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Cape Villa is managed by Sandy, the Owner.
To check availability and to get the best possible price, contact Sandy here:
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Your gift when booking with us:
Free welcome drink
and complimentary breakfast
— Sandy: “And nighttime is amazing, there is no sound whatsoever. The sky is full of stars. Forget the Sistine Chapel, this sky is magnificent!”
Interview By: Welcome Beyond
— What was your inspiration to build this stunning minimalist villa?
Sandy: “I used to work in the financial markets and in 2005 I decided to get out of the rat race early and retire. I needed somewhere really quiet where I could literally get out of civilization, and I found this place. Because it was so wild — there was no power, no water, no infrastructure – it took me three years to create this retreat.
When we retired, we just thought we didn’t want to travel for a while, so rather than us traveling, we said why not bring people to us. I invited a couple of these Wall Street brokers to stay with us, they asked to come visit again and again — suddenly I had lots of friends.
So, it started as a hobby, but the objective was always to interact with nice, quality people and share our cultures.”
When we retired, we just thought we didn’t want to travel for a while, so rather than us traveling, we said why not bring people to us. I invited a couple of these Wall Street brokers to stay with us, they asked to come visit again and again — suddenly I had lots of friends.
So, it started as a hobby, but the objective was always to interact with nice, quality people and share our cultures.”
— View of the villa
— To you personally, what is so unique about the villa?
Sandy: “We’ve got the mountains behind us and the sea in front, giving us gorgeous views and killer sunsets. It’s nature in its purity. That’s what makes the villa so special. It hasn’t been spoiled by civilization yet.
Even our top private game farms in South Africa have been commercialized and too much civilization has been brought into them. We tried to keep the architecture non-invasive and let nature speak where the four hectares of lawn end.”
Even our top private game farms in South Africa have been commercialized and too much civilization has been brought into them. We tried to keep the architecture non-invasive and let nature speak where the four hectares of lawn end.”
— Kitchen
— You already mentioned the architecture. Please tell me a bit more about what you wanted to achieve.
Sandy: “Architecture is a hobby of mine, I just love defining spaces. I have done other buildings before in different styles. For this villa I moved to crisp minimalism — glass, steel, stone, only natural materials with very fine finishes.
For the building, we have created a U-shape, part of which has been moved away from the building. So you have an L-shape that consists of the main bedroom, living areas and an entertainment area, kitchen, lounge, and dining area.
The extra L that comes down the side has a 30 meter hole through it. The mountain in front of us creates a basin right around you, and if you look carefully, you'll see the shape of a sleeping dragon lying on the eastern section. His head is up in the mountains and his tail is at the bottom. You cannot interfere with the dragon’s view, that’s why we made this hole through the building. It’s been arranged in a Feng Shui manner. You don’t want to disturb the dragon!”
For the building, we have created a U-shape, part of which has been moved away from the building. So you have an L-shape that consists of the main bedroom, living areas and an entertainment area, kitchen, lounge, and dining area.
The extra L that comes down the side has a 30 meter hole through it. The mountain in front of us creates a basin right around you, and if you look carefully, you'll see the shape of a sleeping dragon lying on the eastern section. His head is up in the mountains and his tail is at the bottom. You cannot interfere with the dragon’s view, that’s why we made this hole through the building. It’s been arranged in a Feng Shui manner. You don’t want to disturb the dragon!”
—
— And the grounds around the building are following the same concept?
Sandy: “Yes, next to the main house we have a rose garden in the shape of a maze. There’s a gazebo overgrown with roses, bringing in the concept of Zen with perfumed flowers and herbs. It’s a special place to have breakfast. Then you can move to a place around the pool and enjoy that patio area with a view of the mountain.
Up into the eastern slope, I created about a hectare of natural sloping lawn which I formed with trees to create a formal park and right in front of us is the mountain that splits into what’s called a kloof — a passage into the mountain, like a big gorge. It’s the source of a river where ancient ferns grow wild. There is an indigenous type of rainforest with about 4,000 trees that are 400 years or older.”
Up into the eastern slope, I created about a hectare of natural sloping lawn which I formed with trees to create a formal park and right in front of us is the mountain that splits into what’s called a kloof — a passage into the mountain, like a big gorge. It’s the source of a river where ancient ferns grow wild. There is an indigenous type of rainforest with about 4,000 trees that are 400 years or older.”
— Villa and pool area
— Please tell us a bit about the facilities and services.
Sandy: “We’ve got two en suite bedrooms with really comfortable beds and pure Egyptian cotton duvets. Our bedroom is the third room, but if someone comes who’s very special and asks for it, providing that they take it for a minimum of three nights, we might rent it as well.
