Moonglow Guesthouse

Gillian O’Leary has been the owner at Moonglow for over ten years but she confesses she still gets goosebumps when she watches moon rising over False Bay from the deck. The view, which is visible from all rooms, both ground and lower-ground floor, really is spectacular with sweeping views over the bay bookended by naked mountainside on either side.

Inside, there’s lots of public space to make use of with a ground floor lounge-cum-library, complimented beautifully by a more formal lounge-cum-dining space below.  There’s even a small bar off the kitchen in case you’d like to watch a game.  The house plays host to Gillian’s collection of African art and craft, which extends from the paintings and the furniture to the hand spun mohair blankets and embroidered linen.  This delightful B&B is everything you’d expect from a very comfortable stay with friends – homely but private, upmarket but not formal.

There are only six rooms here, four which directly face the ocean and two with partial sea views from the bed.  Those that face the ocean have sectioned off balconies from the main deck for privacy. If you can, try to get either Room 6 or Room 2, as these are at the end of the house and have a double aspect. Do note that in an acknowledgement to water scarcity on the Peninsula, there are no baths, just showers, in all the rooms and there is no swimming pool or hot tubs on site.

Gillian stays on site in a flat on the ground floor with her two dogs Temba and Thandy and also Vinny the parrot.
Moonglow is situated in Glencairn, a little village just before the larger Simonstown and is one of the Cape Peninsula’s best kept secrets. The train to Simonstown and also into Cape Town runs on the hour (except Sundays) and is less than 400m from guesthouse. Glencairn beach is small and pretty and the favourite haunt of windsurfers in the summer who zip up and down across the perfect waves here. We’d also recommend hanging out at eat.surf.yoga here which does an amazing range of ethical food served with large helpings of good attitude and relaxed vibes. For a more lively atmosphere, Dixies is perennial favourite and has lovely sea views.

Sustainabilty: Moonglow has earned and maintained the coveted Fair Trade in Tourism certification – you can be assured that the cost of your stay means fair wages and working conditions for staff and exceptional attention to ethical procurement of supplies.
Children: welcome from any age but only two rooms can accommodate an extra bed for children. No special facilities for children.
Mobility: not suitable for wheelchairs. The house is situated on the mountain side so built on multiple levels and as such there are a lot of stairs inside. To access the house is 18 steps so if you can manage that, the staff will serve you breakfast in your room to avoid you having to go up and down to the breakfast area.