Estate Living Magazine Invest SA - Issue 41 May 2019 | Page 23

P R O P E R T Y
&
I N V E S T M E N T
spa have brought numerous World Tourism Awards home to
the Hermanus area (Africa’s Leading Spa Resort 2012, Africa’s
Leading Luxury Hotel 2010, Africa’s Leading Family Resort 2008,
etc.).
But, for investors, the awards and accolades paint only part of
the portrait of an estate that’s built an impeccable record of
creating value for its home owners – both in financial terms and
in terms of its unique and enviable lifestyle.
ENVIRONMENT
If you want to understand Arabella’s success, you probably
only need to understand the approach Mr Matkovich took in
designing its golf course:
Arabella is all about the environment – the entire estate
celebrates its position in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve
through the application of sustainable practices designed to
protect and enhance the landscape, wildlife, resources, and
indigenous vegetation of this almost indescribably scenic
corner of the Western Cape.
The estate ensures sustainable water usage with a water
purification plant, numerous established boreholes, a surface
water harvesting system, and wastewater recycling and re-use
programmes. These all served to insulate the estate against the
recent drought that devastated much of the Western Cape.
And Arabella hasn’t left the management of its environment to
chance: Arabella Country Estate is the only estate in the country
with ISO 14001 certification, which it has held since 2002. This
means its policies, processes, and procedures are planned
and executed according to an internationally recognised
environmental quality management system.
The estate is free of fences - and that’s significant. Because,
with only 12% of its 113 hectares set aside for residential erven,
there’s plenty of room for nature, and for all of the activities
associated with it, like birding and canoeing on the lagoon.
Fishing is allowed from the lagoon edge with a permit and in
demarcated areas. The environment also provides numerous
routes suitable for both mountain biking and trail running for
beginner and intermediate athletes alike.
TECHNOLOGY
In the same way that it has embraced its role as a custodian
of the natural environment, Arabella’s homeowners association
has harnessed technology for the good of everyone on
the estate. It has installed high-speed fibre-to-the-home for
residents who need it (ideal if you want to work remotely), and
it has secured the estate’s perimeter with thermal cameras,
an infrared beam alarm system, motion detection floodlights,
and a speaker system in order to ensure cutting-edge safety –
while avoiding the feeling of being trapped behind Fort Knox-
like barricades. (And, by the way, it has trained its security staff in
health, safety, firefighting, and first aid – and hospitality, too – to
ensure that every legitimate visitor gets a warm Arabella welcome.)
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