Owning groves of olive trees is a popular dream for many. Making your own olive oil is another. But who gets to do that? Living life close to nature as an artisan, producing oil using methods that are as old as time itself is simply out of reach for most people. But when the opportunity arises to own a thriving olive farm in a pastoral and historic district, you have to grab it. This opportunity...
In search of sanctuary and wilderness? This beautiful little fishing village in the West Coast National Park is the place for you, and a picture-postcard piece of it has just become available for purchase. In Churchhaven, where plots are rarer than hen’s teeth, you now have a unique opportunity to build your dream beach cottage on the edge of the lagoon. Completely off the grid, Churchhaven offers an...
Imagine yourself at a crossroads of sophisticated culture, and style with virtual borders; a dash of hot and exotic North Africa, a smidgeon of Italy, a sense of Paris or Provence – and at every turn, your curiosity piqued about the origin of the artwork, the collectables and furniture. Maison du Sud is an embracing home in many respects – literally and figuratively,...
If you know where to look, you can find a little piece of Tuscany just an hour’s drive from Cape Town. Set on a cool plateau, encircled by iconic mountains, is the Elgin Valley and South Hill. The landscape may be reminiscent of Italy, but the weather here is always temperate and enables the crafting of unique boutique wines. Developed with passion over the past 21 years, this cool climate wine farm...
Rare dugongs ply the waters with even more rare humpback dolphins, while flying manta rays and gentle whale sharks glide in between – all seen easily while snorkelling or from your boat. The ocean here is ever warm and easily 50 shades of blue through the day, and the weather is balmy year round. Your bed is just 20 metres from the Indian Ocean, while on land abundant antelope and wildlife live...
There’s no secret to the allure of the cosmopolis of the Atlantic Seaboard, particularly within the charming coalescent communities of Green Point and Sea Point. Like the markings on a map of some intrepid traveller’s memoir, the suburbs reveal their heritage alongside its burgeoning culture with distinction. Cafés here, churches there. Bookstores here, boutiques there. Tailors, talismans, butchers,...
On the folded foothills of the Langeberg mountains lies a farm of many facets. Just 15km from Barrydale along the renowned R62 route, Lemoenshoek is just magnificent, cradled by mountains and under the wide skies of the Klein Karoo. Here you breathe clean, unpolluted air and savour still evenings layered with light. It’s a coveted lifestyle in a healthy climate, befitting lovers of privacy and authentic...
When it comes to coastal living in the metropolis, the Atlantic Seaboard’s suburb of Sea Point is a smorgasbord of residential and commercial architectural diversity - so much so, if it weren’t for the stamp of the mountain as a backdrop, you’d likely be settled in any Provençal village, overlooking the ocean, listening to the seagulls squawking as church bells echo the town square where clusters...
Sunshine streams onto the front of the house every morning at sunrise and bathes you in crisp light, as you sip your first cup of coffee on the front stoep. The salty turquoise waters of Langebaan lagoon are just 20 metres away and black oyster catchers are picking their way through the shallows – sometimes there are long-legged flamingos here too. This rare piece of paradise, in the picturesque West...
Always loved the Kogelberg? Now’s your chance to invest in the 104 hectare Hangklip Farm bordering Kogelberg Nature Reserve. Covered in the Cape’s unique fynbos and bordering the Palmiet River, this unspoilt coastal property spans mountains and valleys with dramatic views of the lagoon and sea below its stone mountain cottage. Set high on a rocky outcrop, the farm’s cliffside hideaway has...
If you stand under the 160-year old oak tree in the courtyard, its ancient branches cast a vast umbrella of green over the whole of Café Felix. Not just the renowned and beautiful restaurant, but the enchanting guest house and wedding venue too. Foodies and lovers of French and Italian-inspired country cuisine know exactly where to find Café Felix in Kerkstraat, Riebeek Kasteel. Those seeking to exhale...
It borders onto the beautiful Kogelberg Biosphere Nature Reserve – considered the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom and UNESCO World Heritage Site – with the perennial Palmiet River running through it. Here thrive over 1 650 plant species, 77 of which occur nowhere else on earth. Birdlife is beautiful, wildlife is gentle: Cape clawless otters frolic along the river, nimble grysbok live happily with...
This West Coast farmhouse, dating back to 1852, has been transformed into a space of welcoming grandeur and country-inspired luxury. Covaloup’s otherworldly eclectic style finds its inspiration from owner extraordinaire Laurent Bayard’s travels abroad, inviting you on an ethereal and rejuvenating journey to foreign lands and spaces. Couvaloup, translating to the English, ‘Wolf’s Den,’ was...
If you have a pioneering spirit, a sense of adventure and a passion for wide open spaces, there is a special piece of Africa you could call your own in Mozambique. What makes The Sanctuary on the San Sebastian peninsula truly unique is its visionary ethos: sustainable conservation in conjunction with community development funded through authentic, low-density eco-tourism. It’s a win-win-win...
Beside the seaside! We all know you must be bright to be an architect, right? But those familiar with the topography of Llandudno will know that only a total clever clogs could pull off this stylish masterpiece. Given that most rooms are triple aspect, floor to ceiling glass, it is astounding how, once inside, one feels totally hidden away from anything other than the ever-changing ocean, visible from...
Along the Thamalakane River, 12 kilometres from Maun is a sanctuary under tall camel thorn trees. It’s an authentic earth home that’s perfectly in sync with nature, off the grid and off the radar. The closest human neighbour is 2km away, but elephants may trim the trees and hippos do snort lazily in the river right at the edge of the property. Otto House is set in evocative old Africa surroundings,...
It started with a love affair with Greece and a passion for unusual, soulful places. Groot Paternoster is such a place, and Artemon Cottage was built to remember cosy Greek island cottages. Built of stone and thatch on the dunes, with views down the long beach to Paternoster five kilometres away, Artemon Cottage is a timeless and evocative beach bolthole. Start the day enjoying coffee and rusks in the...
Let’s be clear - Mozambique is not for sissies. English is not much spoken here, many roads are a tad bumpety-bump and you’ll find the Scarlet Pimpernel long before you locate a decent latte. However, if you’re a little wild at heart, can manage um pouco Portugues and, most importantly, hanker after gob-smackingly beautiful, unbridled nature with a side order of seclusion then Mozambique is probably...
Well-proportioned and sensitively designed, Lazuli Bush Lodge is set in Kuleni Game Park, an indigenous Sand forest on a tract of land set within easy reach of the Indian Ocean coastline, the heritage site of Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park, Hluhluwe and Phinda Private Game Reserve, known for its abundant wildlife, including not only the Big Five but many rarer and less easily spotted species, such as the...
