Mr & Mrs Smith

Port Elliot Beach House

Fleurieu Peninsula, Australia

The approach road to Port Elliot Beach House winds towards the coast from the main road a few hundred metres inland. The town’s backstreets are lined with unpretentious summery shacks – nothing to suggest that an architectural treasure awaits just over the rise. It’s tempting to park at Boomer Beach and plunge straight into the surf, but continue along to the property, once a beachfront school camp owned by the Anglican Church. Atop wildflower-dappled dunes, the house – designed in 2008 by David Burton from Williams Burton architects, with interiors by Sophia Leopardi – takes maximum advantage of an uninterrupted ocean outlook. A dazzlingly sharp collusion of polished concrete, Tasmanian Oak, glass and stainless steel, with swoon-worthy views and every comfort considered, it's the ultimate in contemporary coastal cool.

Need to know

• Rates information Low season: AU$700 a villa a night (for five nights or more); AU$800 a night (for two to four nights).
• Ideal for Couples, three couples travelling together or families.
• Sleeps up to 8.
• Property style With a huge window-wall fronting the ocean, this contemporary contender takes full advantage of its beachfront location. Inside you’ll find beautifully crafted joinery and cabinetry, a sleek kitchen, luxe bathrooms, and modern-classic furniture.
• Grounds Staying here is about being inside and looking out, but there are lush front and rear lawns if you feel like lying on grass instead of sand. In winter, sitting on the sheltered outdoor deck with a glass of wine is as outdoors as you need to be.
• Minimum hire Low season: two nights. High season: one week (December, January, Easter and school holidays).
• Children Families with flotillas of kids can easily be accommodated at Port Elliot Beach House − there are enough bunk-beds for everyone.
• Booking process Upon booking, a confirmation agreement listing terms, conditions and cancellation policy will be sent out. Bookings will be confirmed on receipt of full payment and signed acceptance of rules and conditions. The person who makes the booking must be the same one changing or cancelling the booking and co-ordinating payment. Cash, company cheques and some credit cards are accepted. Rates are subject to change without notice. Credit card merchant fee applies. The villa sleeps a maximum of eight guests in four bedrooms (one king-size, two queen-size and one room with single bunks).
• Also An additional AU$50 linen charge applies for each bedroom used. Non-smoking throughout; no pets allowed.

Floor plan

• Bedrooms The ensuite master bedroom is downstairs, with three other guest rooms upstairs, sleeping up to eight. A consistent palette of plush deep-charcoal carpets, white linen and warm-grey walls is applied throughout. Bedroom 1: Illuminated by LED sidelights, an elegant Tasmanian Oak staircase descends enticingly from the upstairs living area to the master bedroom. Here, a king-size bed backs onto a wall, behind which hides a walk-in robe and ensuite bathroom with heated floor, shower, vanity and WC. Lying on the vast expanse of linen, a low, narrow slot window divides your view equally between sky and sea. Above, discreet uplighting casts a romantic sheen across the ceiling. Bedrooms 2 and 3: The first bedroom on your right as you enter from the front door features a queen-size bed and full-height wardrobe for hanging your swimsuit collection. A floor-to-ceiling corner window snares front-garden views. Bedroom 3 backs onto this room, and is a mirror image – this time the view angles seawards, offering a tantalising sliver of ocean. Bedroom 4: Time to put the kids to bed – their room is to the left as you enter from the front door. Tuck them in to one of six sturdy white-timber bunk beds, or just shut the door and let them roll around on the Missoni beanbags.
• Kitchen The kitchen occupies one corner of the large open-plan living/dining room, with a long stainless-steel benchtop behind a gorgeous grey Italian travertine island bench, patterned like beach sand after a storm. A suite of stainless-steel Miele appliances – oven, gas cooktop, rangehood and dishwasher – meld seamlessly into the economical layout.
• Living room The house’s living and dining areas are separated by a staircase descending to the master bedroom. In the living zone, a low-slung, L-shaped couch is the perfect spot to sit and flick channels on the widescreen TV or watch clouds shift over the sea. Behind the couch is access to the outdoor deck – protected from the sea breeze, you can sit in the sun and work through your trashy beach novel.
• Dining room The kitchen fronts onto the dining area, the central focus of which is a rectangular 12-seat table constructed from easy-on-the-eye blonde Tasmanian Oak. A jaunty Hermon & Hermon light – like a wicker sea-chest washed up on the beach – casts a soft glow over dining proceedings. There’s also a desk off to one side if you really must check your emails.
• Gardens The gardens here are a work in progress – the front and rear patches of lawn are lush and doing well, while expect planter beds studded with carefully chosen dry-climate natives to burgeon over coming seasons. Outdoor areas include inviting decking, chairs for lounging and a barbecue.
• Private parking Lock-up garage parking for two cars and off-street driveway parking for two more.
• Other The colonnade of mature palm trees lining Boomer Drive will mature into an impressive avenue over time.