Way down south on the African East Coast in Kwazulu Natal, lies a secure private eco-estate in a lush tropical setting, dotted with unique Caribbean style villas.
The Indian Ocean forms the eastern border and the Umtamvuna River the southern border, which also is the boundary between Kwazulu Natal and the Eastern Cape.
This is a true paradise for nature lovers with scenic boardwalks through a conservation area down to the river estuary; a wooden jetty ideal for fishing or relaxing, watching the Egyptian Geese family as well as seeing the odd fish jumping out of the calm waters.
The beautifully designed villas offer spacious accommodation with all the home comforts plus a little extra luxuries.
Set among palm trees, wild bananas and other indigenous trees, this is a real birdwatchers' paradise.
The architects were obviously mandated by the developers to do their planning such that most of the indigenous trees are preserved and designed the buildings around that.
What I really love about this estate is the individual designs, unlike most others where each building is a carbon copy of the other.
Our time-share points give us the opportunity to book wherever and whenever we want, and this is one of our favourite resorts.
The villa in the photo below is divided into two living units.
We usually book the top level of this unit that has three full bedrooms plus a fourth loft bedroom with a view to die for; enough room to take friends or family along.
The enclosed turret right at the top is purely a decor addition and certainly gives the final touch to the building facade; interesting little tidbit - during medieval times turrets were used as a defensive position. Thank goodness they're purely required for aesthetics today!
I will give you a peek of the inside of our unit so please step inside; don't you just love the etched glass door?
We're still busy unpacking, but the architects thought of that when they planned the internal road network but the final design would have been done by civil engineers; there's a parking spot almost right outside our door for off-loading.
The spacious living room opens onto a balcony with a view, and an open plan kitchen to the side.
Steps leading up to the loft bedroom on the left hand side.
Our balcony with a view to the estuary and the ocean, BBQ waiting to do its job.
The whole ambience of this villa lends itself to leisure activities so loads of fun and laughter is always on the menu here!
We'll go for a quick walk along the boardwalk down to the river and the steel arches of the Umtamvuna River bridge come into view.
Looking east we see the Umtamvuna Estuary and the Indian Ocean in the distance.
The villas all stand gracious and serene and are painted in varying pastel shades with understated lattice work along the roof edges.
This is a quaint smaller freestanding single storey unit with one lock-up garage and a carport.
Most of the buildings have painted corrugated iron hipped roofs lending individual character to the units.
I had to ask hubby, who is an engineer with a keen interest in architecture, what this type of roof would be called; a very apt and descriptive word I think as these roofs indeed have many hips!
Another smaller unit a little further along the road with the garage to the left of the building.
The estate is water self-sufficient with high quality potable water; this became a necessity as the local authority down south does not provide a reliable water service. Rainwater harvesting tanks can be seen attached to many of the buildings, but blend in as they're painted in the same shade as each individual house.
Notice how all concrete reliefs are painted white in all the buildings to accentuate this edging, adding to the aesthetics.
A pretty two storey blue house with a wrap around balcony on the top floor with a single garage, likely designed by the architects for a private owner.
Another gorgeous house with an understated elegance that comes with a double garage.
There are many water ponds and small lakes around the estate, something the landscape designers would have placed strategically for aesthetic appeal; these gorgeous units are built right on a small lake which also attracts aquatic bird life.
There's an Egyptian Geese family resident here.
The buildings are beautifully reflected in the water.
Time for fishing on the jetty below the villas before the sun finally disappears over the horizon, and if anyone feels like a bit of nightlife, the casino is right across the waters beyond that hill.
This has been my contribution to the
OCD Community Boost Contest #1: Highlighting Architecture & Design.
I hope you enjoyed seeing these gorgeous Caribbean style villas on the South Coast of Kwazulu Natal!
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