Mr & Mrs Smith

Plett is blessed with plenty of interesting eateries. Try Fushi on Main Road (+27 (0)44 533 6497) for excellent sushi and Asian Fusion at tables set around a fish tank, or the intimate Nguni Restaurant at 6 Crescent Street (+27 (0)44 533 6710) in front of the White House Theatre, where Eurafrican dishes such as herb-crusted tuna carpaccio with tomato kachumba and smoked kudu with strawberries and mozzarella.

Just outside town, Emily Moon River Lodge (+27 (0)44 533 2982) overlooking the wetlands is great for sundowners, but also has a relaxed, buzzing restaurant, with fabulous food and amazing views.

Less a café and more an ultra-laid-back lunch spot, Cornuti al Mare (+27 (0)44 533 1277) on Perestrello Street is a local institution near Robberg Beach: go for a plate of pasta, pizza, salad or steak, and soak up the fantastic sea views.

You can potter around Plettenberg window-shopping, but there are much more interesting things to see out to sea – if you’re lucky, you can spot whales and dolphins from the beaches around Plett, including Robberg and Hobie – the best time to see them is from July until the end of the year. No whales? Never mind – gawp at the amazing beach houses instead: this is the Millionaire's Row of the Garden Route…

Beach bunnies should head for Nature’s Valley, to the east of Plettenberg Bay, where there are beautiful sandy beaches, usually deserted.  Nature’s Valley is also the site of the world’s highest bungee jump, if that’s your bag. Robberg Beach is also very long, but you’re less likely to find a quiet spot in high season.

Head to Kurland in the Crags to watch polo with a glass or two of champagne – a wonderful way to while away an afternoon. If there's no polo on, pop in for a sublime afternoon tea anyway… Like your nature a mite less tame than a perfectly manicured polo pitch? Check out Tsitsikamma National Park, a huge indigenous forest cross-crossed with deep gorges and waterfalls.

The polo season runs from December to April; the most important events are around Christmas and Easter, and the Kurland International Polo Test is the season’s see-and-be-seen calender highlight.