Ariella’s Villas Blog

That time of year is quickly approaching and in mid-October it is already getting difficult to find availability at our favourite villas and properties across the African continent. This year’s Number 1 Cool Cat New Year’s destination has got to be the island of Lamu off the coast of Kenya. All the Shela Village houses were filled up by the end of the summer and now everything at Kizingoni Beach is also full… Up for grabs are a couple of smaller villas on Manda Island and Diani Beach.

For those who want to see & be seen: Lamu during the last days of 2009 will have it all!

The rest of us will have to start looking elsewhere if we haven’t done so already. From anywhere in Europe and the UK travelling south to Africa for the Christmas holidays just makes so much sense. The jet lag is minimal, the sun is hot and the beaches offer uncrowded sands and crystal waters. Although Kenya is closest, it’s not much much further down to Mozambique or South Africa, two great countries with more beaches and hot spots that anyone could count!

Our best new find of 2008 had to be Benguerra Island in southern Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago. We have a special new deal on for this season with the two new villas that have been built adjacent to the formidable Benguerra Lodge for private use. They face the bay and are set directly on the beach, with acess to the Lodge’s facilities such as private butlers, delicious meals, the dhow bar & real dhow sunset sails, horseback riding all around the island, deep sea fishing on the speed boats which can also be used for exploratory tours of the different islands dotting the archipelago… A totally exclusive and brand new option for the clients of Ariella’s Villas who will book their December trip now!

Gigantic South Africa has an endless amount of options for the end of the year. From a beach holiday at Plettenberg Bay to a sojourn in the fascinating city of Cape Town, whether renting a home near the Residence or out by Camp’s Bay, and all the way to the Karoo or the Limpopo Valley. There are homes and villas of all sizes and prices some of which are still available at affordable rates. Last minute deals are not a tradition in this part of the world.

We have added more and more to our books and can only provide a sample of the multiple options online, so please enquire with us for all queries regarding the upcoming Christmas Season under the sun of Africa.

Pambele Lodge in Mozambique has just been made available for up to 14 guests from April 9th through Easter week

7 sunny days and peaceful nights for the price of 6 are on offer for Ariella’s Villas clients

The temperatures on the San Sebastian Peninsula range between 20°C and 29°C in April and chances of rain are very low.

Pambele employs 10 local staff and a lovely villa management couple.

It has several land and water vehicles and is the perfect home to return to after a day spent participating in the myriad activities at your doorstep. From island hopping to snorkelling, kayaking to windsurfing, big game fishing to whale watching, horse riding to scuba diving, guests are never left with nothing to do unless of course they prefer to relax by the infinity swimming pool and its adjacent dhow bar. The property is set along a spectacular backdrop of clear blue Indian Ocean spotted only occasional fishing dhows and the nearby islands of Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago. A vast sandy beach spreads out from the villa grounds, ideal for morning strolls, especially when the tide is out and the sea bed lays uncovered.

Delicious fresh seafood is brought to the lodge daily. Mozambique is famous for its lobster, prawns, crab and octopus. These ingredients are delicately combined with vegetables from the organic garden and freshly baked breads from the kitchen. Your staff at Pambele is keen to prepare personalised menus and to serve them anywhere in or around the lodge, on the beach or in the bush.

For Easter enquiries or availability dates for 2009, please contact us.

The brand new Manor House at Samara has already been mentioned in a previous blog entry about my visit to South Africa last autumn but I was waiting for some professional photographs to arrive before adding it to my collection of properties on the website. Samara is a Private Game Reserve set right in the middle of the Eastern Cape, about 250km North of Port Elizabeth, amidst some of the flattest and dryest landscape I have ever experienced. To think that this arid region called the Karoo is relatively close to the verdant coasts of the Cape but cut off from them by a vast and rugged mountain range which was very painstakingly crossed by the first Afrikaaner settlers who sought better grazing land for their sheep nearer the Blue Hills. Only the hardiest of these hardy people was actually able to settle and thrive in the Karoo proper, although their sheep were able to gradually replace the native game and deplete the thick grass cover which they later learned to their detriment would be irreplacable.

