Made up of seven individual bays with names ranging from Kwaaibaai (angry bay) to Toothrock, Jacobs Bay is one of the West Coast’s hidden gems, often referred to by locals as ‘Namaqualand by the sea’.

The town only really developed in the 1980s when early investors bought two kilometres of choice seafront of the farm Jacobsbaai, with the aim of turning it into a quaint West Coast village. The investors’ dream was to preserve the charm and architecture of the region – whitewashed buildings and thatched roofs – through strict building requirements.

The politics of the day – both nationally and locally – made the dream of Jacobs Bay hard to realise, but with perseverance the pioneers succeeded, and in 1992 more than 150 stands were approved and put up for sale. A document outlining seven building requirements, each with its own level of importance (some are voluntary but nonetheless strongly encouraged), was drawn up.

The walls of houses built in Jacobs Bay must be white; the roofs preferably thatched, if not, painted grey or black. Chimneys built in the age-old West Coast style are encouraged, as is a staircase on the outside of the house leading to the attic. For the perimeter, homeowners are asked to refrain from fences and stick to the historical low Cape ringmure (ring walls) painted, as the walls of the house, white. The requirements have left most of Jacobs Bay’s character intact, making it a favoured destination for home buyers from the city in the Western Cape.