Days at Sea

Top dollar art-of-living and top name artworks at this unique Indian Ocean hideaway

Guido Schoeldgen's jazzy photographic works of art may be familiar to you if you've spent time in Ibiza, Hamburg or Cape Town. For this creative adventure he headed for the beach to craft 5 amazing suites for couples, amidst the lush subtropical vegetation of Natal's stunning Hibiscus Coast.

Days at Sea (a fittingly quirky name), is an art hotel in the truest sense, and doubles as a showcase for contemporary sculptures, projected photographs and paintings by the likes of Christo, Eva Ohlow and Christopher Lorenz, as well as a good deal of Guido's own work. The building's boxy architectural lines and angular furnishings are in a clean cut, Noughties vein and are perfectly pepped up by Gordon Rattey's funky stick tables, Philippe Starck chairs and Bombo stools; the eyecatching lacquered free-standing bar is a work of art in its own right.

The hotel centres around a slickly crafted open-plan restaurant, overlooking the rolling breakers of the Indian Ocean, where you dine on gourmet cuisine to the strains of Pavarotti whilst watching monkeys swing amongst the palms and dolphins cut through the waves. The mood is cool, contemporary and artfully seductive. Coastal couples' hideaways don't come much better than this.

Highs

• The oceanside position is picture-perfect
• Fab food (served on your private terrace if you prefer) with a wine cellar to match
• Masses of chill-out space for just 4 suites and a separate hideaway for 2-4, so you can choose to be as sociable as you like
• Young, proactive staff who go that extra mile to make your stay really special
• The Hibiscus Coast, named after the lush subtropical gardens between Port Edward and Port Shepstone, boasts long, sandy beaches and pleasantly warm seas (compared to Cape Town and the Garden Route)

Lows

• You won't necessarily meet Guido or his wife Annette; they are often in Cape Town or away on their travels
• You'll need to keep your bedroom door pulled shut at night to keep out unwanted monkeys
• Not for families - no children under 14 are allowed