Lately this surprisingly unexplored malaria-free region is becoming something of a tourist attraction (in very relative terms) with game lodges springing up where farms from the 19th Century now stand abandoned. The main purpose of the lodges in the gradual reintroduction of game into their original habitat and the preservation of this infinitely precious region of Earth. At Samara the speciality happens to be cheetah, the sportscar of cats–actually faster than a supercar, accelerating from 0 to 110 km/h (68 mph) in three seconds! They are also among the most graceful game and certainly the most vulnerable of the big cats. In the Karoo they have found a safe haven at Samara, where their reproduction and gradual return to the wild is carefully monitored by qualified professionals and game rangers. On drives out from The Manor House and the nearby Karoo Lodge (Samara’s original guesthouse which operates more in the style of a private game lodge than a private villa) guests are prone to spot some cheetah in the bush. When I was there, a large female was actually sighted in the distance by sunbathers at the Lodge’s swimming pool!

Besides cheetah there is a true abundance of wildlife living amidst the sweet thorn bushes dotting the 28,000 hectares of reserve land. Kudu, wildebeest and other bucks are frequently seen from the 4×4 safari vehicles, and if you are lucky you may even run into enormous white rhino or deadly Cape Cobra (like I did!). The watering hole in The Manor House‘s ‘garden’, which lies just past the swimming pool against the backdrop of Vulture Mountain, attracts silver monkeys, cranes and many other bird species which guests can observe from the comfort of the outdoor sofas, the sunloungers by the pool or even the breakfast table on the veranda!

ariella in a new hut @ the dugong lodge

I have just returned form a most amazing visit to South Africa and Mozambique with my friend and former colleague at Steppes Travel in the UK Albee Yeend. We visited a great number of hotels, lodges and of course private villas which I am dying to write more about as soon as I recover from my travels! The many site inspections will be described in detail but I am compelled to quickly mention at least three new properties in these impressive countries where the weather was gorgeous every day and everyone we met just as wonderful…

the swimming pool @ the manor house!

1. In the endless and semi-desertic Karoo I located my favourite South African property: the newly appointed and extremely comfortable exclusive house at Samara baptised The Manor House. This is a wonderful 4 suite family home with its own garden and swimming pool in the bush. Endless activities for adults and children, from nature drives to bird walks, swimming in the pool to evening movies on the incredibly comfortable sofas and flat screen TVs. Here there is not only some of the sweetest domestic staff you have ever met, including cook and butler, but also your very own game ranger who can elucidate all the secrets of this little-known land. At the neighbouring Karoo Lodge, also part of the Samara Estate, a famous South African chef called Quintinn van Rensburg is your host for star-lit dinners in the outdoor boma and children are welcome to participate in the interactive AardvARK programme.

vineyards in franschhoek near the owner's cottage

2. An exquisite cottage in the famous wine country of the Eastern Cape, a short drive from Cape Town, first settled by the French and thus called Franschhoek. The Owner’s Cottage at Grande Provence is also true 5 star luxury for up to 10 guests on the grounds of one of the most beautiful wine estates in the region. Inside the comfortable abode, which also has a beautiful swimming pool, hot tub and terrace overlooking the lush vineyards, state of the art technology makes guests even more comfortable. Dining at the Angel Tears Garden onsite at Grande Provence or the chef can even come over and serve guests in the comforts of their private house.

view from the swimming pool @ pambele

3. On the coast of southern Mozambique, at Sao Sebastiao point on the mainland which frames the Bazaruto Archipelago and its stunning islands, stands a very private villa also known as Pambele- the way forward. This is a stunning beach home which stands on a most original beach that chages its shape and appearance depending on the hour and the moon. This area of Mozambique is very affected by tide and therefore some mornings waking up at Pambele there is a vast sandy beach to walk down collecting shells and other days it will only be two steps down from the private suites and their sundecks into the warm waters of the ocean.