Neighbourhood CT - 26 May 2019

Neighbourhood 26 MAY 2019

PROPERTY & LIFESTYLE

The big chill Who says winter has to be cold and miserable? We give you hot holiday spots to explore when the temperature drops, page 4

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DEEP SOUTH

yourneighbourhood.co.za

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AGAINST THE BONE

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HOLIDAY FOCUS: WINTER ESCAPES

Connecting homeowners with great communities

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NEWS & LIFESTYLE

26 MAY 2019

Editor’s exclusive CARLA REDELINGHUYS

Neighbourhood

In your hood:

Agulhas & Arniston

Agulhas Country Lodge | 028 435 7651 | agulhascountrylodge.com Arniston Spa Hotel | 028 445 9000 | arnistonhotel.com

Welcome to the South The scenic seaside villages of Agulhas and Arniston are the perfect spots for some R&R IMAGES: SUPPLIED

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he tender look on Phil Fenwick’s face when he talks about his wife, Sue, will warm even the biggest cynic’s heart. Phil, then an air-force helicopter pilot, met Sue in 1984, he asked for her hand three days after meeting, and they married five months later. To keep herself busy while Phil was away on army business, she bought a piece of land she had never seen in a place she had never been to and set about building Agulhas’s first hotel. It officially opened in 1996.

Today, the four-star Agulhas Country Lodge still stands like a beacon in the small coastal town.

And the comfortable, homey interior perfectly reflects the warm hospitality of the hosts.

This truly feels like a home away from home, with Phil, the gentle dad, regaling everyone with quirky anecdotes. Sue, the mom, making sure everyone is happy, and Chelsea, the daughter, cooking up the most delicious home-cooked food for guests. Add to all of this quaint, well-appointed rooms and spectacular views of the bay, and you have a winning recipe.

Just over 40km from Agulhas is the picturesque seaside village of Arniston – named after the HMS Arniston that ran ashore in 1815. The town is also known as Waenhuiskrans, referring to the cave deep in the rocky overhang a few metres out from the shore, and Kassiesbaai, thought to be reference to the box-shaped cottages in the fishing village adjoining the harbour.

From the lodge it’s a five-minute drive to the iconic Cape Agulhas Lighthouse, and from there a 10-minute walk to the monument that marks the spot where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet and indicates that you are now on the southernmost point of Africa. The coastline is rugged and unspoilt, the strandveld vegetation spectacular in its simplicity.

PUBLISHED BY TIMES MEDIA PROPERTY PUBLISHING 1st Floor, Block H, Sable Square cnr Bosmansdam and Ratanga roads Milnerton, Cape Town

One of the first things you notice as you walk along the pebbled path is a shipwreck. This coastline is littered with them – 140 to be exact. Of course, most are not visible from the shore.

And not all are accompanied by tales of gale-force winds and treacherous sea conditions that cast man, woman and child asunder. Like the Meisho Maru No.38. The untold story, according to Phil, is that the ship was intentionally run aground (in 1982) for insurance purposes. (All 17 crew members survived.) Not the most romantic of stories, but the sight of the lone prow of this Japanese fishing vessel among the crashing waves still makes for a spectacular sight.

Commanding arguably the most enviable position on the coast is the Arniston Spa Hotel, offering luxury four-star accommodation with either sea-facing or pool-facing rooms. There are few things as relaxing as sitting on the balcony, glass of complementary sherry in hand, watching the sun set over the ocean. The only thing that could rival that is one of the soul-soothing treatments at the on-site Ginkgo Spa.

Or falling asleep in the queen-sized bed after a warm bath with the sound of the sea in the background.

Start your day with a delicious breakfast – the buffet is the stuff of legends – then make your way through town to the Waenhuiskrans.

It’s quite a scramble down the rocks (wear comfortable, sturdy shoes), but once there, you won’t even think about the fact that you have to go back up again. It really is a spectacular sight. Afterwards, enjoy lunch on the hotel terrace, walk it off as you stroll through the fishing village, then head for dinner in the hotel restaurant. You’re spoilt for choice, but if you can’t make up your mind, the oxtail is gorgeous. Wash it down with a glass of Strandveld Vineyards Syrah 2016 – life-changing.

