# Moving to the Cape - but where to live?



## ladybay53 (Jun 7, 2011)

We are looking to relocate to the Cape from the UK. We don't want to live in Cape Town but would like to live somewhere within 45 minutes of the airport, preferably on the coast. We have 2 primary age children, so safety, decent schools and healthcare are the most important considerations. I have heard that Fish Hoek is a nice place to live - if anyone has any thoughts or knowledge to advise the best areas it would be greatly appreciated. Also welcome any thoughts if anyone thinks this is a really bad idea! Many thanks


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## wittig (Feb 15, 2011)

*My suggestions*



ladybay53 said:


> We are looking to relocate to the Cape from the UK. We don't want to live in Cape Town but would like to live somewhere within 45 minutes of the airport, preferably on the coast. We have 2 primary age children, so safety, decent schools and healthcare are the most important considerations. I have heard that Fish Hoek is a nice place to live - if anyone has any thoughts or knowledge to advise the best areas it would be greatly appreciated. Also welcome any thoughts if anyone thinks this is a really bad idea! Many thanks


Hi
To put my response into perspective, I have lived in Cape Town from 1970 to 2002 and I cannot wait to get back. Here in England, I am not happy at all. Fish Hoek is indeed a nice place to live, but if you prefer 'City Life' its a bit far out i.e. 30+ min. from central Cape Town. Decent schools can be found in most areas. Furthermore, your choice of area also must take into consideration where you work. A very nice area is Tableview and Sunset Beach (google it). They are only 10 min. from the City with good roads and public transport, and very safe.
Since coming to England(for family reasons), I have assisted or advised lots of people with Q's about emigrating to Cape Town, so feel free to ask me more questions and I'd be delighted to help.
Looking fwd. to hearing back from you.
Uli


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## ladybay53 (Jun 7, 2011)

Hi Uli

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply, any further advice would be much appreciated. We are planning to visit the Cape again this year to investigate further, but we are just trying to narrow down the areas to concentrate our search for the ideal place to live.

With my husbands current work the proximity of the airport is most important (i.e no more than 45 mins away), but ultimately we would like to settle somewhere with the possibility of purchasing/running holiday accomodation. So we are quite happy to be 30 minutes away from the city as long as it is in a safe area and preferably costal with good amenities (schools, doctors, leisure facilities etc.). We have friends in camps bay, but we found it too busy/congested as well as getting very pricey! 

If you have any further suggestions I would be most grateful.

Kind regards
Gail


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## wittig (Feb 15, 2011)

*...further suggestions*



ladybay53 said:


> Hi Uli
> 
> Thanks so much for taking the time to reply, any further advice would be much appreciated. We are planning to visit the Cape again this year to investigate further, but we are just trying to narrow down the areas to concentrate our search for the ideal place to live.
> 
> ...


This is getting more interesting as we communicate! Prior to leaving (with regrets) Cape Town, I owned & managed a Guest House!! To be more specific, in South Africa a Guest House is an accommodation establishment/provider which is bigger than a B&B but a bit smaller than a hotel. Whilst there are plenty of hotels, Guest Houses and B&B's there, the number of tourists can sustain them. However, the key is effective marketing and good connections(essential!). Naturally, I have all those. Without good local knowledge, and the afore-mentioned business contacts the odds are heavily stacked against you. Furthermore, the area your business is situated in is absolutely crucial. I know Cape Town and surrounds like the proverbial back of my hand. I know what tourists expect/look for. This topic is getting too involved for the limited space here in the forum. Can we talk? I'd love to assist, or even better I'd like to discuss some form of 'Partnership'. Not only do I have the essential local knowledge and connections, but running a Guest House is my trade. By the way, I can provide verifiable references or testimonials, should we do anything together. However, I do not wish to jump ahead, but I strongly suggest we chat on the Tel. and then meet. I am in West Yorkshire currently, where are you if I may ask? my Mob. no. is
Best wishes Uli


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## goldguy (Jun 16, 2011)

Table View/Milnerton are closer to the airport if you use the highway. If you move to the Northern Suburbs (Tygerberg area) which are away from the beach but have great schools and health care and the airport is much closer.


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## ladybay53 (Jun 7, 2011)

Hi Uli

Thanks for this - you definitely sound like the person to talk to once we get further down the road with this! I don't want to get too ahead of myself yet, at the moment we are just trying to work out the areas to concentrate our search on when we visit cape town later in the year. The most important thing is to find a place to live that is good for our family - and then we will focus on future business ventures. Thanks for your advice, any further suggestions would be most welcome and hopefully we can go into greater discussion in the future.

Kind regards
Gail


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## ladybay53 (Jun 7, 2011)

Thanks for the suggestions, we definitely want to be costal - so any other suggestions would be most welcome!

Kind regards
Gail


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