The Zorgvliet Group – Spotlight CONNOISSEUR’S CHOICE

July 2, 2009 by Fractional & Shared Ownership Property News & Reviews · Leave a Comment

Fine wines and intoxicating scenery are part of unforgettable vacations, but one entrepreneur is on a mission to offer the ultimate wine, culinary, spa, resort playing, conservation and safari experience. Mac Van Der Merwe, owner of the Zorgvliet Group, talks to Fiona Klonarides about creating his exclusive portfolio of resorts and redefining luxury, South African style, in the process.

The view across the vineyards seems endless – and what a view. These are no ordinary vineyards that stretch, row upon row, across the heart of the Cape wine region. Looking out over the 130,000 carefully cultivated vines at the Zorgvliet Vineyard Lodge and Spa, you can’t help thinking Bacchus himself would have been impressed.

This is no ordinary earth. At almost £250,000 per hectare, these pampered grapes ripen under a sun that shines down on the Banhoek Valley near Stellenbosch, a 45-minute drive from Cape Town. This five-star terrain happens to be the most expensive soil in South Africa.

This breathtaking grape escape is part of the Zorgvliet Group of properties, a handpicked collection of luxury resorts developed by Mac Van Der Merwe. The self-made businessman bought the 300 year-old estate (one of the oldest wine farms in the country) in 2002 and, with the help of his wife Marietje, created the first signature resort in the Zorgvliet portfolio.

The six suite, Cape Dutch style Zorgvliet Vineyard Lodge and Spa is, as the website www.zorgvliet.
com says, “authentic, classic, luxurious” – and Van Der Merwe has added a handful of selected resorts,
all in South Africa, in recent years. Zorgvliet vineyard lodges (Zorgvliet , Alluvia owned by daughter Sandie
and husband Delarey and Le Pommier owned by son Stephan and wife Izelle) quickly became a favourite
destination within the Zorgvliet Private Residence Club which offers luxury holiday experiences (wine, spa,
safari and leisure) in prime South African locations.

Aptly-named Zorgvliet by Dutch owners in 1692 (rough translation: “let your sorrows flee”) the wine estate is all you’d expect from a luxury escape. Unlike some fivestar “getaways” that don’t quite deliver that get-awayfrom-it-all feeling, Zorgvliet is surrounded by the views and vineyards of Africa’s premier wine-growing region, slotting it perfectly into the “Somewhere Special” category. Once you’ve sampled the exhilaration of finding it, you find yourself hovering between wanting to tell all your friends and keeping this place a secret.

As afternoon draws to a close and the sun bows out to the evening stars, this part of the Banhoek Valley is arguably proof that paradise exists: one big breathing space of peace, quiet and fertile vines that sprawl out neatly at the foot of the majestic Simonsberg Mountains.

Sipping a “home-grown” award winning Sauvignon Blanc, the name Zorgvliet resonates all the more when you recall that Bacchus – or Dionysos in Greek mythology – was on a mission to free mortals from their woes by wine and music. Here, your sorrows don’t just flee, they emigrate permanently to a far-off place.
Five of the Zorgvliet resorts forming the Zorgvliet Private Residence Club are now affiliated to Interval
International.

It’s an ideal collaboration, as Mac van der Merwe explains: “We chose to affiliate with Interval International because we share a passion for offering exceptional five-star products and cast-iron standards as well as global exchange model that will benefit our members.”

In addition to the Zorgvliet Vineyard Lodge and Spa, the other four resorts that are affiliated to interval
International are two game reserves – the Ka’Ingo Private Game Reserve, and Dinkweng Safari Camp in the beautiful Waterberg in the Limpopo Province – as well as the elegant, riverside Riviera On Vaal Hotel and Country Club, with golf, a spa, river cruises and even a floating restaurant on the Vaal River and Protea King George Hotel, next to the eleventh fairway of the famous George Golf course and part of the George area’s “Garden Route” on South Africa’s Western Cape. www.zorgvlietprop.co.za

All five are tailor-made destinations for those looking for a luxurious South African-style vacation destination, the appeal being that each offers something different alongside the consistent five-star hospitality that defines the Zorgvliet brand.

“Today’s buyers are more sophisticated, they have higher expectations,” Van Der Merwe elaborates. “They want to see and do more, and they no longer want standard holiday properties.” The Zorgvliet Private Residence Club offers experience driven vacations and membership is available from £6,000 for 12 year concessionary usage per week per year, perpetual fraction ownership is also available at some of the properties. Getting involved in wine making, conservation or food and wine paring are all on the offering. Members also receive 24 bottles of personalised labelled Zorgvliet wine per year when joining ZPRC at the Zorgvliet Vineyard Lodge as home resort.

