If you’re looking for a holiday in paradise, you can’t go past the glittering waters and stylish lifestyle of South Africa’s coastal city, Capetown. Achim and Shubha Wambach fell in love with the popular tourist destination on their first visit in 2001, and now welcome international visitors to their beautiful holiday house, Aquatic Villa. Danielle Hanrahan talks to them about their enviable home away from home.

It was love at first sight for Achim and Shubha Wambach the moment they glimpsed the beautiful landscape of Cape Town in South Africa. With a relaxed, cosmopolitan lifestyle that offered stunning surroundings, fabulous food and wine, cultural diversity and the magic and adventure of Africa, it’s easy to see why they fell in love with this gorgeous city.

Hoping to return again and again, the couple looked for a luxurious seaside holiday house they could also offer to family, friends and international visitors. After looking at a number of dazzling homes in the exclusive Camps Bay area – a beautiful part of Cape Town that regularly sees the international glitterati descend on its exquisite palm-lined, white sandy beaches – they eventually settled on an outdated 1950s house which had beautiful bones but needed some work.

Focusing on the positive, the Wambachs saw a house with huge potential and a location that was beyond words. “We realised it would take a lot to convert the house into a modern luxury villa, but the views from the property took our breath away,” Shubha explains. “The landscape and the weather are the main reasons holidaymakers and photo and film crews come from all corners of the world. It is also why we bought a holiday property 9000 kilometres away from our home!”

It took over two years of communicating their design ideas to the architect and builder in South Africa before their home away from home was complete. The result is a luxurious five-bedroom villa with the flexibility to be separated into two private apartments, each with open-plan living, beautiful dining and kitchen spaces, individual pools and outdoor entertaining areas that have world-class views of Cape Town’s natural beauty. “We wanted to capture the views while still maintaining privacy, and we wanted indoor-outdoor entertainment areas which took advantage of the 300 days of sunshine that the city enjoys each year,” Achim explains.

Since swimming, entertaining and barbecuing are some of South Africa’s favourite pastimes, the couple ensured their outdoor areas were up to scratch with 288sqm of balconies and exterior settings. The sliding doors of the lounge and main bedroom push back behind the walls to open onto terraces, creating seamless indoor-outdoor spaces.

The neutral palette of the property’s interior enhances the splendour of the vista beyond the walls. “We didn’t want the interior to compete with the beauty of the exterior landscape,” Shubha relates. “We wanted to create a sense of calm and relaxation, keeping the focus on the views outside,” Achim adds. “We used a neutral, elegant colour scheme and brought individuality to the rooms through details and variations in the theme.”

And, as Achim explains, their attention to detail extended to all areas of the home. “Most of the furniture was designed by us and custom-made locally,” he says. “It had to be stylish, yet comfortable and practical as it’s a holiday home.”

With clean lines, a serene blend of white and beige and nature-inspired decor such as glass bowls, beach shells, driftwood and organic suspended lights, the interior is the perfect backdrop to relax, unwind and marvel at the other worldly beauty of this amazing continent.

For more information visit www.aquaticaccommodation.com