When Bruce and Nicola Brown first visited Sardinia Bay Golf & Wildlife Estate, they thought moving to the Port Elizabeth lifestyle sanctuary was a pipedream.
But, after realising that a home in the “wild” was what they wanted for their young family, they pulled out all the stops to make their dream a reality.
While their home was being built, the couple, who moved from Johannesburg six months ago, have been living in a small rental unit in a nearby suburb. They were relieved to move into their spacious home with their daughters in early July.
Bruce and Nicola, who are both originally from the Eastern Cape, are happy to return to the area they grew up in to be close to family – as well as the white sandy beach with its stunning sand dunes just around the corner.
Although Nicola admits that she was never in favour of complex living, she found that the estate exceeded her vision when she saw the spacious free-standing homes within a secure and natural environment.
“This is easy living,” she says.
The Brown’s home at number 81 overlooks a water hole and untouched bushveld and she says it “feels like we are constantly on holiday”.
The self-employed 36-year-old has a home office nook from where she liaises remotely with her Johannesburg clients, while keeping an eye on the girls in their playroom.
Bruce describes their dealings with Re/Max throughout the purchase, design and build process as “simple”.
“Leon Erasmus took over the project management of the building phase and communicated with the builder and architect on our behalf. He was so easy to deal with.
“We went back and forth on decisions, but nothing was ever too much for Leon,” adds Nicola. “We were also bang on budget and bang on deadline.”
The couple consider their home’s exposed rafters, indoor braai area, high-end kitchen and luxurious en suite bathroom as the standout features of their new home. Nicola mentions that while she selected mostly low-key finishes, she splashed out on the bathroom.
The estate’s security played a big factor in the couple’s purchasing decision. Their daughters can play freely outside, while mom can squeeze in an after-dark run at the end of a busy day.
Thanks to the estate’s proximity to town, their children can attend school just a few minutes away in PE’s suburbs, while all the shops, restaurants and medical facilities required in one’s daily activities are also less than a 10-minute drive away.
Nicola describes school drop-off and pick-up runs as their bi-daily game drives, passing zebra, springbok, bushbuck, impala and other species of wildlife between home and school.
Once the third wave of Covid-19 infections has subsided, the couple look forward to meeting fellow residents, seeing their girls make friends with other youngsters in the estate as well as socialising with neighbours at the recreation centre.