A five-bedroom family house across the road from the beach
Idleside sits opposite Peter Road Beach in St Francis Bay. It sleeps ten adults and four children, with a pool, a deck facing the sea, backup power and fibre.
- Sleeps
- 10 adults + 4 kids
- Bedrooms
- 5, all with a bathroom
- Guests rate it
- 4.92 out of 5
- Outside
- Pool, braai, lawn
- Power
- Backup supply
- Internet
- Fibre Wi-Fi
Room for everyone, and a sea view from the couch
The living area runs the width of the house under white-beamed ceilings, with the ocean in every front window. There is a wood-burning fireplace for winter evenings and a dining table with enough space for all guests.
The kitchen is set up for cooking properly: a SMEG oven with a gas hob, an airfryer, a microwave, and enough cookware and serving dishes for a full house. A second lounge with a bar counter and TV looks out to sea, and the children get their own TV lounge so the adults can keep theirs.
The house has backup power for load-shedding and outages, and fibre internet that copes with streaming and video calls.
Pool, braai and a deck for whale watching
There is also a lawn for the children to run on, and secure parking off the road.
Five bedrooms, each with its own bathroom
Three rooms for couples and two family suites that each sleep two adults and two children, so grandparents, parents and children all get proper space. The four extra beds in the family suites are children's beds, so the house takes up to ten adults.
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Main suite
King bed, en-suite bathroom with bath and shower, a sitting area, and a private balcony with a sea view.
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Garden king room
King bed and en-suite shower room, with views onto the lawn.
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Garden room, king or twin
Made up as a king or as two singles. Garden views, with its own bathroom just across the passage.
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Sea-view family suite
A king bed for the parents and extra beds for two children under the eaves, with an en-suite bathroom and a balcony facing the ocean.
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Courtyard family suite
A double bed for the parents and bunk beds for two children, with an en-suite bathroom and courtyard views.
Look around
What's in the house
Kitchen and dining
- SMEG oven with gas hob
- Airfryer and microwave
- Cookware and serving dishes for a full house
- Dining table for fourteen
- Tea and coffee
Living
- Wood-burning fireplace
- TV lounge with bar counter
- Separate children's TV lounge
- Streaming services
- Heaters
Outside
- Fenced swimming pool and loungers
- Built-in braai and courtyard table
- Sea-view deck
- Lawn
- Secure parking
Practical
- Backup power
- Fibre Wi-Fi
- Washing machine
- All ages welcome
- Pets by arrangement
Peter Crescent, St Francis Bay
Cross the road and you are on the sand at Peter Road Beach. The village shops and restaurants are a ten-minute walk away, and the rest of the St Francis coast is within a short walk or drive: long beach walks, the canals and the Kromme River, the harbour at Port St Francis, the golf courses, and the lighthouse at Cape St Francis.
The nearest airport is in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), a little over an hour away along the N2.
Things to do in St Francis Bay
Golf, surf, the river and the canals are all within a few minutes of the house.
Golf
Two 18-hole courses are five minutes from the house. St Francis Links is a Jack Nicklaus Signature course, opened in 2007 and ranked among the top five courses in South Africa. The St Francis Bay Golf Club, the original village course, is a par 71 in the heart of the village: shorter, relaxed and very good value. Book tee times well ahead in the December season.
Surfing
St Francis is part of surfing history. Bruce's Beauties, the wave made famous by the 1960s film The Endless Summer, breaks off the point when the swell is right and is for experienced surfers. Huletts is a mellower reef break for beginners and intermediates, and Grannies is the closest break to the house. Seal Point at Cape St Francis is 15 minutes away and Supertubes at Jeffreys Bay about 30. Lessons and board hire are available locally.
Fishing
Fish the tidal Kromme River with light tackle or a fly rod, or book a deep-sea charter out of Port St Francis for yellowtail, kob and geelbek, with tuna further out in season. There are tackle shops in the village. You need a recreational fishing permit, which you can buy online.
On the river and canals
The canals and the Kromme River are sheltered, flat water, ideal for stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking and canoeing, and the river is navigable for about 14 km upstream. The river mouth is a well-known kitesurfing and windsurfing spot in the summer wind, and there is water-skiing on the river. If you bring your own boat, launch at the canal harbour; you need a permit for the river. For something slower, take a sunset cruise through the canals, looking out for fish eagles and kingfishers.
