TABLE MOUNTAIN’S SECRET
Future Found Luxury Lodges
There is so much about Africa’s luxury lodges that is simply timeless.
Whether it is evoking the classic colonial era on the plains of the Maasai Mara or a contemporary villa closeted away in an untouched pocket of Kruger National Park, time doesn’t merely stand still, it becomes indefinable, ephemeral and little more than a concept by which other poor, distant souls must regulate their working lives.
Africa’s modern history, that of the last one hundred years or so, is steeped in iconic imagery. Some of it, admittedly, is best left in the past, while some is passionately and justifiably upheld, as much a part of safari culture as a Maasai tribesmen, a canvased roof and an elegant sundowner at the end of another perfect day.
But there is also a less distinguishable timelessness to Africa. One that doesn’t need the visual references associated with safari, nor the tributes to explorers past. It is in the air, the lifestyle, the panoramic views and the expansive skies. It begs you to leave your wristwatch on the nightstand, turn your phone’s battery to seep into nothingness and allow yourself to drift upon the whimsical ebb and flow of each and every day.
Table Mountain’s Luxury Lodges
Like us all, Table Mountain is gradually crumbling as time slowly passes. But the aeons it has existed, and the millennia it will continue to stand sentinel over the city of Cape Town have ensured that, when South Africa comes to mind, an image of its distinctively cropped summit is never far behind.
Across the world, iconic landmarks steal time away. So often have we seen them in print or film, that when we arrive in their shadow, we already know them intimately. Such is the geological expanse of Table Mountain’s lifetime, this sense of infinity is greatly compounded.
Future Found Sanctuary nuzzles into the crook of Table Mountain’s neck, snuggled like a nurtured infant in blissful comfort, the forested slopes enveloping its two contemporary properties like a viridescent blanket.
Each luxury lodge offers exclusive use, a private sanctuary for up to 16 guests set amongst landscaped gardens and towering trees. But this is no AirBnB or home-stay, for what Future Found Sanctuary brings is an acute attention to every detail, and a hotel-like suite of facilities far beyond the realms of most private dwellings.
Your Time
Impeccably designed to both subtly dissolve into the landscape and embrace the unfettered expansive views of nature, the timelessness of Future Found’s luxury lodges isn’t in their architecture, for that is every bit chic, minimalist and contemporary. Sumptuous interiors marry polished concrete and raw timber, vast panels of glass allow light and nature to cascade into the interior, and every modern convenience and luxurious indulgence is accounted for.
With the effervescent Cape Town to its north, beyond the uniform plateau of Table Mountain, the picturesque coastal town of Hout Bay to the south and the rolling fynbos hills of the Garden Route stretching to the east, Future Found is perfectly poised to take complete advantage of the dynamic and varied Southern Cape. But in this sanctuary, time – indeed, the entire world – evaporates.
The silence is pervasive, the serenity absolute, and it is in this that you are cast into chronological ambiguity.
Rise when you wish, the sounds of nature washing over you as the day’s light first finds your eyes; awaken sleepy limbs with a personal, private yoga class in the stunning gardens; find a deep reconnection to your inner self with sound healing, acupuncture, massage and a complete portfolio of wellness modalities; be guided by nature to find a unique sense of place into every part of your experience.
Home From Home, & Infinitely More
Future Found Sanctuary balances the polarities of a completely catered vacation and private escape harmoniously, allowing you to enjoy the wonderful intimacy of a family retreat or gathering of dear friends in a venue that feels entirely your own. And yet the option always exists to be soothed by a nurturing massage, join a personal trainer for a bespoke gym session, have every meal served to your table, or dive into the kitchen yourself, preparing your meals from the bounty of local produce or crafting cuisine under the watchful eye of a chef-teacher.
Your time is yours, as is your world. Stepping from the six-acre property, you can find yourself on walking trails weaving ever upwards towards the magnificent mesa of the Southern Cape.
Within 20 minutes, one can be dining on fresh seafood in the artisanal oceanside town of Hout Bay or venturing from land to watch Southern right whales leaping dramatically from the waves. Cape Town beckons, less than an hour away, with its fine collection of globally-renowned restaurants and superb retail scene, or the chance to view the other side of the mountain while enjoying crisp regional wines on the V&A Waterfront.
The delightful penguins of Boulders Beach, the birdlife and antelope of the Grootbos, and the dentally proliferate predators of the Southern Ocean may not encompass the quintessential African safari, but this abundance of wildlife will entertain and inspire the most avid of nature enthusiasts.
Your Space
Future Found Sanctuary incorporates two villas, each in their own enclave of privacy within the verdant property. Villa Verte, a four-bedroom lodge with an air of urban aesthetic, is the smaller of the two, though no less well-appointed. One can arrange a fully-catered stay or order a stocked pantry in advance, taking complete advantage of the Cape’s abundant fruit, vegetables, cheeses, produce and, of course, its wines.
The fully-equipped gymnasium is at the disposal of guests at any time of day or night, particularly useful in the first couple of jetlag-addled days, while two swimming pools, a sauna, spa and plunge pool beckon limbs wearied from long flights and shorter hikes.
Maison Noir offers 16 guests opulent luxury in five expansive bedrooms, ideally suited to extended family groups or a collection of friends or colleagues.
A large dining table provides a wonderful communal space at meal times, but the architectural composition is such that one can equally find a little seclusion if desired. No South African sojourn is complete without sampling the traditional flavours of the braai, or classic barbeque. Produce can be delivered fresh to the grill or a chef can educate the uninitiated in the fine art of the braai, the rich, enticing flavours whetting the appetite and heightening the ambiance of the experience.
Lost in Time
From hour to hour and day to day, time at the luxury lodges of Future Found both stands still and slips languidly by. Finding a quiet nook, one can escape into the pages of a book, lost in the story and in the nature that encompasses you.
There is a classical farmhouse nuance to a Future Found experience, despite its residences being anything but. The property’s private organic garden and bountiful flora create a symbiosis with the landscape, a connection that agriculturalists know implicitly, but most of us glimpse only in tentative and fleeting moments.
It is here, in this union with wilderness and immersion of the self, that Future Found Sanctuary’s sense of timelessness lies; that and one’s want for the hands to slow, the seconds to lengthen, and your stay in these exquisite luxury lodges to pass with a syrupy lethargy.
It is not possible for us to stop time, but at Future Found one can glean the very most of every single moment.
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All Images: ©Future Found Sanctuary
