About us:

Tia Maria Cottages, "The Old Flame Lily Cottages", were, we believe, built in 1953 by Mr. Thornton as basic fisherman cottages.  In 1964 the cottages were bought by the Fynn family from the then Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, and remained in their family until the year 2000 when the Prinsloo family purchased two of the five cottages.  They were redecorated and altered and a further cottage was built.  Since taking over, we too have revamped and renovated the cottages, upgrading where necessary without sacrificing their homely charm.

Our cottages are situated a mere 150m from Flame Lily Beach, within easy walking distance.  They nestle in a lovely garden setting, with bird life in abundance.  Enjoy a braaivleis (barbecue) at your own private braai place situated just outside your cottage, and fall asleep to the music of the ocean.

Port Alfred is a very safe little town, and we have never had any problems at our premises.  Our town has lots to offer our visitors, including nearby malaria-free game reserves (with the big five) and heritage sites at historical Grahamstown and Bathurst, our close neighbours.  We have magnificent beaches; the East Beach offers hours of pleasant walking along unspoilt sand dunes with the Indian Ocean lapping at your feet.  The West Beach offers wonderful rock pools and excellent fishing sites as well as pretty sea shells to admire or collect.  We are proud to say that Kelly's Beach has now been awarded Blue Flag status. 

Our little town, with only one set of traffic lights, offers the shopper an interesting array of shopping, ranging from clothing to foodstuff and much more.  We have numerous excellent restaurants to choose from as well as supermarkets, liquor stores and fisheries for fresh fish and seafood straight from the sea!  What one cannot find in Port Alfred can be found in either Port Elizabeth or East London, both only 150km away, on either side of us.

 Come and enjoy a break at our cottages.  As our motto reads: "A Home Away From Home"!