So, what's the house really like?
- The house is set within the luxury Atlantic Beach Golf Club Resort
- 20 minutes drive from Cape Town
- 1km from the quaint seaside village of Melkbos and it's shops, restaurants and surfing beaches
- Truly magnificent master bedroom, luxury en-suite (bath and shower) with views of Table Mountain - especially from the two person bath!
- Two gorgeous ground floor, en-suite, double bedrooms (one double and one twin) each with luxury, modern bathrooms, oversized bath and seperate shower
- Childrens single bedroom and study with library
- Wonderfully spacious, open-plan dining room and living room with spiral staircase to master bedroom and vast working fireplace
- The bright living area has windows and glass doors opening out on to all aspects/views including Table Mountain, large pond (attracting prolific birdlife, fish and Springbok), the 8th fairway and the courtyard swimming pool.
- Indoor, glass surrounded bar area for social drinks, parties and sunset views of the mountain
- Two different terraces for wining, dining, sunning, reading, painting or simply dreaming away your days admiring the views, golfers, birdlife...
- Very large fully-equipped, modern kitchen (with bar area) + laundry room (washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher)
- Sheltered courtyard with sunbathing areas, solar heated swimming pool and 3 foot braai (BBQ)
- Double electric garage
- Everything about the house has that understated and much-loved, interior-designer-Mrs Ling-touch
- Tony hasn't allowed his Midas touch to go unnoticed either. So, you'll find the obligatory 42" TV (with MNet satellite + 8 sports channels) and centrally-controlled, 12-speaker music system that can pump out tunes in to any room you want - indoors and out!
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But what's there to do when I'm all golfed out?
There is simply so much to do in and around Cape Town that it's difficult to list everything, especially as we're still discovering some real gems off the tourist tracks. However, we hope the following will fill you with inspiration and envy. The best advice we can give - unless you have a month or two - is DO NOT try and do everything! Here are some pointers but make sure you check the Favourite Links page for full details and website links. CAPE TOWN & THE SURROUNDING AREA: - Melkbos (see below for full local information) - a quiet beach village just 5 minutes from the house. Fabulous beach, walks, bars and restaurants. The Orca Restaurant is so good Steve & Tony are now part of the furniture!
- Table View - one of the world's very best kite surfing destinations, beaches, bars, shops and restaurants. The Grill steak restaurant is highly recommended - personally select your meat from the butchers before devouring
- Big Bay - new trendy growing restort like area with great family beaches, shops, restaurants and bars
- Blouberg - old, smaller, more sophisticated coastal town/vilage than Big Bay with a few great restaurants including Ons Huisie and On the Rocks
- Cape Town V&A Waterfront malls, world class restaurants and aquarium
- Boat trips and tours to Robben Island
- Greenmarket Square souvenir shopping (touristy and relatively expensive but worth a look/visit)
- Eclectic and trendy Long Street bars, clubs, cafes and restaurants
- Highly recommended self-guided walks through the colourful, friendly and extremely photogenic Cape-Malay Bo-Kaap quarter
- Table Mountain (do hike up if fit enough - cable car for return)
- Lion's Head - if it's full moon, make the popular sundown hike (vital that you pack a tourch)
- Green Point weekend market for all your bargain African curios
- Cape Point day drive - national parks, Simonstown, Boulders Beach (famous penguin colony), Chapmans Peak Pass...
- Cape Town central - City Bowl, The Castle, Parliament and Cape Town Company Gardens, Cape Town Quarter for trendy cafes
- Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens + outdoor concerts
- Paarl, Stellenbosch and Franschoek winelands (endless stunning, scenic drives and wine tastchting..!)
- Franschhoek and Stellenbosch towns (colonial architecture, boutique shops and world-class boutique hotels, restaurants, university...)