SEE FOR YOURSELF Both establishments are part of Cape Country Routes (CCR), a group of owner-operated and managed accommodation and activity establishments in the Western and Eastern Cape, that also includes the De Hoop Collection (see our pick of top winter destinations on page 4). Agulhas Country Lodge offers a really good winter deal too: 30% off on any room on a bed-and-breakfast basis until end August 2019. So no excuse not to go!

For more info, visit: capecountryroutes.com

EDITORIAL TEAM:

ADVERTISING SALES:

Group Editor: Carla Redelinghuys carla@yourneighbourhood.co.za Senior Sub-Editor: Marana Brand Designers: Anja Bramley & Samantha Durand Visit yourneighbourhood.co.za

Call us for advertising opportunities on 087 828 0423 Production (Editorial & Property Advertising): Lucea Goosen capetown@yourneighbourhood.co.za Online coordinator: Chantelle Balsdon chantelle@augmentcreative.com

Neighbourhood

In your hood:

Woodstock

Bones Kitchen and Bar | 021 286 6208 | boneskitchenandbar.co.za

From good stock Casual vibe and excellent bistro food at Bones Kitchen and Bar in Woodstock WORDS & IMAGES: KIT HEATHCOCK

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o find somewhere to eat in Woodstock isn’t hard. To find a comfortable restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner at affordable prices, and with unlimited secure parking, is something of a miracle. Bones Kitchen and Bar is that gem. On the ground floor of The Palms Lifestyle Centre it’s easily accessible and is already drawing regulars from all over town.

Comfortably unpretentious and welcoming, Bones is all about unfussy good food. Behind it is veteran restauranteur Rudi Minnaar, who, after selling Beluga, the last in a line of successful restaurants in 2007, found retirement less than enthralling. He saw a gap in Woodstock for a restaurant that was pitched just below the chef-driven restaurants but above the corporate chains. “I thought, if I’m going to do this again I want to have as much fun as possible. In that fun aspect comes casualness with high standards, food that’s accessible, honest, simple, but has the same integrity of the raw product.”

He recruited two innovative and experienced young chefs, Brendon November and Bella McLeod, and put together an eclectic bistro-style menu that has something for just about everybody. Although they include steaks on the menu, it’s not only about meat.

The name, Bones, was inspired by the philosophy of cooking from scratch.

“For me the germ of all cooking sits in stock, you can’t cook without a decent stock. And good stock starts with bones,” explains Rudi.

We shared a gorgeous starter of gnocchi al gorgonzola – proper potato gnocchi, pan-fried and tossed in a luscious gorgonzola sauce topped with crunchy shreds of baked parmesan. Glorious comfort food without being cloying. The cioppino is one to go back for – a mellow tomato-based fish stew full of perfectly cooked chunks of fish, calamari, prawns and mussels, on the side a bowl of mildly spiced aioli and generous slices of chartoasted sour-dough to mop up the sauce.

Kingklip with baby potatoes and peas was our other main dish, no frills, just good fresh fish simply cooked.

Then who could resist the lure of a chocolate torte? It came as a decadent deep slice of practically pure dark chocolate tart, lightened by berry sorbet and hazelnut crumble.

With an outside terrace, cosy bar and corner couches, Bones is quickly becoming everyone’s local at this end of Woodstock.

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PROPERTY NEWS

26 MAY 2019

Neighbourhood

Holiday focus

Winter wonderland These holiday destinations are perfect for the colder months WORDS: KIT HEATHCOCK IMAGES: SUPPLIED, DAVID ROSS, LAR PHOTOGRAPHY, PERFECT HIDEAWAYS & SHUTTERSTOCK

DE HOOP NATURE RESERVE

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e’re lucky in South Africa to have so many beautiful destinations that work just as well in winter as in summer.

All it takes is the right attitude, a few extra layers of clothing and a log fire – plus hot chocolate and marshmallows – and you’re all set.

Having said that here are a few top picks for memorable winter holidays.

