Spacious Family Living

Set within the secure, indigenous surrounds of Cove Rock Nature Estate, this generously proportioned family home puts you a stone's throw from the tennis court, swimming pools and mashie golf course — the kind of address where the kids can walk to the courts and pools.

The scale of the home speaks for itself. A vast open-plan living area carries the lounge and dining spaces through to the kitchen, finished in easy-care tiles with ceiling fans and air-conditioning throughout, and anchored by a slow-combustion fireplace set into a face-brick hearth for those cool coastal evenings. French doors open the room up to the garden and let the light pour in.

The kitchen is the true heart of the house — a country-style entertainer's dream with a solid butcher-block island, extensive timber cabinetry, mosaic-tile splash-backs, a gas hob under a stainless steel extractor, and a double-bowl sink set beneath the windows. A separate scullery and pantry area keeps the mess out of sight when you're hosting.

The main suite is equally impressive. A large, light-filled bedroom with air-conditioning, ceiling fan and stacking doors onto the veranda leads through to a walk-in dressing room that is a proper room in its own right, fully fitted with hanging rails, banks of drawers, shoe shelving and floor-to-ceiling storage, before opening into the private en-suite bathroom. The family bathroom is similarly generous, with a bath, separate glassed shower, toilet and basin.

Outdoors, the home comes into its own. A covered braai deck with built-in brick braai and clear roll-down blinds makes entertaining a year-round affair, while a wraparound veranda looks out over palms and coastal bush, with a second sunny stoep off the garden. The established garden is level and beautifully kept — mature frangipani, cycads, lavender and bougainvillea, linked by brick-paved pathways.

Practicalities are well covered too: a double automated garage plus generous shade-netted parking for additional vehicles, a boat or a trailer, and a JoJo tank installed under cover for water security. Add the private access to the beach, the estate's tennis, pools, mashie golf course, walking trails and 24-hour security, and you have a lifestyle that's hard to match this close to East London.