This one-row-from-the-beach seaside residence is situated in Shelley Point, a prestigious private golf estate on South Africa’s West Coast, near St Helena Bay. It offers uninterrupted views of the Atlantic Ocean and close proximity to the beach. Benign is an established self-catering destination with its own website, www.benign.co.za, which currently generates an income of R72k p.a., with a potential income of R112k p.a. (calculated at an occupancy rate of 80 %).
Benign self-catering. (Click here for Google Earth view).
The view from the balcony
Less than one hour and thirty minutes from Cape Town’s 2010 World Cup stadium, it offers 3 pristine private beaches, unspoilt bird and sealife, a state-of-the-art country club and spa with a sparkling swimming pool, gym, tennis courts, bowling green, restaurants, bars and a daycare centre.
EDITOR’S CHOICE! 1-time Airline’s in-flight magazine Aboutime sang Benign’s praises in their January 2008 issue. Read the article below (click on images to open pages). The pictures of the beach were shot right in front of Benign.
DESCRIPTION
Benign is a charming two-storey, thatched-roof seaside residence with unspoilt ocean views, one row from the magnificent beach of Britannia Bay. It is only 5 minutes walk from the state-of-the-art Shelley Point Country Club with its award-winning 9-hole golf course.
Click on pictures to open in high-resolution. (The yellow arrow is where Benign is located.)
The semi-detached house is tucked away in a quiet cul-de-sac, only twenty metres from the beach, which is easily accessible by means of a boardwalk. The balcony upstairs offers splendid views of the unspoilt four kilometre stretch of beach as seen here below.
A boardwalk leads you to the unspoilt beach of Britannia Bay.
During whale season (May to December) you will often see a Southern Right whale lobbing its tail, and dolphins and seals frequently surf the waves. Penguins also make their odd appearance.
Thriving wild life at Shelley Point
Benign is less than 25 minutes from the West Coast National Park, a major attraction in flower season.
The cheerful world-renowned wild flowers in the West Coast National Park.
24 hour security monitors the estate, with regular patrols, and strict signing in/out of guests.
A TOUR OF BENIGN
The main bedroom upstairs, which faces the ocean, is en suite. At night the fresh smell of the West Coast waters and the sound of the breaking waves will lull you to sleep. When you wake up, you can walk out onto the balcony and take in a deep breath of the fresh Atlantic air.
The main bedroom
The second bedroom, also ocean-facing, leads to the same balcony.
The second bedroom and third bedroom.
The third bedroom is a smaller room ideal for children. All bedrooms have built-in cupboards. The bathroom that services the 2nd and 3rd bedrooms, contains a bath, shower, and toilet. Fluffy mohair blankets on all beds and panel heaters in all rooms will keep you warm in winter. (The area’s winter season offers more sunshine and milder temperatures than Cape Town, making it a popular year-round destination.)
DOWNSTAIRS
The open plan kitchen/lounge/dining room area spills out onto a patio with a well-equipped built-in braai and a lawn. A fireplace makes this space cosy in winter, when you can snuggle up with a book or watch satellite TV or DVD’s from the well-stocked local DVD shop.
The open plan kitchen, lounge and dining area, with a fireplace.
UPGRADE OF BENIGN
Included in the house price, are plans by a leading local architect to upgrade Benign to comfortably accommodate 8, which will increase its earning capacity to R100k p.a. This will add another 40 square metres of living space to the existing 134, bringing the total floor size of Benign to 174 square metres.
The upgrade will entail the following:
1. Conversion of the garage into a multiple purpose bedroom/lounge/games room with sea views.
2. Building of a new kitchen, scullery and laundry/storeroom at the rear of property.
3. A spacious new 20 m² balcony will feature on top of the new extended kitchen/scullery/laundry/storeroom section, with a view of the St Helena Bay Hills.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
- The Shelley Point Country Club, built adjacent to the 9-hole golf course is within walking distance and offers guests spectacular sport and leisure facilities as well as modern conference facilities. Guests can make use of the restaurants or bars and be pampered in the Wellness Centre. Additional facilities include a sparkling swimming pool, gym, tennis courts, a bowling green as well as steam rooms, changing rooms and other amenities like a hairdresser and a boutique clothing shop.
The country club and its sparkling swimming pool.
- Birdwatching: white pelicans, flamingoes and the rare African black oyster catcher can be seen near Benign. In winter thousands of aquatic birds can be seen breeding at the Rocher Pan Marine and Nature Reserve. Other nearby birdwatcing sites: the Langebaan Lagoon, the West Coast National Park, the Berg River (20 minutes), The Verlorenvlei (Elands Bay) and Bird Island (Lamberts Bay).
- Water sports: angling, fishing charters, sailing charters, windsurfing, diving, snorkelling, surfing, sea-kayaking, kite-surfing and waterskiing.
- Scenic walking and jogging trails lead through the golf course and the dunes behind it.
- The waves in front of the house are good for surfing. Two renowned surfing sites are nearby called Heaven and Hell.
- At low tide, black mussels can be picked from the rocks in front of the house, and white mussels can be dug out with your feet.
- St Helena Bay is one of the world’s prime fishing centres, providing more than half of South Africa’s fish supply. In winter, snoek can be bought straight off the boats in the harbour. Plenty of freshly frozen seafood is also available in St Helena Bay Harbour. St Helena Bay’s fresh oysters, available in Cape Town’s top restaurants, can be bought for a steal from the local oyster farm.
- The revamped Pick ‘n Pay in Vredenburg is well-stocked. In Vredenburg you will also find a Woolworths, Fruit & Veg and Checkers. All major commercial banks have branches in Vredenburg.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS
- Hiking trails along the coastline, from Jacobsbaai to Tietiesbaai (17km) and Paternoster to Stompneusbaai (30km).
- 5 minutes from the 4 x 4 trail near St Helena Bay on the farm Elandskloof
- 5 minutes from the Vasco da Gama historic site (marking the landing of Vasco da Gama on 7 November 1497)
- 15 minutes from the Saldanha Bay Nature Reserve, the Columbine Nature Reserve (at Paternoster) and the 18-hole golf course at the Langebaan Country Club
- 20 minutes from the Club Mykynos Casino
- 20 minutes from the Langebaan Lagoon (a wetland of international importance and host to over 250 bird species) and the Strandloper Restaurant
- 20 minutes from the West Coast Fossil Parki (a national monument offering internationally renowned palaeontological diggings)
- 25 minutes from the West Coast National Park
- 30 minutes from the Rocherpan Nature Reserve
- 45 minutes from the superb Darling wine region, home of Pieter-Dirk Uys’ famous Evita’s Perron Theatre. Other wine regions to be visited on the Swartland Wine Route: The Riebeeck Valley, Citrusdal, Malmesbury, Porterville and Piketberg. Travelling further North you will find the Olifants River Wine Route which features Vredendal, Lutzville and Klawer.
- Horse riding is offered around Vredenburg (10 minutes), Saldanha (15 minutes) and Langebaan (20 minutes).
- Local events: The West Coast Show in Vredenburg (April). A variety of marathons, sporting events, cultural festivals, craft markets and shows.
