Beach stays tend to get claimed by summer. But autumn might be when they make more sense
Image via Tash Mohring
Cooler air. Softer light. Winter rainbows over the water. Red wine instead of rosé. A fireplace at night. A rooftop drink with a jacket on. Long lunches that stretch. Slower mornings.
This is the version of the coast people often overlook and exactly why we’d build a weekend around it.
At Aldinga Beach, Horizons makes a strong case for doing exactly that.
Video captured by The Stay Edit
The Stay
Right on the Esplanade, Horizons is a four-bedroom home that sleeps eight.
Bedrooms sit downstairs, with an additional bedroom upstairs, while the main living opens to the water – kitchen, dining and lounge all connected and easy to spend time in.
There’s a fireplace for colder nights, a bathtub, and a rooftop that quickly becomes a go-to for a drink at sunset.
And what makes Horizons work particularly well in the cooler months is that it offers something even when the weather turns – including the simple pleasure of watching changing skies move across the ocean from inside.
Walk to coffee. A wine bar sits just downstairs. And the beach is right out front.
⸻
Morning
Coffee & the Coast
Start local.
Breeze Café is right there. Goodness Coffee Co. is worth the short drive.
Then walk.
Aldinga to Port Willunga is one of the best stretches of coastline in South Australia – and arguably even better this time of year when it’s quieter.
Images via South Australian Tourism Commission / Adam Bruzzone / Declan Hartley-Brown
Afternoon
Ten to fifteen minutes inland and you’re in wine country.
Don’t overbook it.
Pick one long lunch, one cellar door, and leave room for the drive back along the coast.
Down the Rabbit Hole for lunch. Samuel’s Gorge for the view.
Hugh Hamilton if you want something a little different.
On the way back, Aldinga township is an easy stop.
Evening
Out or Stay In
Star of Greece or Little Rickshaw if you want to go out.
Otherwise, stay in.
Cook. Open something from the day. Fire on.
Balcony if you feel like it.
That’s enough.
Image via South Australian Tourism Commission/ Fleurieu Peninsula Tourism
This isn’t a summer beach escape repackaged for winter. It’s a different kind of coastal stay entirely – and arguably a better one.
Worth Knowing
Tasting Australia | 8 – 17 May
Events run across the Fleurieu, including McLaren Vale.
Worth timing a stay around.
Image via South Australian Tourism Commission
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