Ka’Ingo Private Reserve and Spa, for example, is about eco-luxury holidays. Visitors enjoy the African bush experience on a private “big five” game animal reserve on the Mokolo River and there are three safari camps: one self-catering, one fully catered, and one six-room private lodge.

At the Dinkweng Safari Camp at Ka’Ingo, the luxurious secluded bush lodges have contemporary kitchens and open-plan layouts, with three master ensuite bedrooms and private pools.

Mac Van Der Merwe has raised the bar high when it comes to standards, and it’s something that’s of paramount importance to him. A self-made entrepreneur, he comes from an unprivileged background. Growing up in Johannesburg he became a mechanical enginner, before venturing into manufacturing deals. But he first became known for his midas touch after buying a loss-making gold mine and turning it into a proverbial gold mine.

Surrounded by so much land, it might be tempting to over-develop his resorts, but Van Der Merwe believes
the essence of their beauty lies in their exclusivity, tranquillity and close contact with nature. He is resolute about protecting the environment and Africa’s wild game, So much so, he’s almost reticent about developing parts of the wilderness at Ka’Ingo and Dinkweng, where 8,000 hectares of virgin land form part of a UNESCO-protected, malaria-free landscape in Waterberg, in the Limpopo Valley.

“There’s a magic here in the Waterberg,” says Van Der Merwe, who must be one of the most likeable developers in the property world. “In fact the more time we spend here, the more we want to keep it a secret.
We are very passionate about the conservation of the wildlife and nature and our Zorgvliet Private Residence
Club members can often participate in the related activies such as the cheetah project, leopard release,
lion collaring and elephant management.”

Adjacent to the Ka’Ingo game reserve, Dinkweng safari camp is defined by its priceless peace and quiet. The
resort will have just 21 units dotted around the hills to ensure complete privacy although there will be some
closer to the clubhouse for those who prefer company. Twelve units have been constructed and each three
bedroom en-suite, 300m2 lodge has its own splash pool and sunset-viewing deck, and home owners are
entitled to partake in the facilities and events at Ka’Ingo “next door”, such as wine-tastings and bush braais.
“Home” is a bit of a hyperbole in this case, as Van Der Merwe is not actively encouraging full time residency,
so as to preserve Dinkweng’s natural tranquillity and its allure as a special place to escape to.

Ka’Ingo Private Game Reserve and Mokolo Game Reserve are the founder member of the Greater Mokolo
Nature Reserve in the Malaria free Waterberg. The new reserve became a reality by taking down fences and
opening a 16, 000 hectare (40 000 acre) conservation sanctuary on the 11th July 2009. This is arguably
the most secluded privately owned nature reserve accessible to the public in South Africa. Exclusive
game viewing is an outstanding attribute with a ratio of 3,000 hectare pristine Bushveld per game viewer and
some 42 game species including; lion, elephant, white rhino, a buffalo breeding program, leopard, cheetah
conservation project, giraffe, ‘majestic’ kudu, impala, waterbuck, gemsbuck, zebra and many more. The
‘majestic’ kudus seen on the reserve is evidence of the positive impact of the no hunting policy which has been introduced more than 7 years ago.

The fence cutting occasion was witnessed by a large contingent of International media representatives. The
interest is based on the conservation aspects, eco tourism and the opportunity to acquire shared vacation
ownership at the Ka’Ingo and Dinkweng camps. Heidi Bár from Mokolo Game Reserve and Mac van der
Merwe from Ka’Ingo Private Game Reserve formally cut the fences between the two reserves establishing a new extended reserve incorporating 8 kilometres Mokolo River frontage. The Greater Mokolo Nature Reserve
has created new development opportunites such as the extention of the established buffalo breeding program, redeveloping the River Lodge on the Mokolo River. This is now a prime game viewing spot with 8 kilometre river frontage and game roaming free on the river banks. Van der Merwe foresee that they will associate with an International partner in this new venture and are inviting interested parties to be part of the exciting new development.

Like fractional yacht or vineyard ownership, the Zorgvliet Private Residence Club, affiliated to Interval
International opens the door to a millionaire lifestyle that won’t cost the earth.

Dinkweng, for example, is being marketed under South Africa’s shared ownership system, based on the
fractional model with unit prices starting at £10,000 for a week’s use per year in perpetuity. Owners can buy
additional time by purchasing more units on the reserve, and members are entitled to swap into Zorgvliet’s
sister properties.

Somehow, probably because of the man behind them, Zorgvliet’s resorts capture the essence of South Africa.
They have a tangible wow factor that’s sometimes missing from luxury resorts. What Mac Van Der Merwe
offers is the best his country has to offer: fabulous food, wonderful wine-tastings, wild game watching
and everywhere, always, that spectacular scenery – a taste of South Africa with lashings of luxury and five-star hospitality all the way.

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