- 5 Star "Le Pique Nique" experience at Boschendal vineyard is a must
- World renowned West Coast National Park just north of Atlantic Beach. Great, hidden, white sand and wind-protected beaches and in the Spring/bloom (August) a truly magnificent sight when thousands of flowers form a glorious bright carpet for as far as the eye can see
- Paternoster (1.5hrs north on the West Coast) - our very favourite beach and fishing village turned trendy boutique getaway with a handful of fabulous restaurants and guesthouses and true beach wilderness
- Safari - 1 game reserve within 60mins, 4 within 3-5hrs (see Favourite Links)
- Die Strandloper open-air rustic restaurant, if it can be called a restaurant, 45mins north of Atlantic Beach - an awesome cultlery-free, seafood feast we promise you'll never forget!
- Hourt Bay: World of birds (with monkey enclosure where you can play with the little devils!) + Seal Island Trip. Also gateway to Chapmans Peak
- Sandy white beaches of Clifton and Camps Bay (THE place to be seen darling!) - fantastic restaurants (e.g. The Cod Father, Blues, Caprice & Le Med) and Sushi.
- Festivals: New Year Karnaval (Cape Town's longest running street party), North Sea Jazz Festival (end March), Cape Gourmet Festival (May), Cape Argus Gun Run (end September), Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts (Nov and Dec - www.nbi.ac.za)
- Football - the 2010 World Cup has arrived and we hope the stadium is built in time!
- Rugby + Cricket at Newlands (www.wprugby.com and www.wpcc.co.za)
- Cape Town Township Tours (www.tourismcapetown.co.za)
- Endless photo and painting opportunities
- Birding (DO NOT forget your binoculars). West Coast National Park birding routes or simply from the comfort of one of The Ling terraces overlooking the pond busy with Weavers and Red Bishops all year round. If you're patient and quiet you may also get a visit on the terraces from the friendly mongooses and get within a few metres of the local Springbok!
Within Atlantic Beach and Melkbos...
MELKBOS - Shops, boutiques, doctors/dentist, fantastic farm shop (The Farm Stall), restaurants (HIGHLY recommend our local, rustic favorite: The Orca), white sand beaches, windsurfing, surfing, beautifully tranquil beach walks (just cross the main road from Tableview behind Atlantic Beach)... BLOUBERGSTRAND - well known for it's protected beach + sophisticated village feel and its few wonderful small, boutique restaurants, especially the 18th centuary fishermans cottage Ons Huisse (the Mozambique seafood curry is worth the flight ticket to Cape Town itself!) and On The Rocks for the best brunch + breakfast views of Cape Town and Table Mountain. TABLEVIEW - THE place to go kite-surfing and windsurfing in the Southern Hemishpere. A difficult and expensive sport to master (Andy and Dan can vouch for this) but simply stunning to watch and photograph for hours and hours with Table Mountain rising out of the ocean as your backdrop. BIG BAY - great for its brand new bars, restaurants, shops, views of Table Mountain and wonderfully family-friend environment and protected beach. Great place to learn surfing, paddle boarding and kite surfing. WILDLIFE - The Cape West Coast is home to many different animal species, many of which are rare or threatened. Atlantic Beach's proximity to the coast, its natural vegetation and ephimeral pan mean that a wide variety of species may occur here. The adjacent nature reserve harbours numerous animal species, and animals may migrate between the two areas. These include several small mammal species, tortoises, skinks and chameleons and loads of birds. PLANT LIFE Atlantic Beach lies in an area of rare, pristine strandveld vegetation. Strandveld is a type of Fynbos. Fynbos is the indigenous vegetation of the Western Cape. The world's vegetation is divided into six plant kingdoms, and the fynbos kingdom is the smallest, yet most species-rich of all of these. Over 8000 plant species occur within the fynbos kingdom. Strandveld is a type of fynbos which occurs near the coast. It is increasingly threatened but Atlantic Beach are helping to conserve it. Many endemic, rare and threatened species occur here. A haven for some of the last remaining Strandveld along the West Coast, during spring the veld comes alive with a sea of colorful flowers of various shapes and sizes that make for a brilliant display. ACTIVITIES - Savour the ever-changing views of Table Mountain and the sea from the privacy of our own garden. Enjoy the sporting and recreational facilities available at the Clubhouse. Cycle, stroll or jog along kilometres of paths and trails. Play golf on the championship course while kids can entertain themselves in one of the play areas.
Click Here For More Great Cape Town Links
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