My wife is from Afrikaans origin and she loves to cook and spoil our guests. So we cook them a delicious dinner, offer them great South African wine or malt whiskey — whatever they want, we'll put it together for them. We have a premium malt collection and award-winning wines from the Cape Winemakers Guild that are not available to the general public.
Safety is also a concern for some of our guests. We alarmed the house and put electronic beams that run around the property to keep everybody safe.”
My wife is from Afrikaans origin and she loves to cook and spoil our guests. So we cook them a delicious dinner, offer them great South African wine or malt whiskey — whatever they want, we'll put it together for them. We have a premium malt collection and award-winning wines from the Cape Winemakers Guild that are not available to the general public.
Safety is also a concern for some of our guests. We alarmed the house and put electronic beams that run around the property to keep everybody safe.”
— Bathroom
— What would you describe to be your philosophy?
Sandy: “We try to aim for the quality type of client to have a more meaningful, intellectual and friendly interaction with our guests. Our objective here isn’t to make money, because with this investment, I could never have a return on it. The villa rental pays a few of the bills just to make it sensible, but the real objective is to find nice people who spend their vacation with us for a couple of nights, to have some wine together and exchange pleasantries. We like the personal interaction.”
—
Sandy's favourites:
Cape Villa
Transportation
Eat & Drink
Activities
SightsInterview By: Welcome Beyond
— So, staying at your villa is all about enjoying nature and relaxing?
Sandy: “In this rushed world, you come here to get away, relax and be close to nature. Guests often spend time reading a book or just lying around the pool enjoying the mountain air. If they are more active, they can train martial arts with me or go on a four-hour walk through the forest up to around 800 meters high on the mountain in front of us. It is a wonderful walk.
At sundown, we pull out a bottle of wine, whiskey or champagne and we sit and watch the sunset. Then we gather around the fireplace, whether outside or inside, and serve dinner. And nighttime is amazing, there is no sound whatsoever. The sky is full of stars. Forget the Sistine Chapel, this sky is magnificent!
I don’t think that even if you were one of those anal retentive people that you could be bored for five minutes on that farm. It’s not possible.”
At sundown, we pull out a bottle of wine, whiskey or champagne and we sit and watch the sunset. Then we gather around the fireplace, whether outside or inside, and serve dinner. And nighttime is amazing, there is no sound whatsoever. The sky is full of stars. Forget the Sistine Chapel, this sky is magnificent!
I don’t think that even if you were one of those anal retentive people that you could be bored for five minutes on that farm. It’s not possible.”
— Pool area
— The scenery with the mountain just in front of the villa looks spectacular!
Sandy: “The mountain face is 1,496 meters high and there isn’t a moment that you look at that mountain where you would say you’ve seen it before. It’s dynamically changing. In the morning, the mist rises up out of the mountain and floats away as the day carries on. The clouds come up and the moon rises and sets.
One of my friends is a top photographer for National Geographic. He came out and took some shots of my place and told me that if he stayed here for a year, he still wouldn’t be able to capture that mountain.”
One of my friends is a top photographer for National Geographic. He came out and took some shots of my place and told me that if he stayed here for a year, he still wouldn’t be able to capture that mountain.”
—
— Please tell us a bit about this part of South Africa. Is there something you just have to do and experience in the area during your vacation?
Sandy: “That’s the beauty of the place. The area here is called the ‘Overbird’, which means over the mountain, and within a 200 kilometer radius you have Cape Town to the west, the majestic Cederberg mountains to the north and of course the South African Bush with its many glorious game drives. To the east the famous Garden Route continues along the South African coastline and the South holds jewels like the relatively undiscovered and untouched splendour of De Hoop Nature Reserve, where you can stand alone on the deserted beaches and almost reach out and touch the whales during season.
I know South Africa like the back of my hand. I know every single quality island, good diving spot, great private game farm, all the good hotels and where the great restaurants are. So, if somebody wants to spend their vacation in South Africa for whatever reason, we can match a person’s need and tailor make a tour for them.”
I know South Africa like the back of my hand. I know every single quality island, good diving spot, great private game farm, all the good hotels and where the great restaurants are. So, if somebody wants to spend their vacation in South Africa for whatever reason, we can match a person’s need and tailor make a tour for them.”
—
— What would the ideal trip look like and do you have some suggestions along the way?
Sandy: “You definitely want to go to Cape Town, go up Table Mountain, see Robin Island and eat at the waterfront. Then you leave Cape Town and go to the Cape Winelands and eat at ‘Le Quartier Francais’ in the French Huguenot Valley of Franschhoek. It was rated one of the top restaurants in the world and for under $100 you can have an amazing three-course meal with wine.
From there you go to Hermanus on the coast to see the whales. Again, there are many fine restaurants and fantastic wine farms. There is a place called Hemel–en–Aarde Valley, which means heaven and earth valley, it’s got one of the best wineries in South Africa and beyond called Bouchard Finalyson.
