The Manna is a stylish, contemporary maze of motel suites on the main street, spread over several buildings. The older (more affordable) units occupy a refurbished, exposed-brick motel complex set back from the street. Free wi-fi.

Behind Rockbare cellar door is this renovated former restaurant – brilliant value for groups. Sleeping six comfortably (and up to eight in total), the stone-walled apartment has two bathrooms and an industrial kitchen, and is all decked out in chic urbane colours with exposed timbers and abstract art. Partial-rental arrangements possible for couples.

This udderly delightful cheese cellar/cafe serves salads, tarts, pies, soups, cakes, generous cheese platters, funky fondue and the best coffee this side of Stirling. Free cheese tastings, too.

Swimming against Hahndorf's mainstream currents, this earthy, zero-waste cafe is adorned with bags of oranges, pots of spices, piles of pumpkins by the counter and bowls of chubby chillies. Food-wise it's good coffee, grass-green smoothies and lots of local, seasonal and organic ingredients (try the potted baked eggs with house-made beans).

Haus brings some urban hip to the Hills. Rustic-style pizzas are laden with local smallgoods, and the wine list is huge (lots of Hills drops). Also on offer are baguettes, pasta, burgers, salads and quiches. Good coffee, too.

A short detour off the road on the steep flanks of Mt Lofty, this 1880 stone cottage was originally a shepherd's hut. Today it's a basic, self-contained, two-bedroom cabin sleeping eight, with peek-a-boo views of Adelaide through the eucalyptuses. Minimum two-night stay.

Proprietorially poised above Mt Lofty Botanic Garden (awesome views), this 1850s stone baronial mansion has lavish heritage rooms and garden suites, plus an upmarket restaurant (also with killer views). The perfect honeymooner/dirty weekender. See also www.mtloftycottages.com.au for classy cottage accommodation on-site.

Rejecting Stirling's pompous tendencies, hirsute Hills types flock to this vibrant, hippie eatery. It's the busiest cafe in town − and rightly so; the food's delicious and everything's made with love. Gorge on bruschetta, plump savoury muffins, great coffee and wicked Portuguese custard tarts.

The owners spent so much money tarting up this gorgeous old dame, it's a wonder they can pay the staff. A runaway success, the free-flowing bistro (classy pub grub and pizzas) and romantic restaurant (upmarket regional cuisine) are always packed.

Upstairs are five elegant, contemporary suites (doubles from $280), three of which have open fireplaces (for winter) and breezy balconies (for summer). All have flat-screen TVs, quality linen and luxe bathrooms you'll actually want to spend time in.

A short walk from town, this grassy park by an artificial lake (any water this summer?) occupies the affordable end of McLaren Vale's accommodation scale. There's a camp kitchen, pool, spa, tennis court and trashy book exchange. Good winter rates. The Shiraz Trail runs right past.

In the final stages of construction when we visited, this new backpackers fills an old heath club on the main street, with winery workers' beds in the old squash courts and regular dorms and private rooms out the front. Plus there's a sauna, spa and plunge pool! Drop us a line and tell us about the finished product (we're optimistic).

Bushy, eccentric Red Poles is a great place to stay (and eat!). Aim for the rustic en suite room (bigger than its two counterparts). Order some gnocchi with goats curd (mains from $14, serving 9am to 4.30pm), and check out some local artwork while you wait. Live music Sunday afternoons, and tastings of McLaren Vale Beer Company (www.mvbeer.com) ales.

A tightly arranged crop of six fancy units on the main road (each sleeping six), with snappy contemporary furnishings, full kitchens, BBQs and architectural appeal. Walking distance to cafes, eateries and the pub.

The cute staff at this blessed cafe crank out great coffee, croissants, wraps, salads, tarts, burgers, cheese platters, murderous cakes and funky sausage rolls. The menu changes every couple of days, always with an emphasis on local produce. The aromas emanating from the cheese counter are deliciously stinky.

This old vine-covered inn has been here since 1851. Its latest incarnation features super Mod Oz offerings with an Asian twist: launch into the Berkshire pork buns or blue swimmer crab and prawn dumplings, with a bottle of something local which you can hand-select from the cellar. And there are 170 gins with which to construct your G&T!

If you're looking for a real treat, this graceful, two-storey 1850 mansion off the main street is for you: Baltic-pine floorboards, Italian cherrywood beds, open fires, Indigenous art and a swimming pool. Breakfast is a feast of organic muesli, fruit salad and poached pears, followed by cooked delights.

A regular on 'Australia's Top 100 Restaurants' lists and with a cabinet full of regional awards for both food and wine, Fino is fine indeed. It's a low-key conversion of a slate-floored stone cottage, with a small, simple menu of small, simple dishes, sourced locally as much as possible. The Coorong Angus rib with mustard leaves is a winner.

It may look like a ramshackle chicken coop, but Russell's is the place to be on weekends for sensational wood-fired pizza. No one minds the wait for a meal (which could be an hour) − it's all about the atmosphere. It's super popular, so book way ahead.

