When Cecile du Preez opens her eyes in the morning, she looks at the view through her window at the Sardinia Bay Golf & Wildlife Estate and thinks, “I’m in heaven”.
This is the latest affirmation of the scenic beauty and tranquil setting offered by the popular housing development on the southern outskirts of Port Elizabeth.
For two of Sardinia Bay’s newest residents, it was love at first sight as Cecile, a medical rep, and her husband Andre, who is in the automobile industry, sealed an estate deal.
As they approached retirement age, the couple began to consider their options and a Facebook post advertising a house on the estate caught their attention.
“We really liked the look of the house but, to be honest, we didn’t know much about Sardinia Bay Golf & Wildlife Estate at that stage,” says Cecile.
“So we made an appointment with Alan [Moore of RE/MAX Independent Properties] to see the house and he took us through the estate.
“It actually opened up a whole new world for us. We were absolutely blown away by what it offered and it basically ticked every box of what we were looking for in retirement.
“Once we saw this house, we made up our minds, literally, within a minute. We walked in and we said this is where we want to be.”
As the couple are still active, the recreational facilities, plus the running and walking options, have been a boon.
In addition, both have a longing for the natural environment perfectly encapsulated by the estate.
Having lived in the suburban hubbub of Mill Park, Andre says they felt it was time for something different.
“We were there for 20 years and it had served its purpose,” he says. “The children [two daughters] had left home and I felt I needed to get away from that built-up environment.
“And that’s exactly how it feels when you come over the hill [from the city side] and look down to the sea, with the cattle in the meadows – this is so relaxing, it’s great.”
As a farm girl at heart, having grown up near Grahamstown, Cecile feels they have found the perfect setting.
“We really wanted to live somewhere that enabled us to be outdoors and close to the natural environment,” she says. “This has it all, with great security, recreation options and the fresh air.”
The couple viewed the estate in November and having made up their minds, they were due to move in mid-April. But the Covid-19 lockdown put paid to that.
In a slightly odd way, Cecile feels the delay – they moved in on June 30 – helped her to get used to the idea of what was a quite different environment.
“I think it was good for me because I still had a very active life in Mill Park and was really in a comfort zone there,” she says.
“But during lockdown, we were able to consolidate our thoughts and I began to realise what an ideal situation we were moving into.
“And after two months here, the experience has absolutely exceeded expectations. This is just perfect.
“Because I love exercise, there are so many places I can continue with that in terms of cycling, running, tennis or golf, and the Sardinia Bay beach is so close – we spend a lot of time there.”
Any thoughts about the inconvenience of no shopping centres on your doorstep were swiftly allayed by a video Moore showed them.
“The video has a timer and Alan showed us how the drive from the estate to the suburbs takes you just five minutes,” says Andre. “And then you have shopping centres and other facilities all around you.”
He adds that the wildlife on the estate only serves to sweeten the experience.
“The other day I was sitting in my office and the springbok came right onto our front lawn, so that is really special,” he says.