Avian Leisure sits high on the mountainside above the Boulders penguin colony in Simon's Town, looking out over False Bay from within an indigenous Cape fynbos garden. It is owner-run by experienced birders, and the setting does much of the work: whales, fur seals, dolphins, penguins, sunbirds and sugarbirds can all be watched from the property, and porcupines come almost nightly to the garden pond.

There are two spacious self-catering apartments, each with a private entrance and off-road parking. Shearwater is the larger, at 138 square metres, sleeping four in two twin bedrooms with two bathrooms and unrestricted panoramic sea views; its living room and sea-facing master bedroom both open onto a large wooden deck with views in every direction. Watsonia is a 70 square metre one-bedroom suite with twin beds, a bathroom with a large shower and a generous living room with a well-equipped kitchenette. Watsonia has no patio or direct sea view, but guests have the run of the front garden and its views, and it makes an excellent, comfortable base.

Both are fully equipped for self-catering, with DStv, free wifi, percale linen, towels and toiletries provided, and weekly servicing. Shearwater adds a dishwasher, washing machine and safe, and a kettle braai can be arranged. There is also a scuba gear washdown and drying facility, which tells you something about the guests they are used to.

For birders the location is hard to better. The harbour is five minutes away for pelagic trips out to the trawling grounds off Cape Point, where albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters and skuas gather; Cape Point Nature Reserve is ten minutes; and Cape Sugarbird, Malachite and Orange-breasted Sunbird work the pincushions in the garden while African Penguins, Bank Cormorants, Cape Gannets and African Black Oystercatchers occupy the shore below. The owners are happy to help plan self-drive birding trips.

Simon's Town itself is a historic naval village with good restaurants and shops, sheltered warm-water beaches, and access to hiking, diving, kayaking, whale watching and golf, with Cape Point, Silvermine, Chapman's Peak, Kirstenbosch and the Constantia winelands all within easy reach and the city centre about fifty minutes away.