SA boasts the finest estates outside the US

Sprawling parks and gardens, security, innovative design, location and scenery are the distinctive attributes that set SA's swankiest residential estates apart from the rest.

The latest estate ratings released last week by New World Wealth has revealed SA's top 10 residential estates, including Arabella, Atlantic Beach, Fancourt, Pezula, Simbithi, Steenberg, Steyn City, Val de Vie and Zimbali.

Val de Vie, located in the Cape Winelands, has been named as the overall top estate in SA and Western Cape. Steyn City in Gauteng, Fancourt on the Garden Route and Zimbali in KwaZulu-Natal snapped top positions in their regions.

New World Wealth's Andrew Amoils said a research team had visited top-end residential estates during the year to compile the report. They were rated on their communal gardens and parks, design and space, maintenance, location, views, scenery, security features, facilities and activities.

"SA is one of the global pioneers in residential estate living. In fact, the
only country with more residential estates is the US - mainly in Florida.

"Interestingly, residential estates are now becoming increasingly popular across the globe," he said.

Val de Vie's "beautiful winelands, polo fields, equestrian centre, highly rated golf course, natural fynbos scenery, parks, lakes and mountain backdrops" earned it the top spot. Real estate adviser Basil Weinrich said residential estate living is on the rise among the more affluent: "There is a move away from traditional golf estates and towards lifestyle and retirement estates."

Weinrich said the new model allows for more parkland and open spaces between the neighbourhoods. "A large number of lifestyle and golf estates have started to add luxury apartments onto their offerings. Previously, most estates had focused only on houses."