by Emma Gass, 8 January 2010

Hotels are great aren't they? You can relax in beautiful surroundings, enjoy creatively decorated spaces, you don't have to worry about cleaning up after yourself, you can order drinks on the spur of the moment, eat delicious local food, lie by the pool, and explore a fascinating destination.

But eventually you'll also have to conform to the schedules; get up in time for the breakfast buffet, go to great lengths to claim a spot by the pool (inevitably filled with other people's children), and then you have to decide (again!) which expensive restaurant will provide the next meal (when the last thing you want is to change out of your dripping swimming trunks.)

This is why people choose to stay in a Cape Town holiday villa; a villa holiday has all the perks of a great hotel but without the restrictions, and with the added bonus of experiencing the languid, laid-back lifestyle of Cape Town.

There is a villa for everyone

Villas come in all shapes, sizes and styles. There are compact apartments in the heart of the city bowl, or lining the cliffs of the Atlantic Seaboard, which are perfect for independent couples or privacy-seeking romantics.

There are also rambling family homes with large swimming pools and even larger lawns to give the kids space to tire themselves out while the adults do some serious relaxing.

Cape Town beach holiday villas and expansive modern townhouses are perfect for large groups of friends looking to spend fun times together and explore the city. In fact hiring a villa for a sizable group is usually far more cost effective than putting everyone up in their own hotel room.

Stay a while

The advantages of staying in a Cape Town holiday villa really become evident when you want to stay in Cape Town more than a few days, and especially when the days become weeks. In fact you'll find that some villas insist on a minimum nights stay, especially during peak seasons.

Many of Cape Town's most attractive activities, and there are many, are best enjoyed in go-slow mode. Like long boozy lunches overlooking the Ocean, a day hike on the slopes of Table Mountain or a day exploring the Winelands. Interspersed with mornings on the beach, afternoon naps, and sunset cocktails.

Staying in a holiday villa means you can do everything in your own time - get up and go when you want to, eat lunch at four in the afternoon if you need to and eat quick and simple food instead of sitting down to another time consuming and expensive restaurant meal.

Enjoy your Privacy

Probably the biggest plus point of staying in an exclusive use holiday villa is the privacy it affords you. In a hotel there is always someone staying in the room next door, and don't forget those noisy kids in the pool.

Staying in a villa means the only people you need to see are those you've invited into your space and the noisy kids in the pool belong to you. Easier to keep the paparazzi away too!

Stay in the best locations in Cape Town

Location, as they always say, is the most important thing, especially when you're on holiday. If you're having a beach holiday, then the closer you stay to the beach the better. If you're keen to razzle dazzle, then you need to be close to the action.

Cape Town holiday villas are found in the most sought after, and exclusive areas of Cape Town. Make yourself at home in quiet, leafy suburbs, the heart of the V&A Waterfront or right on the beach.

With relatively few conventional hotels or guesthouses in the up market, seaside suburbs of Clifton, Camps Bay and Bakoven on the Atlantic Seaboard, renting a villa is a guaranteed way of holidaying in the most sought after locations in Cape Town.

Get your private butler to organise it

Cape Town villa holidays can be as independent or as pampered as you like. All villas booked through Cape Town Villas are serviced regularly so even if you enjoy creating your own holiday meals and exploring the local delis, markets and supermarkets for real South African produce, you don't have to worry about the housekeeping or doing the dishes.

If you prefer to do as little as possible while on holiday, your grocery shopping can be done for you (very handy for the day you arrive), a private chef can conjure up delicious Cape Town fare as often as you like or produce something special for a private dinner party. Some Cape Town villas even include the services of your own butler.

Other useful services such as nannies to look after the children, chauffer driven cars, as well as hair dressers and masseuses, are available too. It all depends on your personal style and your holiday wants and needs.

Staying in a Cape Town holiday villa lets you live like a local in some of the most sought after areas in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with all the perks you'd expect when you're on holiday.

Article © Copyright 2010 Go2Africa.

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