Beaches and walks
The beach across the road is safe for swimming, and in season there are lifeguards on Main Beach and George Road Beach. From the house you can walk along the beach or the cliff paths to the Kromme River mouth, to the village, and on to Grannies and Bruce's. Further afield, the Two Harbours Walk follows the coast from Port St Francis, and the Cape St Francis nature reserves have easy trails through fynbos and along the rocks. Mountain bikers have the Wildside trails at Cape St Francis, and there is a free parkrun at St Francis Links every Saturday at 08:00.
Padel, gym and sport
The River Club, beside the Kromme River and seven minutes away, has three padel courts, tennis courts, a gym and studio, a 25 m eight-lane outdoor pool used for lap swimming and water polo, and an infrared sauna and ice bath, with a health bar on site. Visitors can use the gym, pool and sauna for a fee, and padel courts can be booked online. The village also has tennis, squash and bowls clubs.
Whales, dolphins and the lighthouse
Dolphins pass the house all year and are often seen from the deck. Southern right and humpback whales come through the bay from about June to November, and licensed whale and dolphin boat trips leave from Port St Francis. At Cape St Francis, 15 minutes away, the Seal Point Lighthouse, built in 1878, is the tallest masonry lighthouse in South Africa.
The village and the harbour
The village is a ten-minute walk from the house: a large supermarket with a bottle store, a pharmacy, boutiques, coffee shops and restaurants. A craft and food market is held on the village green on the last Saturday of each month. Port St Francis is a working harbour and home to the chokka (calamari) fleet, where you can watch the boats come in and eat calamari landed a few metres away.
Day trips
Jeffreys Bay, for surf shops and factory outlets, is about 30 minutes away. Tsitsikamma, with the Storms River mouth suspension bridge, the Bloukrans bungee and the Garden Route forests, is about an hour to the west. Addo Elephant National Park, with the Big Five, is about two hours to the east, and the Baviaanskloof wilderness and the Gamtoos Valley citrus farms lie inland.
Rated 4.92 out of 5 by 60 Airbnb guests
We have hosted families at Idleside for more than eleven years. The things guests mention most are the beach, the location, the hosting, and how well the house works for a big family.
- Location
- 5.0
- Check-in
- 5.0
- Accuracy
- 5.0
- Communication
- 4.9
- Value
- 4.9
- Cleanliness
- 4.8
Check dates and request your stay
Pick your arrival and departure dates. We reply within a day, and nothing is payable until we confirm.
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- Booked
- Your stay
Booking request sent
We've emailed you a copy. We'll reply within a day to confirm and send payment details.
Rates and house rules
Rate
From R6 000 a night for the whole house, self-catering, for up to 10 adults and 4 children. The calendar above shows the exact price for your dates. Prices include VAT.
A 50% deposit confirms your booking, with the balance due 30 days before you arrive. A refundable breakage deposit of R1 000 is also payable.
Arriving and leaving
Check-in is between 14:00 and 19:00. Check-out is by 10:00.
House rules
No parties. No smoking indoors. All ages are welcome, and pets can come by arrangement, so tell us about them when you book.
If you need to cancel
| More than 2 weeks before arrival | Everything you have paid is refunded |
|---|---|
| 1 to 2 weeks before arrival | 50% of what you have paid is refunded |
| Less than 1 week before arrival | No refund |
The breakage deposit is always refunded in full. See the full booking terms.
Questions guests ask
How close is the beach?
Directly across the road. Peter Road Beach is opposite the house.
What happens during load-shedding or a power cut?
The house has backup power, so a scheduled cut or an outage doesn't leave you in the dark.
Is the pool safe for small children?
The pool is in its own fenced courtyard. As at any house with a pool, children still need an adult with them.
Can we bring more than ten adults?
No. The house sleeps ten adults in its five double and king rooms. The four extra beds, in the two family suites, are children's beds.
What is there for children to do?
The beach is across the road and is good for children with an adult watching. At the house there is the fenced pool, a lawn, board games and the children's own TV lounge. In the village there is a family restaurant with a play area, and the canals are calm water for paddling.
Can we bring our dog?
Pets are welcome by arrangement. Mention them in your booking request and we'll confirm.
Why book here rather than on a booking platform?
You deal with us directly, there are no platform service fees added to your total, and you get answers from the people who know the house.
How do I pay?
Once we confirm your dates we email you the amount due and how to pay. You can pay by EFT using the bank details in that email and, where the email includes a secure payment link, online by card or Instant EFT.