Christmas is just around the corner and everyone is counting down to when they can finally put their feet up and relax ... it’s been a hectic year.
Although we don’t get a traditional white Christmas on this side of the world, we are blessed to celebrate the festive season on long summer days with perfect blue skies and crystal clear waters.
An African Christmas is different and gives the opportunity for you to break away from the mould and set your own traditions. For most kids, Christmas is all about waking up very early in the morning and going out to see the sun “dancing” when it rises.
South Africa has plenty to see and experience so why not gather your family for either a beach experience of bush experience. Here are some beautiful luxe homes around South Africa that you can enjoy for a truly African experience.
The Spa Villa, Hout Bay
According to Airbnb, The Spa Villa is tranquil modernism above a fishing village. The house can take six guests and boasts three bedrooms and three baths.
This holiday home is described as walls of glass overlooking the pool and lush hillside at this sleek retreat above Hout Bay. It features loungers that appear to float on a blue lagoon, a mini deck and marble underwater spa, which includes a sauna, steam room, and salt bath.
The property also boasts an indoor and outdoor pool and an area where you can grill lunch.
Price: R20 762 a night
Sea Lion, Clifton Beach
Sea Lion is a holiday home that features floating stairs, huge canvases, and life-sized statues that greet you at this gallery-like retreat in the exclusive Fresnaye area.
This stunning home available for rental on Airbnb has been featured in several magazines for its open-concept living and walls of glass, which open the villa to views of the rocky hillside and sparkling city below.
The home can take up to eight guests and has four bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms, making sure that each guest has their own privacy.
Also available on the property is a home cinema, gym and wine cellar. The house is a perfect beach home and just 12 minutes from the beach.
Price: R100 000 a night
Icaria, Cape Town
Icaria boasts four levels of uninterrupted ocean views from the cliff-side in Cape Town. According to Airbnb, guests get to wake up to dramatic ocean vistas, no matter which bedroom they choose. Each level also has an allocated area for sunbathing. The holiday home boasts five bedrooms and five baths and hosts 10 people comfortably.
Guests can retreat to the pool’s secluded grotto to cool off or take a 90-minute hike to the top of Lion’s Head to check out the best view in the city.
Price: R25 000 a night
La Clé Lodge, Franschhoek
If you’re in the mood to taste some of the finest wines and food in South Africa, then this Cape Dutch masterpiece in the heart of Franschhoek is for you.
The home is on a working vineyard within the La Clé des Montagnes estate, the home is practically a resort unto itself, with a private swimming pool and tennis court, a chipping-and-putting green, and even a helipad.
This beautiful Franschhoek home features five bedroom and five-and-a-half bathrooms.
Price: R65 950 a night
The Homestead at Oldenburg Vineyards, Stellenbosch
The Homestead is a recently renovated two-hundred-year-old Cape Dutch homestead, which was the original home of Oldenburg Vineyards.
The holiday home is in the quiet Banghoek Valley among lush gardens and scenic mountain landscape and maintains a high level of privacy, thanks to its dynamic natural features.
It boasts six luxurious bedrooms, a spacious interior layout, and a vast estate, making it the perfect home base for South African exploration.
The Homestead has seating for 12 in the formal dining area and at the alfresco set on the terrace and the swimming pool is a great place to relax and beat the afternoon heat.
Price: R59 500 a night
Melton Manor, Great Fish River/ Kwandwe Private Game Reserve
Melton Manor is an exclusive-use safari villa, which is part of the Kwandwe Private Game Reserve.
According to My Private Villa, this location offers a sophisticated safari experience to the discerning traveller with understated luxury and one of the highest land-to-guest ratios in South Africa.
The holiday home is surrounded by the breathtaking vistas of the afromontane forests since the manor is built in a U-shape. The four en-suite bedrooms are strategically clustered around the central courtyard with its large beautiful swimming pool.
This safari villa was designed to offer guests a unique experience where they can get in touch with nature while being pampered with all the finest luxuries.
Price: R107 310 a night
Sheffield Views, Sheffield Beach
This beautiful luxury home in KwaZulu-Natal is an outstanding seven-bedroom free-standing home on Colwyn Drive in Sheffield Beach. This holiday home sits on a huge double plot with the garden running straight onto the beach and incredible sea views from every room in the house.
According to Luxury Coastal Escapes, the main house is made up of seven bedrooms and the entertaining space is all open plan, with a large state-of-the-art kitchen, separate scullery, two dining areas, lounge and TV area, making it perfect for a big family Christmas dinner.
The entertaining space flows out on to a wooden deck with a rim-flow pool, braai area, further soft seating and table and chairs for al-fresco dining while there’s also a heated pool and direct access to the beach.
Price: R20 000 a night
The White House, Zinkwazi Beach
The White House is a magnificent six-bedroom beach house that offers space, privacy and incredible views of Zinkwazi Beach.
According to Luxury Coastal Escapes, the house sits on the lagoon in Zinkwazi and offers guests its own private boat mooring and direct access to Zinkwazi's main beach.
This beach house sleeps a maximum 24, eight adults and 16 kids, and is air-conditioning in all bedrooms for those humid summer nights.
As a child-friendly home, the pool has a safety net and the property features sea views with direct lagoon access.
Price: R24 000 a night
Villa Appelblaar, Hoedspruit
Villa Appelblaar located in Zandspruit Bush & Aero Estate in Limpopo, which covers an area of 1 000 hectares of pristine and beautiful South African bush.
Only guests and residents of Zandspruit Estate have free access to the private reserve, which has wild animals such as zebra or giraffe that you can see during walks.
The villa offers a private heated swimming pool, four spacious bedrooms, with their own bathroom and unique outdoor shower.
This home is suitable for eight guests and is equipped with every comfort and a large fireplace in the living room.
From €2.057 (R36 684) a week
Villa Sononder, Hoedspruit
Sononder (sunset in Afrikaans) is a luxurious holiday home that is the perfect place for a safari Christmas. The property has stunning views of the Drakensberg.
According to Homes of Africa, guests can enjoy breathtaking sunsets of the African bush in all luxury at this villa.
Villa Sononder features a large patio with braai and heated swimming pool to enjoy the animal sounds and South African starry skies in the evening.
The holiday home features three bedrooms with king-size beds and two bathrooms, each with indoor and outdoor shower to ensure the ultimate in comfort for guests.
Villa Sononder is surrounded by animals such as giraffes, nyala, impala, warthog and zebra and is just a 40-minute drive to the world famous Kruger National Park, Blyde River Canyon, and the Panorama Route.
From €1.543 (R27 517) a week
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