During my previous weekend visits to Cape Town I was always in a mad rush trying to fit in all the tourist dining and shopping experiences such as the V&A Waterfront boating and dining and shopping at Canal Walk and Access Park.

What a great relief to be forced to slow down my pace this time when I was recently a resident of Sunset Beach Luxury Apartments in Sunset Beach in Milnerton.

The self-catering accommodation opened my eyes to a different and more quality holiday in the Mother City. The fully furnished apartments are just a 25-minute drive from the airport and it takes the same time to drive to the CBD if one is still hankering after the famous Long Street party nightlife most Gauteng tourists tend to mandatorily include in their itinerary.

Owned by business couple Poppy and Joseph Zinyana, the property started out as a design and renovation project Poppy (pictured) embarked on a few years ago. At the end of 2015, her family was looking for property to include in their portfolio and she was captivated by the facility when she first viewed it but did not initially buy it.

"Something about the property kept on coming back to me, and after months I realised that we could utilise the space for accommodation for our engineering business."

The Zinyanas also own New Age Engineering Solutions and their offices are based in Cape Town.

With most of their workers moving between Gauteng and Mpumalanga near their engineering projects, they spent a lot of money accommodating their workers when they travel between the bases.

"By 2016 after buying the property we now had a [Cape Town] base for all our employees," she explained.

Poppy set out to redecorate the rooms and soon got the idea to open it to tourists.

The 23-bed apartments can house a maximum of 32 people in studios, two- and three- bedroom apartments.

Prices, which vary during peak and off-peak seasons, range from a minimum R850 for a single stay in the studio to a maximum R3300 in a 3-bedroom apartment that can cater for 6 people.

Poppy went for natural tones with palettes of soft greens, yellows and oranges, giving each differently themed suite some character.

The Sun Suite talks to the ambience of the quiet Sunset Beach area which Poppy said made the place so special "because the sun literally sets here on the beach". The Ocean Suit is resplendent in various hues of blues.

Launched officially last November, the apartments entice you to a more relaxed visit in the Cape. Dolphin Beach on Bloubergstrand is nearby and they recommend for you to try out the many seaside restaurants to appreciate this side of Cape Town.

Moyos restaurant by the beach is one of the attractions and I was quite surprised by its newly revamped menu since I had been to the franchise a few years ago. Beyond the regular spicy tagines they used to be famous for, their salad, light meals and African deluxe sandwiches offer a lot of variety.

Light meals are most popular for lazy summer days with wraps, fresh fish and chips, lamb bunny chow, maize crumbed shrimps, wings and lentil curry wraps a favourite with patrons.

When it is hot, a waiter tells us that people queue to be seated on the side of the restaurant where one can place their feet in water on the shallow pool under the tables.

I could just image sipping a cold cocktail with my feet dipped into the pool under my table. A perfect setting for any exotic beach holiday.

Nkosi was hosted by Sunset Beach