There’s a certain kind of enchantment that lingers in places that are shaped by wind, water, and time. Scarborough is one of those rare seaside villages. Where the mountains meet the sea, and the landscape transforms in accordance with nature’s agenda. Embracing a laidback community lifestyle, that moves to the rhythm of the tides.
Just above the curve of the coastline, tucked around the hips of the Baskloof Nature Reserve, Amongst The Trees invites you and the clan in to its spaces with an affectionate welcome. Like arriving at a dear friend’s beach house. Or a treasured holiday heirloom – and it’s your turn to retreat to Scarborough’s shoreline. An original kit home settled on stilts, this hideaway stretches lightly along the slopes of one of the Southern Peninsula’s most alluring hamlets.
Upstairs is all open-plan living – an airy, sunlit space flowing from kitchen to dining to deck to ocean to sky. All in one breath. Downstairs, two bedrooms – one queen and one bunk room – and a large communal bathroom, with a smaller study / spare sleeping room, all rest around the trunks of the trees. There’s an outdoor shower to rinse the salt and sand away.
A home in harmony with nature
The garden is wild and entirely indigenous. The canopy of the trees hold the home together. Sharing the magnificent views with the resident weavers. From the deck – where you’ll spend the majority of your time – your eyes follow the slope downward towards the ocean.
The air; salty and clean. According to the owners it’s like breathing in some of the cleanest air on the planet. The kind of place where the surrounding wilderness sets the pace of your holiday. Barefoot mostly, unless heading out onto the mountain trails. Easy meanders down to the beach, deciding where’s best to enjoy the surf. Which spot to put the blanket down and sip an early evening sundowner.
Days spent here are all about perfecting that gentle flow of coastal living. Wave catching, sun worshipping, beach and mountain walking. Casual community coffee chatting, hour-long board-gaming and table gathering. Plenty of slow lunches; snacking on hot bread, fresh cheese and delicious dips sourced from the local deli. Braai’s at night beneath the stars, listening to the waves below.
No fancy frills or fussy itineraries, it’s all about tapping into those family rituals that deepen the bonds and harness the holiday memories. Just as the owners of Amongst The Trees would prescribe to each guest. What drew them to this special place and its wonderful ways of existence. To be in nature, and held in the embrace of an eco-community that lives with intention. To spend time in a home that’s filled to the brim with the necessary comforts, evoking an earnest sense of familiarity, and letting its surroundings dish up the inspiration.
Written by Colleen Ogilvie