KZN

THE BLUE DOOR

KwaZulu-Natal scores double points in winter – a tropical climate with warm enough weather for relaxed beach time, and inland Big Five safari experiences right off the beaten track. “I love escaping to KZN in winter. Days are balmy, positively hot, compared to the Cape!” says Michelle Snaddon of Perfect Hideaways, which recently won a Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist 2019 award. Her pick for winter is Thuleni Homestead on Manyoni Private Game Reserve. “Watch the game drift over to the waterhole from your pool lounger or head into the reserve for a game drive at your leisure.

In fact, that’s what I love more than anything else about our private game farms – you can get up when you like!

That said, I love being out in the bush in the early morning with a hot-water bottle and blanket to snuggle into.”

Once you’re in KZN why not take a winter 4x4 road trip along the coast.

Perfect Hideaways co-owner Helen Untiedt suggests exploring all the way to Mozambique, popping just over the border to discover their unspoilt tropical beach hideaway, The Blue Door at Aloha, a private beachfront bungalow giving onto a soft sand beach. “Days are slow with little to do except relax, beachcomb and body-surf in the waves.

Beach games and meal times are all important. Watching dolphins slipping through the ocean with such grace. The piece de resistance must be the shaded day bed that overhangs the beach.”

Snow TIFFENDELL

Snow is the wild card in South African winter holidays, infecting most of us with snow-madness when it falls, but it’s something you can’t plan for… or can you? Take the last-minute panic and queues of traffic out of your snow

equation at Tiffindell, a southern Drakensberg mountain resort that guarantees skiing June through August. It has the feel of an Alpine ski resort, with a South African attitude of making a plan. “We have stateof-the-art snow-making equipment which guarantees snow all winter should Mother Nature not provide us with any!” says Travis Morrison, reservations and marketing manager, Tiffindell. “Over the last four years we’ve experienced snowfalls of over 2m on several occasions during our winter seasons.” Take ski lessons, snowboard, toboggan or throw snowballs and make a snowman.

Book accommodation in the Matroosberg Private Nature reserve over the winter months and you just might get lucky and coincide with a snow week. Even if the snow doesn’t oblige, there are crisp mornings, starry nights, mountain trails for mountain biking, quad bikes and hiking, abseiling and a host of outdoor activities to warm you up.

Whales On the Western Cape coastline you may not have the balmy weather of KZN but the whale-watching more than makes up for it. Add long beach or clifftop walks, the green winter landscapes of the Cape and early spring flowers, and winter beach holidays take on their own magic. Get right away from it all in De Hoop Nature Reserve, for unspoilt beaches, hikes, wildlife and excellent land-based whale-watching in the protected marine reserve where whales come to calve each year. De Hoop Collection offers a 40% off winter special on their De Hoop Village self-catering cottages until end July, and have a variety of other accommodation – from luxury hotel suites to camping rondavels.

Or splash out on luxury Morukuru Beach Lodge, an all-inclusive safaristyle experience also within the reserve, with views out to sea and whale-watching from your doorstep.

Paternoster on the West Coast is another gem visited by whales in winter. Helen describes the joys of a winter holiday here, staying at Zonnestraal, cosy with underfloor

26 MAY 2019

Neighbourhood

PROPERTY NEWS

5

THULENI HOMESTEAD

TIFFENDELL

heating and an open fire. “It’s truly blissful to have the beach to ourselves most of the time. The days are sunny and warm, long walks and plenty of shell collecting. Our shell mobiles become more intricate as we combine bones and glass among the weave of treasure. As the evening cools down, we gather around the open fire and board games become the focus of the evening.”

SEE FOR YOURSELF KZN perfecthideaways.co.za Snow tiffindell.co.za matroosberg.com Whales dehoopcollection.com morukuru.com/places/beach-lodge

ZONNESTRAAL

The West Coast can be all seasons in one day – wild and windswept, or calm and bright sunshine. The whales arrive in the bay along with a kaleidoscope of spring flowers at the end of winter.

