I'm at Birkenhead for 3 nights in September - it better be good for those prices but the location looks extraordinarily spectacular and the bizarre decor (chandeliers meets beach shack) is promising. There should be whales in November.

We looked long and hard at Delaire Graff and as 5C Members of Relais and Chateaux we might have been treated well. However, it looks a bit too up-itself and design-led for our tastes and that Indochine restaurant isn't very appealing either. It's also way out of town. So we've opted for two nights at Lanzerac - perfect Cape Dutch architecture, beautiful setting, a third of the price of Delaire.