The infinity pool at dusk, Table Mountain standing behind it

The Collection · Bishopscourt

Villa Intaba

Bishopscourt · Cape Town · South Africa

A monolithic house of sandstone and light on two and a half acres in Bishopscourt, with a brand new padel court, a squash court, a hammam and a cinema under the mountain.

Hideaway Included
Concierge On request
Driver On request
Chef On request
Coach On request
rate on request
Enquire

01 Hideaway Included

The full reading is still to come. Until then: the listing’s evidence, read under the same seven categories.

The Villa for a Group

Sleeping & en-suite quality
Seven bedrooms, all en suite, five kings and two queens, one of them a private studio flat on the ground floor. Fourteen sleep without a short straw.
Kitchen & the long table
A French copper kitchen with a walk-in fridge, and a sixteen-seater table where suppers run until the moon clears the mountain.
Flow & shared living
The entrance hall opens to living areas on both sides and the mountain straight ahead. A games room, a bar, a study and a cinema for twelve split the group without scattering it.
Design calibre
Indian Dholpur sandstone laid in Tadao Ando's spirit, light bouncing off every symmetrical surface. Range Rover borrowed the house to say so.
The lap pool and the garden, the whole panorama
A daybed on the pool deck, the mountain close behind
The courtyard and its lily pond
The wine cellar, the cinema room through it
The games lounge, a card table set
A stone staircase up to the bedroom suite
An onyx shower beside the gallery staircase
The sandstone exterior, papyrus in the gardens below it
1 / 8

The Setting

Seclusion & neighbour distance
Two and a half acres of acacia, old ficus and tiered hedges in Bishopscourt, entered by a winding drive through the trees.
Nature, light & views
Table Mountain's green back fills the frame behind the pool. Ponds and water features carry it through the garden.
Quiet
The leafiest suburb in Cape Town, the city fifteen minutes, the Constantia winelands ten.
Tiered hedges, Table Mountain behind them
Stepping stones through the hedge garden
The garden bedroom pavilion and its steps
The entrance hall, Table Mountain through it
A daybed at the pool, the mountains across the whole view
1 / 5

The Padel Court

Verification & privacy
A brand new private court, put in by the new owners, joining the squash court already on the grounds. Both are yours alone.
Surface & build
New, and the surface has never taken another group's week. Glass and floodlights to confirm with the house.
Floodlights & play
Two rackets in one house: padel through the morning, squash for the hour nobody wants to stand in the sun.
Aesthetic integration
Set within the tiered gardens under the mountain.
The squash court, a shuffleboard along the wall beside it
1 / 2

The Kitchen

Chef access & provisioning
A private chef on request. The walk-in fridge and the drinks fridges mean the house provisions like a restaurant.
Local food, a short drive
Constantia's dining rooms at ten minutes: La Colombe on Silvermist, Bistro Sixteen82 and Catharina's at Steenberg, Beau Constantia's glass room over the valley.
Wine & produce culture
The oldest wine valley in the southern hemisphere starts at the bottom of the hill, and the house keeps a cellar and a bar to bring it home to.
The dining room, the copper kitchen open behind it
The covered terrace, its table laid the length of it
1 / 2

The Relaxation

Pool & water
A heated lap pool banked by lawn and massive daybeds on the garden's first level, ornate ponds beyond it.
Sauna, ice, spa
A hammam with spring-water showers, a steam room, a jacuzzi and a spa. One bathroom carries an onyx shower that changes with the light.
Sleep & unprogrammed space
Underfloor heating through the house, a cinema for twelve, and a garden that absorbs fourteen people without effort.
The lamplit corridor through to the bedroom lounge
The lap pool on its terrace
The heated lap pool along the lawn
1 / 3

The Service on site

On-site staff & housekeeping
Two housekeepers daily, laundry handled, and two gardeners keeping the acres.
Upkeep & grounds
Grounds, pool and courts kept. Twenty-four hour surveillance and a security team on the intercom.
Runs-itself factor
Inverters carry the main rooms through any power cut. The house never notices.
A grey bedroom, safari cushions on the bed
A bedroom open to the air, the mountain in front
The rooftop jacuzzi, a copper shower beside it
1 / 3

The Feeling

Arrival & sense of place
The iron gates, the avenue of acacias, the sandstone holding the last light.
The week that arranges itself
The courts and the pool by day, the hammam at dusk, the cinema after dark.
The double height entrance, lanterns hung down it
Lanterns at the lily pond, Table Mountain beyond
The lap pool running to its infinity edge
1 / 3