And then you need a break. So you come to our farm. Three days of relaxing, enjoying the mountain air and most importantly sleeping. If you are awake at nine or ten o’clock on my farm, then you are a hypochondriac.”
From there you go to Hermanus on the coast to see the whales. Again, there are many fine restaurants and fantastic wine farms. There is a place called Hemel–en–Aarde Valley, which means heaven and earth valley, it’s got one of the best wineries in South Africa and beyond called Bouchard Finalyson.
And then you need a break. So you come to our farm. Three days of relaxing, enjoying the mountain air and most importantly sleeping. If you are awake at nine or ten o’clock on my farm, then you are a hypochondriac.”
— Open lounge and pool area
— Do you enjoy your new lifestyle?
Sandy: “One thing one must understand with life is there is always a challenge. There’s no such thing as a perfect life. The fallacy of the creation story is that we weren’t kicked out of the garden of Eden, we were kicked into Eden. That was our punishment.
I come from a very, very poor background, so I decided when I had enough money, I wanted to enjoy it. I used to be fanatical about my career, a workaholic, and I’d worry about what I’d do when I stopped working. I’m more busy now than when I was working, doing things I never did before — martial arts, which is very challenging, and things like pilates, yoga, skin diving, surfing, and enjoying my grandchildren.
The positive things are there, but there are negative ones as well. It’s very difficult to look after a property like the farm. It ties you down a bit. But we made the conscious decision to do it, and funny enough, if you’re not hungry, you can’t really enjoy a great meal, so sometimes you must go hungry.”
I come from a very, very poor background, so I decided when I had enough money, I wanted to enjoy it. I used to be fanatical about my career, a workaholic, and I’d worry about what I’d do when I stopped working. I’m more busy now than when I was working, doing things I never did before — martial arts, which is very challenging, and things like pilates, yoga, skin diving, surfing, and enjoying my grandchildren.
The positive things are there, but there are negative ones as well. It’s very difficult to look after a property like the farm. It ties you down a bit. But we made the conscious decision to do it, and funny enough, if you’re not hungry, you can’t really enjoy a great meal, so sometimes you must go hungry.”
— Lounge
— Thank you, Sandy!
Prices are an indication only. The final quote will be the same low price as booking your vacation directly.
There are no fees to book. Please check directly with the owner for special arrangements or information not listed here.
Service
Catering optional
Accommodation type
B&B / Guesthouse
Location
Remote
Special requirements
Children welcome
Please enquire about pets
Restricted wheelchair access
No smoking, please
Transport
Car recommended
Private parking
No public transport
Prices are an indication only. The final quote will be the same low price as booking your vacation directly.
There are no fees to book. Please check directly with the owner for special arrangements or information not listed here.
Bedrooms
0 Single bedroom
1 Double bedroom
0 Twin bedroom
0 Room w. multiple beds
Additional:
0 Sofabed
0 Extra bed (on request)
0 Air mattress (on req.)
1 Baby cot/crib (on req.)
Bath/shower rooms
1 Bathroom (ensuite)
0 Bathroom (shared)
1 Shower room (ensuite)
0 Shower room (shared)
1 Toilet (ensuite)
Additional:
0 Toilet (shared)
Other rooms
1 Kitchen
0 Kitchenette
1 Cooking area
1 Living room
1 Dining room
2 Other rooms
Prices for 2 sharingperson
Lowest price
Highest price
Price per person per night
R 2500
R 2500
Size: 68 square meters. 2 units available.
Minimum stay 2 nights and VAT 14% .The property is a crisp minimalism expressed as unpretentious luxury. Across the courtyard are two luxurious guest suites that function as exceptional boutique style accommodation for a maximum of 6 guests. The guest bathrooms are like "glass boxes" making bathing and showering an almost outdoors experience. The mountain view and setting is breathtaking....the images cannot do the majestic scale justice...we deliver an experience beyond expectation.
Enjoy the house with its state-of-the-art facilities and astounding views. Savour some of the carefully selected, award winning wines, including those from the Cape Winemakers Guild and other premier vintages, not available to the general public.
Maximum 3 couples. Rate excludes taxes, lunch, dry cleaning and gratuities. Rate includes breakfast. Dinner by prior arrangement R300pp.
Your free gift
Free welcome drink and complimentary breakfast when booking through Welcome Beyond.
Best rates
You pay the same rate as booking with the property directly. There are no booking fees or extra costs to you. That’s guaranteed!
Direct owner contact
Use the ‘Contact’ button on the left to get information about availability and rates from the owner directly — and also receive the link to the property website with further details.
Our helpline
If you need help, call us on +49 163 737 2509 (Mo-Fr, 10am-10pm CET)
Outside these times leave us a message and we’ll call right back.
Outside these times leave us a message and we’ll call right back.
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