מזג האוויר בPlettenberg Bay בפברואר

Asked whether a February room needs air conditioning, Knysna regulars say the month is warm enough without being fierce, and our row settles it: 24.9C by day falling to 18.5C at night, which reads as 19C. Sporadic coastal rain cannot be discounted even now - 41.1mm across 7.8 precipitation days is a properly summer-wet figure for a Mediterranean-sounding coast, because the Garden Route gets some rain all year. This is also the busiest stretch, with South Africans taking their own holidays here, so book ahead; February to April is the end of high season and the point at which the crowds thin. The migratory birds are still in. The lagoon and the Heads are the boat trip. The record: humidity 77 percent, 11.6 hours of sun, a 19.4C sea and AQI 25.

Plettenberg Bay's forum describes July as about as wintry as the Garden Route gets - chillier and windier than the rest of the year - but posters were quick to add that South Africa's winter isn't a washout: some days hit a sunny 25C, others turn cold, windy and wet, and it genuinely doesn't rain for days on end. A few visitors even reported swimming and wearing short sleeves during a June/July stay when a warm spell lined up. Pack for both extremes rather than assuming either a beach day or a full winter coat is guaranteed.

Forum posters name Plettenberg Bay as one of the better bets on South Africa's eastern stretch for good weather with a lower rain chance in January, though they warn the first two weeks of the month get genuinely busy with South African families on school holiday. Beach options vary by character: Robberg Beach has strong undercurrents but makes a nice walk, Central Beach is calmer and family-friendly with a small lagoon to paddle in, and Lookout Beach offers a sheltered lagoon that changes with the tide. Beyond the beach, posters point to whale and dolphin-watching boat tours, cape fur seal colony visits, bungee jumping and the Robberg Peninsula nature reserve as the main draws for a January visit.