The sustainable Glencairn beach guest house with Cape Town's best sea views
Moonglow Guest House above False Bay is known for its welcoming hosts and rooms that make travellers feel at home (home, with better views and smarter water measures)
- Sonya Schoeman
AT A GLANCE HOW THIS STAY REDUCES ITS IMPACT
Energy usage Drawn from solar panels and Eskom grid; LED lighting throughout; geysers not yet solar; electricity usage is monitored
Water usage Drawn from 11 000-litre rainwater storage tank and municipal source; guests briefed on conserving water
Waste management Waste recycled and sent to municipal site; food waste composted on site; plant-based water bottles used
Culture + community Staff from Masiphumelele; receive market-related salaries, annual increases and bonus
Biodiversity + ecosystems Community practice of low night lighting to protect nocturnal wildlife on the mountainside
Carbon footprint From Cape Town central return in a large petrol car = 0.01 tCO2
View of Glencairn tidal pool from above. The Southern Line runs straight past, conveniently stopping at the station there IMAGE Simon Barber
Glencairn beach B&B: Why the location matters
Moonglow Guest House is pressed up against the hill in Glencairn, which turns out to be an excellent place to be pressed up against.
The slope is steep enough that nothing interrupts the view, not a rooftop nor an ambitious neighbour’s second (or third) storey. Below is the full sweep of False Bay, close to Cape Town, and the Hottentots Holland Mountains holds the line on the other side.
The light here is worth planning around. Sunrises are sharp (later risers, pull the curtains tight). Sunsets are conversation stoppers. On a full moon night, there’s a road of light straight across the water to Moonglow’s balcony. The guest house sure lives up to its name.
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In the morning, Glencairn tidal pool, visible from the balcony, practically heaves with locals addicted to their cold swims (exaggerating only a bit). It’s a fairly quick stroll down along the steep roads.
There’s also good public transport: The Southern Line rolls into Cape Town from Glencairn station in a little over an hour along one of the more scenic rail routes in the country: coastline, mountain, and the full social geography of the city scrolling past the window. And the fare is cheap as chips (R24 return).
A set of stairs from the garages leads one down to the spacious entrance IMAGE Courtesy Moonglow Guest House
The people behind this sustainable Glencairn beach guest house
Gillian and Glynn O’Leary are not new to hospitality. Gillian has been running Moonglow, on the Cape Point route, for about 18 years. The O’Learys also manage !Xaus Lodge in the Kgalagadi, Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge in the Drakensberg, and Piggs Peak Hotel in Eswatini, but Moonglow is where they live, the upper storey theirs. This is the place where they raised their children.
That history of a home is easy to feel. The reviews say it consistently: It feels like home away from home. Moonglow has the kind of returning clientele that develops its own shorthand with a place. Like the woman who walked down the stairs and into the kitchen to find an iron and board, and seemed to know exactly where it was.
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There are also two sweet dogs and a parrot who inclined his head for scratches but seemed circumspect about receiving them.
Moonglow has numerous options to relax and read a book IMAGES Courtesy Moonglow Guest House
Rooms with sea views also take in Simon's Town
Six rooms, some a little more spacious than others, all en-suite, good linen, mohair blankets, the usual mod-cons. All rooms but two have sea views and access to the balcony that stretches the length of the house. Rooms one and six have limited sea views and no balcony access.
Aim for the ones with the balcony, because that gives access to one of the loveliest views I’ve enjoyed: gorgeous Glencairn beach to the left, Simon’s Town to the right, the lit up train (if you wake up at dawn) snaking from one to the other, and the bay beyond.
Sea view bedrooms have doors that access the balcony (each sectioned for privacy) IMAGE Courtesy Moonglow Guest House
Moonglow is certified for sustainability
Cape Town has a complicated relationship with water. Most accommodation properties responded to Day Zero with a laminated notice about towels. Gillian responded differently. “Sustainability is something I’m passionate about,” she says. “We save water in a big way. Guests are made aware of this and often take away some of our practices to do at home.”
To be honest, this is the first accommodation I’ve seen evidence of guests being asked to consider their water use in a meaningful way.
Guests are asked to catch the cold water that runs until the shower warms up in a bucket, and to warm their water for the basin from kettle-boiled water. Rain water is saved in an 11 000-litre rainwater tank.
The solar installation is substantial and monitored via the SunSynk app. Gillian’s goal for the year is to convert the geysers to solar and add battery capacity, which is a substantial financial investment.
This small owner-run sustainable Glencairn beach house has been certified by Fair Trade Tourism. Ultimately, says Gillian, sustainability is also about contributing positively to the bottom line.
DETAILS
Stay There are six rooms, all en-suite. Rooms two to five have balconies and full sea views; rooms one and six have limited views and no deck access. There is no wheelchair access. From R1 900 per night for two (two-night minimum), R1 430 single fare. There’s a 15% special running until 30 September 2026.
Need to know This is a B&B service, so no dinner. A few options: Dixies restaurant is a short walk away via steep residential streets, and if you have a car, there are good options in Kalk Bay and Simon’s Town (Kalk Bay would be my choice).
Activities Kalk Bay is 11km away; good for browsing, eating, aimless wandering. Muizenberg further along offers reliable surf, decent restaurants, and shabby charm that developers are dispatching as quick as they can (including the very charming colourful changing huts on the beach). Simon’s Town is worth the detour. It has naval history, Boulders Beach penguins, and the wonderful Long Beach (with the best coffee and toastie kiosk) enough to justify a slow afternoon.
Website www.moonglow.co.za
MOONGLOW'S APPROACH TO LOW-IMPACT OPERATIONS
ENERGY Moonglow is certified by Fair Trade Tourism. It runs on a hybrid system with solar panels and drawing from the Eskom grid. The geysers are not yet solar; converting them is the owner’s identified next step. Energy usage is monitored via the SunSynk app. LED lighting is installed throughout the property.
WATER The property draws from municipal supply, supplemented by an 11 000-litre rainwater tank. Guests are briefed about water-saving practices at check-in and reminded via bathroom notices. Gillian notes that some guests take these habits home.
WASTE All waste is separated and recycled through the municipal system. Food waste goes to an on-site compost bin. Moonglow uses plant-based plastic water bottles.
CULTURE + COMMUNITY Staff are from neighbouring Masiphumelele, and are paid market-related salaries with inflation-linked increases and receive an annual bonus. The team has been in place for over 14 years. Training is hands-on and owner-led. Staff who leave for better opportunities elsewhere are actively celebrated.
BIODIVERSITY + ECOSYSTEMS There is no formal conservation designation as Moonglow is in a residential area. The surrounding community maintains low night lighting to avoid disturbing nocturnal animals on the adjacent mountainside, a collective practice worth noting.