Just over a year after the announcement of Sun International’s ambitious R295m (€14.6m) Lefika Villas development at Sun City, Phase 1 of the project is 85% complete and every villa is already fully booked for Christmas and New Year.

The Lefika project marks Sun City’s first five-star-plus timeshare on offer at the Sun Vacation Club.

Speaking to media at a site inspection last week, Sun City resort GM, Brett Hoppe, said: “The development could not have come at a more opportune moment. With the Nedbank Golf Challenge starting on November 6 and the end-of-year holidays fast approaching, we are facing unprecedented demand. Luckily, all ten of the four-bedroom villas and 65% of the three-bedroom villas will be available from November. The remaining villas will come on board by mid-December, just in time for festive season bookings.”

The development consists of 48 three-bedroom and 10 free-standing, four-bedroom villas, all en-suite. The new luxury villas form the first phase of a larger development envisaged for the Sun Vacation Club and includes a club house, new restaurants and other amenities.

Janita Donaldson, Group GM for the Sun Vacation Club, said: “We realised that the demand for high-end luxury accommodation was there, but the market reaction to the development exceeded all our expectations and outstripped our sales predictions. By September this year – 11 months after our sod-turning – our entire four-bedroom stock has been sold and the pace of sales for the three-bedroom villas is also tracking way above expectation. Reservations opened on October 5 and that same day, we received reservations from 22% of our members. More than 50% of the four-bedroom villas were also booked for the next 12 months.”

Donaldson said 40% of Lefika Villas’ sales had been snapped up by existing Sun Vacation Club members. The remaining 60% were bought by new members, signing up for the first time.

Homage to heritage

Lefika means ‘stone’ in the local Setswana language, and pays homage to the adjacent stone-walled Itlholanoga heritage site – the real ‘Lost City’ of the greater Sun City resort.

“The expansive mountain views from the villas evoke a feeling of being in nature, built in the trees on a mountainous site, overlooking the valley below, with design inspiration generated from the local flora and fauna,” said Boogertman + Partners Architectural Team Manager, Lila Gouws, who hiked the site together with Landscape Architect Mariska Els for two days to gain an understanding of its ‘sense of place’.

Gouws said important natural features on site, such as rocky outcrops and large trees, informed the placement of each villa and ensured that all the villas had magnificent unobstructed views, while being private from neighbours.

“Our contemporary South African interpretation adopted a bespoke approach to the site and there are many elements that have been specifically custom designed for the project,” Gouws said.

“The natural environment was used as a driving factor in all decisions and influenced the colour and material palette; from the external natural stone walls to the interior art, soft furnishings, cutlery and crockery, creating a unique and truly contextual aesthetic.”

Two of the three-bedroom villas have been designed for the mobility impaired, custom-made to be wheelchair-friendly, with grab handles and height of basins adapted. “There are also emergency buttons within the villas to call should assistance be required,” said Gouws.

All villas have a closed combustion fireplace, and an outdoor entertainment deck with braai and entertainment area. “In addition, the four-bedroom villas each feature their own private plunge pool and a fire pit to gather around for late night chats, or just to sit in the silence of the Pilanesberg mountains while you gaze at the stars,” said Hoppe.

Wide sidewalks connect Lefika Villas to the hustle and bustle of the main resort. A five-minute walk will take members to the bus stop from where they can travel across the resort to the various attractions and amenities at Sun City.

Facts and figures

• 100% South African suppliers and 95% South African products used, making Lefika Villas proudly South African
• 13 local fine artists’ work used across the reception and villas
• 1 168 contractors on site during construction
• A 30% local spend percentage has been maintained by using approximately 50 subcontractors, service providers and local labour
• Materials used for the first phase include 2.2 million bricks, 4 200 cubic metres of concrete and 370 tonnes of steel.