Summer's here and there is no better place to spend the holidays than on the Cape coast. If you are in the market for a holiday or retirement home this summer, then you are in for a treat according to Seeff's agents.
The flat price growth and higher stock levels means that you can find a good deal in the market right now. Many areas are also popular for holiday rentals adding a further layer of opportunity to leverage holiday rental income, especially through Airbnb.
The Cape offers the longest coastline and some of the best beaches and waterfront developments in the country, most with Blue Flag status and with excellent amenities for holiday makers. There's a wide choice of properties, from easy to maintain lock-up-and-go apartments to fabulous white-washed fisherman's cottages and beach bungalows in Clifton and Bakoven.
Here's a pick of ten top holiday hotspots check out this summer for the best apartments and houses:
1) Clifton/Camps Bay
Home to the country's top beaches and the Camps Bay Promenade lined with restaurants and hangouts along with the fabulous Bay Hotel, these suburbs are SA's answer to the French Riviera. Here you can rub shoulders with local and international stars and enjoy some of the best Instagram views. Choose from luxury apartments overlooking the Atlantic Beach to bungalows with direct beach access.
Beach apartments range from R8m, villas from R18m and luxury houses and bungalows from R28m.
2) Bloubergstrand/Big Bay
Iconic views of Table Mountain, the best kite surfing beaches and a host of seaside restaurants and attractions such as Eden on the Bay, Blue Peter and Ons Huisie makes this area a top choice for holiday home buyers. There's plenty of lock-up-and-go apartment complexes and security estates as well as luxury beach houses to choose from. High demand for holiday rentals adds to the investment value.
Beach apartments range from R1.8m and houses from R2.8m.
3) Strand/Gordon's Bay
Strand offers a pristine 5km coastline with fabulous swimming and fishing and a promenade lined with modern apartment blocks, restaurants, a waterpark, put-put and Olympic-sized swimming pool. Gordon's Bay also offers a fabulous waterfront area. Easy access from the airport and affordability make these areas a top choice. Choose from lock-up-and-go apartments to houses with spectacular views.
Apartments range from R900,000 and houses from R1.5m.
4) Muizenberg/Kalk Bay
Voted one of the world's coolest suburbs, Kalk Bay attracts visitors from across the globe to its promenade area. Muizenberg with Surfer's Corner as a landmark, is regarded as one of the best surfing destinations in the world. Holiday houses and apartments are excellent investments given the high demand for holiday rentals.
Apartments range from R1.5m and houses from R2.5m.
5) Langebaan/Paternoster
A visit to these fabulous fishing villages of the West Coast will leave you in no doubt about whether you should invest in property according to Jaco and Tracey-lee Coetzee. They are close to Cape Town and the airport and offer one of the best beach holidays in the world. A top choice is the Mykonos development where you can find a choice of apartments as well as vacant plots.
Apartments range from R1.4m and houses from R2.4m.
6) Hermanus/Onrus
Best land-based whale watching in the world and its own Hemel en Aarde Wine Valley along with fabulous beaches await holiday home buyers. Prices have remained flat, so it's a good time to invest in holiday or retirement property in this growing town.
Holiday flats range from R1.8m and houses from R2.8.
7) Pringle Bay/Betty's Bay
Located close to Cape Town in the Kogelberg biosphere with amazing bird and sea life, these areas are ideal for nature lovers. It is buyer's market in the area, and you can find excellent value according to John du Toit, Seeff's licensee.
Holiday houses range from R1.6m but expect to pay upwards of R6m close to the beach in Pringle Bay.
8) Arniston/Witsand
These fishing villages of the Southern Cape offer one of the best climates and a laid-back holiday with a pristine coastline. Arniston is renowned for its white-washed fisherman's architecture and offers mostly holiday houses, priced from around R2.5m.
Witsand lies on the Breede River Estuary and overlooks St Sebastian Bay and regarded as the "Whale Nursery of South Africa". It offers property overlooking the river and well as the ocean with a choice of apartments and houses.
Apartments range from R500,000 and houses from R1.5m but expect to pay upwards of R2.5m for waterfront views.
9) Knysna/Sedgefield
Situated in the heart of the Garden Route with a fabulous waterfront area and unique property such as Thesen Island, Brenton and the Pezula and Simola Golf Estates, makes Knysna a top choice for luxury holiday buyers.
Holiday flats range from R500,000 and houses from R1.5m but expect to pay upwards of R5m for a luxury waterfront or golf estate home. Adjacent Sedgefield offers more affordable price points and the popular Myoli Beach.
10) Jeffrey's Bay/St Francis Bay
Jeffrey's Bay needs little introduction as it ranks as one of the world's top surfing destinations with the greatest right hand point break in the world according to SA Surfing legend, Shaun Thompson.
Holiday flats range from R400,000 and houses from R2m (R4m - R8m for luxury houses). St Francis Bay offers fabulous waterfront and golf estate homes for luxury buyers, generally in the R2m-R8m range.
Photographs enclosed
Langebaan, Club Mykonos where you can find fabulous beach apartments priced from R3.2m for two bedrooms on the water's edge and marina