Retirement: Where in SA?

Any of the following from the Eastern Cape:
Wild Side(PE), Glen Eden, Chintsa, Cefane, Haga Haga, Morgan Bay, Kei Mouth, Gubu.
 
akescpt said:
anywhere near the sea. want to sit on the stoep, sip vodka and post on mybb.

anybody know anything about st helena bay?
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My mom lived there and owns a plot there. It's pretty desolate at the moment....small supermarket, bottle store, pub type place and the golf estate (Shelly point).i guess when people start building their houses things will start happening but it's really beautiful. My moms plot overlooks the harbour, I can imagine sitting there drinking beer and staring at the bay on her stoep in a few years.
 
Ps: I'm pretty happy to stay where I am however, I sometimes think about going back to the Durban south coast where I come from but I quickly banish the idea! :)
 
Anyone for Langebaan - got a decent bit of land there, but have not done anything with it, yet...
 
Alan said:
I'm not. Howick doesn't even compare to places mentioned above.
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Having actually lived in both places I must say that I love the Midlands.

The Western/Southern Cape is highly over-rated. The weather is dire. Winters are cold, sodden, damp miserable affairs. It is also remarkably humid. In Summer you need to deal with permanent gale force winds blowing dust and dirt everywhere. The people are also unpleasant and the people seem to be infected by a perverse wannabe-gangster mentality. There are ridiculous levels of drug related crime and general petty criminality. The place is also becoming an over-priced tourist trap with stupidly overprices restaurants and B&Bs with poor service and quality catering to Dollars and Euros.

The midlands on the other hand have real weather. Gin and Tonic still Winter days. Warm dry Summers with evening thunderstorms that leave everything feeling refreshed and cool. The people are down-to-earth and friendly. Everything is reasonably priced and you have stunning landscapes. You're a day trip away from accessible beaches and mountains that aren't swarming with obnoxious tourists and overpriced bistros selling last weeks fish.

So, erm, yeah. I think I'll keep my vote for Howick or Nottingham Road.
 
Alan said:
I think we exist in alternative dimensions or something but okay.
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I'm honestly curious and happy to accept that we can all exist with differing opinions but I'm wondering what negative experiences you've had with the area and why you aren't a fan?
 
BobsLawnService said:
I'm honestly curious and happy to accept that we can all exist with differing opinions but I'm wondering what negative experiences you've had with the area and why you aren't a fan?
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Just don't think it's up there with the cape. Granted the Berg is great but the Midlands isn't really that spectacular. Weather can also be rather harsh with the humidity in summer. Town is also rather unpleasant and driving to Durban is much worse than heading into CT. Roads in general are far worse and crime is just as bad. But people vote with their feet and they're moving to Howick in droves.
 
BobsLawnService said:
Having actually lived in both places I must say that I love the Midlands.

The Western/Southern Cape is highly over-rated. The weather is dire. Winters are cold, sodden, damp miserable affairs. It is also remarkably humid. In Summer you need to deal with permanent gale force winds blowing dust and dirt everywhere. The people are also unpleasant and the people seem to be infected by a perverse wannabe-gangster mentality. There are ridiculous levels of drug related crime and general petty criminality. The place is also becoming an over-priced tourist trap with stupidly overprices restaurants and B&Bs with poor service and quality catering to Dollars and Euros.

The midlands on the other hand have real weather. Gin and Tonic still Winter days. Warm dry Summers with evening thunderstorms that leave everything feeling refreshed and cool. The people are down-to-earth and friendly. Everything is reasonably priced and you have stunning landscapes. You're a day trip away from accessible beaches and mountains that aren't swarming with obnoxious tourists and overpriced bistros selling last weeks fish.

So, erm, yeah. I think I'll keep my vote for Howick or Nottingham Road.
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Can't say I've ever experienced anything that you describe in the Western or Southern Cape.
 
grantza said:
I live in CT in the atlantic seaboard area.
I see it all the time - especially the overpriced bisto's selling last week's fish.
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I'm not saying it doesn't exist, simply that I've never experienced it.

I had a number of restaurants I'd regularly visit that never overcharged me and, certainly, made great food, offered great service and that I miss.

Service out here doesn't exist.
 
Stay where I am in Pta. Having lived in both CT and south coast of Natal, I hate coastal weather - the wind drives me batty.

Also, one thing you need in retirement is decent medical facilities closer than a day's drive away.
 
BobsLawnService said:
Sedgefield/Wilderness. Although I would like to retire within about 100km of family to get the opportunity to be part of the lives of my grandkids if I have any and provide support to my kids (Babysitting, looking after sick grandchildren when mom and dad have to be at work, etc.)
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My outlaws stay on Sedgefield. Great place :)
 
Montagu

Plusses: House prices reasonable
Friendly people, even govt employees
Shopping ok
Plenty of free fruit available for the picking from farmers
Excellent environment
Minimal crime
Good weather overall
Easy to get the garden going
Free "lywater" system for many homes
Many winefarms in the Breede River Valley

Negatives
Can get very hot (40 deg) in summer at times
Nearest well equipped hospital is in Robertson or Worcester (although Montagu Hospital is not bad)
2 hours / 198km from Cape Town and airport

Barrydale is also worth considering, although an extra 90 mins drive
 
There is a Saturday market in the grounds of the Rusoord in Montagu, but it is the same stuff every week and I see the same old tired merchandise being unpacked. The veggies are fresh of course, but one woman admitted that the bottle of pickled onions was last years...
 
To earlier to tell now

If money wasn't an objection I would actually retire in Spain but in South Africa!

Cape Town, find the atmosphere down there more stress free, people are friendly, lots of activities to do than being locked up in the concrete jungle.
 
Spain is very pleasant. What is amazing are the hundreds, if not thousands of unoccupied apartments in holiday and by the sea destinations. This has a very negative effect on the economies of these small towns and they are becoming more and more run down as there is no money to offer proper municipal services.

South Africa, in particular the Western Cape, is nearly a model of one of the better serviced areas. For a perfect life (but you need lots of money) Switzerland is the place. Even this has its drawbacks. Brittany in France has many attractions, not the least there are many English speaking people there
 
RichardG said:
To earlier to tell now

If money wasn't an objection I would actually retire in Spain but in South Africa!

Cape Town, find the atmosphere down there more stress free, people are friendly, lots of activities to do than being locked up in the concrete jungle.
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I would never retire to Cape Town. It's not that different to Joburg in that its a concrete jungle with suburbs. Only place I would consider in SA is somewhere along the Garden Route.

Spain might be an option in about 20 years, but right now its economy is too depressed and you run the risk of losing your savings.
 
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