This grand old seafront guesthouse is the pick of the local crop. Immaculately maintained, great-value rooms open off long corridors. Most rooms face the beach, and some have a balcony (you'd pay through the nose for this in Sydney!). The cheapest rooms are view-free and share bathrooms. The cafe-bar downstairs is a winner. Free wi-fi (patchy in some rooms).

The friendliest caravan park in town (there are a few – none of them particularly contemporary in their approach), with tidy facilities, free barbecues and wi-fi and a rambling grassed area to pitch your tent on.

Nino's cafe has been here since 1974, but it manages to put a contemporary sheen on downtown VH. Hip young staff and a mod interior set the scene for gourmet pizzas, pasta, salads, risottos and meaty Italian mains. Good coffee, cakes and takeaways, too.

This salty sea cave at the Anchorage hotel has an old whaling boat for a bar and a Med/Mod Oz menu (baguettes, pizzas, souvlaki) peppered with plenty of seafood. There's great coffee, tapas and cakes, plus Euro beers and a breezy terrace on which to drink too many of them.

Built in 1910 (as the old Arcadia Hotel), this sandstone beauty has sweeping views across the Port Elliot coastline. If you can drag your eyes away from the scenery, you'll find polished floorboards, nice linen and contemporary colours splashed around: literally a million-dollar fit-out. Surf lessons are almost mandatory, and the Flying Fish Cafe – home of the southern Fleurieu's best fish and chips – is 200m away.

In an unbeatable position behind the Horseshoe Bay dunes (it can be a touch windy), this grassy, 5-hectare park has all the requisite facilities, including a shiny camp kitchen and all-weather barbecue area. Lush grass and healthy-looking trees. Prices plummet in winter.

It's doubtful that Prince Chuck has ever stayed here, but if he did he'd find surprisingly decent pub rooms with clean shared bathrooms, a TV lounge and a balcony over the main street. Downstairs there's Bon Jovi on the jukebox and counter meals fit for a king (mains $13 to $25, serving noon to 2pm and 6pm to 8pm).

The motto here is 'Coastal food hunted and gathered for you'. Grab an organic coffee, a dozen Kangaroo Island oysters, some local organic wine, or raid the fridge for gourmet cheeses, dips and olives. Zingy juices, too.

Sit down for a cafe breakfast and you'll be here all day − the views of Horseshoe Bay are sublime. Otherwise, grab some takeaway Coopers-battered flathead and chips and head for the sand. At night things get classy, with à la carte mains focusing on independent SA producers.

A lovely old 1860s cottage on a nondescript Goolwa backstreet (just ignore the petrol station across the road), surrounded by rambling roses and limestone walls. There are two bedrooms, sleeping four – good for families or a couple of couples looking for a low-key weekend by the sea. It's a short stroll to the main drag. Two night minimum.

Also available as a holiday rental (no breakfast).

This gorgeous 1858 stone hotel at the head of Goolwa's main street has been reborn as a sassy B&B, with a sequence of Japanese-inspired decks and glazed extensions, and an upmarket dining room. The five plush suites all have views, and the breakfast will make you want to wake up here again. Two-night minimum.

Occupying an old '60s motel with faux-brick cladding close to downtown Penneshaw, the island YHA has neat, spacious rooms, mostly with en suite bathrooms. There's a sunny communal kitchen, little lounge, laundry and handsome hammock.

A tidy, affable independent hostel a short wander from both the pub and the ferry dock. It's a simple set-up and there's no wi-fi, but hey, you're on holiday on an island – who needs interior design and social media? Dangle a line off the jetty instead.

The closest camping to the ferry, a short wander around the foreshore from the Penneshaw jetty. Not the most wild or interesting of settings, but certainly clean and convenient.

Off Cape Willoughby Rd, these two eight-bed cabins are on 22-hectares behind the dunes: rudimentary but perfectly comfortable, with roofless showers, self-composting toilets, and solar power and hot water. Or you can pitch a tent and use the quirky camp kitchen. Kayaks and fishing gear available (there's bream in the river).

A secluded, self-contained three-bedroom beach house, 13km west of Penneshaw on unpeopled Browns Beach. Simple but stylish decor, with broad sunset views and passing seals, dolphins and penguins to keep you company. Sleeps six.

Takeaway fish and chips like you ain't never had before − grilled, beer-battered or crumbed whiting and garfish − plus giant KI scallops, marron, lobster medallions, prawns and oysters. Dunk them in an array of excellent homemade sauces. Hours can vary – call in advance.

KI's pioneering winery has a superb cellar door, 12km east of Penneshaw. It's a fancy corrugated-iron shed, with astonishing views back to the mainland and serving superb pizzas (try the King George whiting version), oysters and buckets of prawns − perfect with a bottle of chardonnay on the deck.

Sun going down, waiting for the ferry, getting hungry and eaten all your supplies? Duck into Isola (Spanish for 'island') and snare a fab pizza for dinner. The Greek lamb version takes the cake.