Highrocks Beach House

You are choosing a private beach house rather than a conventional hotel room here: a recently renovated five-bedroom property overlooking Widenham Bay, with direct access to the beach and space for a group to spread out. The house suits divers travelling together, families, or a couple who would rather have a whole place than a corridor of identical rooms.

The deck, sun terrace and garden keep the sea in view, while the living room gives you somewhere to sit when the weather turns or the legs have had enough for one day. There is an outdoor fireplace and a sunken fire pit set away from the wind. In other words, the evening can be as simple as a drink, a fire and the sound of the water doing its thing.

Highrocks Beach House sits directly on the beachfront at 1 St. Helier Road, in Widenham/Clansthal, Umkomaas, on South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. You have a private beach area and direct beach access, although the access is steep. That is useful to know before carrying anything down there; the reward is a more private stretch of shore.

Umkomaas itself is about 1.3 miles away by road, with Umkomaas Railway Station around 1.1 miles from the house. The nearest golf course is roughly 1.1 miles away, and Empisini Nature Reserve is about 1.8 miles away. For food and a drink away from the house, Sebastian's Seafood Grill & Pub is around 1.1 miles away, while the Hidden Reef Pub - Grill is about 1.2 miles away on foot.

Crocworld Ezembeni is around 3.4 miles away. Durban Botanic Gardens are about 30 miles away, and Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve about 25 miles away, making the house a useful base if you want to add some land time to a diving trip.

This is one substantial house, not a collection of small rooms competing for space. Five bedrooms and four bathrooms make it practical for a diving group, while three sea-facing rooms have king-size beds for anyone who has grown tired of negotiating bunk beds with a bad back. The large bunk room has two single beds, two three-quarter beds and mattresses for additional children travelling together.

Every room has air conditioning, and the house also has fans and heating, so you can adjust the night to suit the weather rather than surrendering to it. The sea views are joined by garden and pool views, depending on the room and angle. Four bathrooms mean fewer queues when several people return from the water at roughly the same time.

The fully fitted kitchen is equipped for proper self-catering rather than emergency toast: refrigerator, oven, microwave, toaster, dishwasher and dining table. A washing machine and tumble dryer are useful when swimsuits and clothes begin to form their own small ecosystem. Free WiFi runs throughout the property, and the living room has seating, a fireplace, desk, television and satellite channels.

The food arrangement is self-catering, with the house set up for you to cook, eat and retreat without having to organise a formal hotel dining schedule. The kitchen includes an oven, microwave, refrigerator, dishwasher and dining table, while tea and coffee-making facilities cover the first mug of the morning without ceremony.

There is also an outdoor dining area, patio, barbecue and picnic area. Grocery deliveries are available, which can save a trip into town when you have wet gear, hungry people and very little enthusiasm for shopping. The sea view may not chop the vegetables, but it does improve the working conditions.

When someone else needs to do the cooking, Sebastian's Seafood Grill & Pub is around 1.1 miles away. The Hidden Reef Pub - Grill is about 1.2 miles away on foot, with further bars and restaurants around Scottburgh.

The one-plunge pool is 6 feet deep and has a martini step, which is a more specific description than most hotel pools receive. Sun loungers, beach chairs, umbrellas, a sun terrace and the garden give you several places to stop moving without having to make a project of it.

There is a fitness room, along with fitness and yoga classes, plus table tennis and board games for less serious competition. Children have a playground, a separate pool and a water slide. For the adults, the outdoor fireplace and sunken fire pit are the obvious places to settle in once the day has cooled down.

Fishing, snorkelling, water sports and game drives are available, with walking and bicycle tours, live music, boat trips, island outings, waterfalls, markets and wildlife activities also part of the wider choice. Golf is available nearby, and bicycles can be rented at the house. The beach is right outside, so you can also choose the traditional post-dive activity: doing absolutely nothing.

Aliwal Shoal Adventures - Ocean Warriors, the hotel's own dive centre, affiliated with PADI. The advantage is wonderfully simple: the dive operation is at the house, so your day can move from breakfast to departure without arranging a transfer across town.

Aliwal Shoal lies within a 1.9-mile boat trip, keeping one of the area's named dive sites close to your front door rather than turning it into a separate expedition.

The on-site operation offers nitrox and night diving. That leaves the detailed planning, training and site choices to the centre's own page, where they belong.

King Shaka International Airport is about 49 miles away by road, with the house described as roughly a 39-minute drive south of Durban. An airport shuttle is available, and car hire can also be arranged. Free private parking is provided on site, so arriving with your own vehicle is straightforward.

Check-in starts at 14:00 and check-out is at 11:00. Private check-in and check-out are available. Children of any age are welcome, but cots and extra beds are not available, so the existing sleeping arrangements matter when you plan the group. Pets are not allowed and smoking is prohibited throughout.

Cash is not accepted; Visa and Mastercard are accepted. Daily housekeeping, laundry and ironing services are available, and the house has 24-hour security, a security alarm, key access and a safety deposit box. Free WiFi is available throughout the property.

The house uses solar panels and collects rainwater, with 25,000 litres of recovered rainwater available for use. It is a practical approach that fits the setting: less fuss, more sensible use of the resources falling on the roof.