dakterras het mooi uitsig maar dit vang baie wind. Die bulldog Winston het ons gere�ld kom besoek en dit het 'n huislike gevoel gegee. Dankie vir 'n lekker tyd!"

(visited September 2010)