HELEN UNTIEDT, PERFECT HIDEAWAYS

THULENI HOMESTEAD

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Neighbourhood

stneighbourhood.co.za | 26 MAY 2019

AT L A N T I C B E A C H E S TAT E Atlantic Beach Estate: 021 201 8706 • pamgolding.co.za/atlantic-beach-estate

Atlantic Beach Estate / R9.3 million

Ref# 1TV1418804

Atlantic Beach Estate / R8.495 million

Ref# 1TV1378526

Bedrooms 4 / Bathrooms 4 / Garages 2 / Comtemporary designer home only 5 years old. An immaculate contemporary home situated with elevated views of the fairway. You will not be able to buy land and build a home for this price on Atlantic Beach Estate.

Bedrooms 5 / Bathrooms 4.5 / Garages 4 / Modern home for the entertainer. A cinema room and bar add to the many entertainment options this home has to offer. Situated on popular Tradewinds Circle on a greenbelt.

Mandy Oschman 082 567 0398

Mandy Oschman 082 567 0398

Atlantic Beach Estate / R6.2 million

Ref# TV1434449

Atlantic Beach Estate / R5.4 million

Ref# 1TV1433612

Bedrooms 3 / Bathrooms 2.5 / Garages 2 / Immaculate tastefully designed home tucked away in a cul-de-sac with pathway access to a fairway, lies this immaculate find! You know this home is loved by the owners - it's perfect.

Bedrooms 3 / Bathrooms 2 / Garages 2 / A simply stunning, immaculate home. Completely private, situated overlooking fynbos and nature at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac. This double storey home is set in a beautiful indigenous garden.

Mandy Oschman 082 567 0398

Mandy Oschman 082 567 0398

A C C R E D I T E D A G E N T S F O R AT L A N T I C B E A C H E S TAT E OFFICE HOURS Mon - Fri: 09:00 - 16:00, Sat: 09:00 - 12:00, Sun: 14:00 - 17:00 (Sales office situated at the Golf Club entrance, Birkenhead Drive)

atlanticbeachestateofficial

ENJOY COMPLETE PEACE-OF-MIND

Neighbourhood

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stneighbourhood.co.za | 26 MAY 2019

WESTERN SEABOARD Blouberg: 021 557 1115 • Big Bay: 021 554 0033 • Milnerton: 021 551 8640 • Melkbosstrand: 021 553 1912 • Sunningdale: 021 556 2362 • Atlantic Beach Estate: 021 201 8706 • pamgolding.co.za/western-seaboard

Parklands / R2.45 million

Ref# 1TV1433536

Bedrooms 4 / Bathrooms 4 / Garages 2 / This airy house is a much loved family home, and combines the charm with the convenience of today’s lifestyle. Follow PGP boards from Sandown Road, right into Wood Drive and left into Dorchester Drive.

Claudette Smith 071 185 5267

Bloubergrant / R2.2 million

Ref# 1TV1436748

Parklands / R1.895 million

Ref# 1TV1435609

Bedroom 1 / Bathroom 1 / Parking 1 / Well-presented and fully furnished apartment with a bathroom. Neat kitchen and lounge area with large patio to the front, with views of the ocean and the mountain. Follow PGP boards from Coral Road and Beach Boulevard.

Bedrooms 3 / Bathrooms 2 / Garages 2 / Beautiful home offered with pride. Neat as a pin, low-maintenance landscaped garden. Lovely cosy, warm and sunny enclosed braai area with spacious living areas. Follow PGP boards from Off Oakdale Circle, Parklands.

Jeannie Ray 072 136 1497

Elmare Botha 083 381 2696

Get the balance right at The luxury Paardevlei Lifestyle Estate strikes the perfect balance between the realities of work and the joy of play.

Working convenience Quick access to the N2 highway Minutes from the Somerset West and Strand CBDs 20 minutes from Cape Town International Airport

Playground Minutes from The Belgian Waffle House & Coffee Shop Equip yourself at the Natural Energy Surf Shop Unwind at the Triggerfish Brewery

ON SHOW: Wed, Sat, Sun, Public Holidays 2pm - 5pm SHANNON KAVANAGH

072 571 8736 shannon@balwin.co.za