Introducing Leeukoppie

“Every time I come to Leeukoppie, I feel like the property is wrapping its arms around me. There are so many places to discover. It’s just magical.”
– Chantal Kerzner

So much of our sense of place and belonging is cemented in childhood. This rings especially true for those who grew up in Africa. Our home continent is rich in energy, beauty and complexity. Africa gets under your skin and stays with you forever. Thus, it felt written in the stars to meet Chantal Kerzner at a dinner party in Cape Town, where we spoke of our deep attachment to Africa. For me, that attachment is most tightly bound to Zimbabwe and for Chantal, Leeukoppie, a vast, wildly beautiful 300-acre estate her father, legendary businessman and hotelier Sol Kerzner, purchased in the early eighties as a family retreat.

A Hidden Gem Near Cape Town: The Exclusive Leeukoppie Estate

Just twenty minutes from buzzy Cape Town, the estate covers a protected, biodiverse hillside stretching to pristine Sandy Bay Beach in Hout Bay. After the 2020 passing of their father, Chantal and her brother, Brandon, lovingly renovated and restored Leeukoppie, continuing Sol’s legacy of legendary hospitality in the hope that other families and friends would experience the happiness, secluded peace and togetherness they have enjoyed for decades at this storied property.

Never, in visiting the most rarified properties in Africa and across the world, have I seen a private estate so tastefully understated, imbued with a depth that honors both African and Cape Dutch architecture and heritage. I promise you this: to reset and restore at a property as iconic and integral to the history of South Africa as Leeukoppie is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Leeukoppie – A Legacy of Love

“My father had an amazing knack for sites,” Chantal told me, laughing when we first met, “He walked into Leeukoppie and just knew it was a very special place.”

The father in question is Sir Solomon ‘Sol’ Kerzner. Revered in South Africa as “The Sun King,” Sol founded Sun City Resort, opened by none other than Frank Sinatra in 1981, Atlantis in Dubai and the Bahamas and The One & Only brand of ultra-luxe properties, amongst others. But Sol’s true love was Leeukoppie, his family home. In fact, the name Leeukoppie means ‘Little Lion’s Head’ and the property was renowned for the roaring parties Sol threw with everyone from the Rat Pack to world leaders by night and for the utopia he created for his children by day. For Sol, a man of humble beginnings whose parents fled the Holocaust for South Africa, family was everything. In fact, many of the top-tier staff who take such exceptional care of guests have been with the estate since the beginning, including Mama Aggie, who has baked what Chantal describes as “the best bread in the world” at Leeukoppie for forty years and described the estate thus: “I love this place. It makes you feel healthy. It makes you feel stronger.”

A singular South African paradise

Everywhere I go – and there are many - I slow down, close my eyes and ask myself, ‘How does this place make me feel?’ At Leeukoppie, I felt alive, connected and profoundly rooted. While I never had the privilege of knowing Sol in person, as I stood with Chantal on the edge of Little Lion’s Head Mountain looking out over the glistening ocean, I felt his pride, his love for his family and this land. Chantal is a daughter living out her father’s legacy - the magic and strength of family bonds is palpable. She has preserved an incredibly special, singular piece of South African hospitality to honor the man who first brought five-star hospitality to South Africa and showed the world how tourism in Africa could be done. And now, here we were standing together…two African women, the next generation of legacy makers committed to creating a vision and sharing experiences of the land we love the most like no other. In that moment, I understood what Mama Aggie meant. Leeukoppie is a place that wraps you in love and makes you feel your best self, happy and at peace. But it also makes you want to ROAR and fully surrender to the beauty and energy this magnificent place holds in abundance.

Insider access to extraordinary places

At ROAR AFRICA, we pride ourselves on finding rare, insider-only access to the most extraordinary places and people on our home continent; places that offer immersion, deep connection and possibly even transformation. Our curated experiences are full of sensitivity, emotional intelligence and creativity, designed to resonate on a deeply personal level.

Leeukoppie is an expression of everything we strive to offer. From the visual palette one absorbs in the architecture, gardens, ocean views and endless blue skies, to the exquisite experiences, every detail is masterfully organized and imbued with a gentle feminine energy. The freedom of horseback riding through fynbos-scented mountains, the ocean breeze brushing your face, the serenity of an intimate breathwork session overlooking the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean and quad biking across a rugged terrain, merging movement and landscape in harmony… Leeukoppie defies all words. It simply has to be felt.

As the world shrinks and the population explodes, rarified places of immense space, fresh air, silence, sky and ocean are dissolving. Leeukoppie is a precious gem I would dream of being at to reconnect with my family and friends , gathering for sundowners and celebrating Africa, its joy and warmth at a boma dinner under a blanket of stars. Leeukoppie is a rare find with all the authenticity and love that Sol, the original Master of Hospitality intended, led by instinctive care and generational love. I hope you’ll consider experiencing this emerald paradise on the ocean for yourself.

To inquire about staying at Leeukoppie, South Africa or to book a transformative safari contact welcome@roarafrica.com.