South Africa's eco-friendly 'Homesteads' eye global gold at International Property Awards

October 30, 7:42 PMSouth Africa Travel ExaminerWanda Hennig

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An African Homestead at Phinda, above; interior view, middle; and a Homestead boma, bottom.

Luxury safari property African Homesteads on Phinda Private Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, has been voted a finalist in both the property and interiors categories of the prestigious International Property Awards.

As the African winner in the property and interior categories, The Homestead will now compete against the winners from the other five geographical regions.

The global winners will be announced at a gala event in San Diego, California on November 12, 2009.

African Homesteads is collaboration between &Beyond, committed to responsible luxury safari travel, and Tara Getty. The Getty Family Trusts are one of two major shareholders in &Beyond.

The International Property Awards are the largest celebration of the residential and commercial property industry worldwide.

This year the residential section featured 22 categories and attracted more than 1,000 entries.

The competition is divided into six geographical regions: Africa, Europe, Middle East, the United Kingdom, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. Judges were drawn from the world’s leading architectural firms, the international property media, and international interior design companies.

Designed as the ultimate retreat for owners to share with family and friends, the 15 African Homesteads represent luxury value at the top end of the property market. They are priced from US$6 million (approximately South Africa Rands 46 million) each and are offered on a 70-year leasehold.

BIG FIVE RESERVE

The purchase price includes traversing rights over the full extent of the 56,800-acre Big Five reserve (Big Five referring to the presence of lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant).

Each Homestead has up to four large ensuite beds built around spacious indoor and outdoor living areas that extend over 8,600 square feet. There is a fifth ensuite bed for the owner’s personal staff.

Expansive wooden verandahs and infinity pools offer bush and wildlife views. Each property also has an exercise pavillion, an outside shower and a boma (outdoor dining area).

Each homestead also comes with a 4 x 4 safari vehicle managed by a trained team including a ranger, tracker, chef and host.

“Utmost care has been taken to ensure the minimum negative impact outside the confines of the building footprint; no established trees or animals have or will be uprooted or displaced during construction. The sale of The Homesteads will also realize ecological gains and benefits for the local community," says &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve’s Regional Director, Kevin Pretorius.

Posted from a press release by Wanda Hennig.

For more info: Visit the website to read more about African Homesteads, including purchase details and contact information. Find out more about renting a Homestead as a solo-use villa here. &Beyond owns and operates 46 luxury lodges and camps and creates personalized travel experiences in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Tanzania, Kenya and India. The company is commited to sustainable responsible travel and community empowerment.