The features

Everything in the villaroom by room

The villa

  • 7 bedrooms, all en suite
  • Sleeps 14 · ground-floor studio flat
  • 2.5 acres of gardens
  • Indian Dholpur sandstone, Ando-inspired
  • Games room, study, bar
  • Underfloor heating throughout
  • Air conditioning

Sleeping

  • Five kings, two queens
  • Jacuzzi and steam room off one suite
  • Onyx shower in one bathroom
  • Balconies with mountain views upstairs
  • Linen and towels provided

Kitchen & table

  • French copper kitchen
  • Walk-in fridge and drinks fridges
  • 16-seater dining table
  • Gas Weber barbecue
  • Two outdoor fireplaces
  • Espresso machine

Court & outdoors

  • Private padel court, newly built
  • Squash court
  • Heated lap pool, daybeds alongside
  • Ornate ponds and water features
  • Avenue of acacias, tiered hedges
  • Outside shower

Wellness & tech

  • Hammam with spring-water showers
  • Steam room · jacuzzi · spa
  • Cinema room for 12
  • Surround sound, wifi
  • Wine cellar
  • Inverters in the main rooms

Service & stay

  • Two housekeepers daily
  • Two gardeners on the grounds
  • 24-hour surveillance, security on intercom
  • Check-in 2 pm · check-out 10 am
  • City 15 minutes · winelands 10
  • No smoking inside · no pets without consent

Anything in outline is not here, and it is stated rather than hidden.

02 Concierge On request

The week is planned with me before you arrive, and I am on call while you are there.

Before
Chef, transfers, tastings and the week's shape, set before you land.
During
The plan shifts, and I hold it.
The pillared glass facade, art along the lounge behind it

03 Driver On request

We sort how you get there, and how you get around.

The route in
Met at Cape Town International, about twenty-five minutes to Bishopscourt. The city is fifteen.
The week
A driver for the winelands, the coast and the city's tables.
The Range Rover waiting in the garden

04 Chef On request

A private chef on request, in a kitchen that will spoil them.

The chef
Menus agreed beforehand, dietaries handled, the copper on show.
Out
Constantia and the city, booked ahead by me.

05 Coach On request

You came to play, so we only use coaches we have played with.

The bench
Cape professionals with competition experience, English taught.
The format
Your court, your hours, drills and matchplay under the mountain.
The levels
Mixed groups read in one warm-up.

Trip Plan

The house is included. Add the chef, the driver and the coach, and I reply within a day with one price.

Your trip plan

Tell me when, and I will price it

Villa Intaba, a private villa in Bishopscourt, South Africa with its own court. The whole place, sleeps 14.

Select your preferences
  • Hideaway IncludedSeven en-suite bedrooms on two and a half acres
What it costs
Hideaway, the week
On request
Anything I should know

Optional. Whatever you tell me here I answer in my first reply, rather than writing back to ask.

Where to reach you

Either one is enough. I reply to whichever you leave.

Referred by

Optional. Introductions carry weight here.

The practical questions about Villa Intaba

Why book through you?

The villas are looked after by people who are particular about who they work with, and they work with me. That takes time to earn and it is why this collection grows slowly, a villa at a time.

You pay the villa's own rate, and the week costs no more for my being in it: my commission comes out of what the villa already charges. The Concierge, Driver, Chef and Coach are quoted alongside it as one price, and I am on call for them all week. Every enquiry comes to me, so the person who answers is the person who arranges it.

How this began →

Is there a security deposit at Villa Intaba?

The villa sets its deposit and it is written into your agreement before you book. Ask me and I will tell you the figure for your dates.

More on how deposits and damage are handled →

When do we arrive, and can we book a shorter stay?

Any day, minimum 7 nights. Tell me your dates and I will confirm with the villa.

Which airport do we fly into for Villa Intaba?

Cape Town International (CPT), about twenty-five minutes away by road. Add the Driver and you are met at arrivals and driven in.

What comes with the villa, and what can I add at Villa Intaba?

The whole villa, yours alone, 7 suites for 14. Add the concierge, a driver, a chef and a coach and I plan the week and come back with one price.

What is added to the rate at Villa Intaba?

It differs by villa. Some quote the week with the cleaning and the taxes inside it; others charge cleaning separately, or tax on the booking fee. I confirm this villa's lines before I quote, so the figure I come back with is the figure you pay.

How you are billed →

Enquire