| Cape Town doesn't just have beaches; it has a veritable portfolio of sandy gems to suit every mood and moment.
From the intensity of the high-fashion city beaches to the wind-swept solitude of the more remote peninsula stretches, you're sure to find one that works for you.
Just bear in mind one thing: we're at the tip of an enormous continent, where two mighty oceans collide and are subject to the vagaries of huge weather systems – it can get a little windy out there, so ask the locals for day-to-day advice.
An African sun melting into the purple, darkening horizon, warm sand between your toes and the gentle, candle-lit laughter of happy people celebrating ... it sounds too good to be true but it happens on some of Cape Town's best – and centrally located - beaches.
Head for the city beaches of Camps Bay and Clifton for an intimate sunset experience and then shrug on a T-shirt for the local cocktail bars – the rest is up to you.
For the more photographically-minded try the ridiculously stupendous views from the northern beaches – Blouberg Beach is the best – and watch the full expanse of Table Mountain glow with the dying sun.
Not everyone wants to sit sizzling in the sun; beaches are ever-changing environments waiting to be explored.
Stranded jellyfish, foraging seabirds, shells and shipwrecks – these are the kinds of treasures to be found on the massive, sweeping expanses of Muizenberg and Noordhoek.
These juggernauts can get pretty windy; the cosy little cove of Hout Bay is more sheltered and popular with energetic families and dog walkers.
Forget sand-filled sandwiches on deserted wind-swept beaches and head for the smaller, cosier beaches of the peninsula with your family.
Try the snug cove of St James on the warmer Indian Ocean side with its own tidal pool or the Atlantic's Hout Bay – shallow water and calm conditions.
Similar conditions exist at the western end of Muizenberg where – if there is no wind - the sandcastle-strewn beach is a riot of happy families and junior surfers.
Okay, admit it. You want to lie on the beach and check out the talent. Fair enough, who wouldn't in one of the world's most beautiful cities, populated by equally attractive people?
Pack your designer sunglasses, pull in your stomach and head for the über-beaches of Clifton 4th or Camps Bay and let it all unfold in front of you. Gape at the opulent villas perched above you and see if you can spot anyone famous amid the acres of roasting bodies.
If you have transport, then the tongue-twisting beach of Llandudno is the locals' favourite.
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