Garden Route · Holiday Homes

Self-Catering Holiday Homes on the Garden Route

Whole houses rented as one stay — the most evenly spread format on this coast, and the only one you will find in all eight of our towns.

172 holiday homes · Across 8 towns · Rated 9.3/10 on average · Sleeps 2–18
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Amenities
Guests
About holiday homes on the Garden Route

Holiday Homes on the Garden Route, Western Cape

A holiday home is an entire house rented as a single stay — private kitchen, lounge, garden or deck, almost always a braai, and no shared corridor. Of every format on this site it's the most evenly spread: 172 houses across all eight towns we cover. Knysna leads with 36 and Plettenberg Bay is right behind on 35, then Wilderness 27, Sedgefield 24, George 18, Mossel Bay 16 and Great Brak River 14, with Hartenbos on 3. Nothing else we list gives you a genuine choice in every single town, which makes this the format to start with if you already know the dates but not yet the destination.

The reason the whole house wins on this coast is geography. Nowhere on the Garden Route is walkable end to end — the beach, the lagoon, the forest trail and the restaurant strip are usually a short drive apart in different directions — so anything past two nights works better from one private base with a full kitchen, off-street parking and somewhere to hang wet swimming kit. It also happens to fit how people eat here: dinner is more often over the coals on the patio than out. And 105 of these houses sleep six or more, so for a family or two couples splitting the rate the per-head figure comfortably beats two apartments or a pair of hotel rooms.

Choosing the town is the real decision. Knysna and Plett give you the deepest choice and the busiest summer. Wilderness puts you on one of the longest uninterrupted beaches on the route, twenty minutes from George airport. Sedgefield is the slow one — Africa's only Cittaslow town, with the Wild Oats market on Saturdays. Mossel Bay, Hartenbos and Great Brak River are the value end, with Great Brak's sheltered estuary the safest water on this stretch for small children. George is the inland hub with the airport and the golf. Book December to February and the Easter fortnight months ahead everywhere; outside those windows a couple of weeks is usually enough.

Practical questions

Holiday Homes on the Garden Route — the questions worth answering

Which Garden Route town suits a family holiday home best?
It depends on the ages. For small children the sheltered estuaries at Great Brak River and the lagoon at Sedgefield are the calmest water. For teenagers who want surf and something to do, Plettenberg Bay and Mossel Bay. For a mixed group that wants both beach and forest inside a short drive, Knysna or Wilderness sit closest to the middle of everything.
How far apart are the eight towns?
Closer than most people expect. Mossel Bay at the western end to Plettenberg Bay at the eastern end is roughly 180 kilometres along the N2 — about two hours without stops. Every town in between is well under an hour from its neighbours, so one house makes a workable base for the whole route.
What comes with a Garden Route holiday home?
Expect a full kitchen, bedding and bath towels, WiFi, off-street parking and a braai as standard. Roughly a third of the houses on this page also list a pool. Groceries, your own toiletries and beach kit beyond towels are on you — that is what self-catering means. Each property page lists the specifics for that house.
By town

Holiday Homes town by town