The old Ambassador Hotel, a landmark building with the most perfect location perched on the edge of the ocean in Victoria Road on Cape Town’s Atlantic Seaboard, is currently being redeveloped into ultra-luxurious apartments by property developers Da’Realty – with completion expected by mid-2018.
At a redevelopment cost of R900 million, the end product of eight luxury presidential penthouses overlooking the ocean, capped by a show-stopping 770sqm penthouse - with another 15 apartments across the road – is set to be as spectacular as promised by Da’Realty, property artists who have stated that this is “a development of a calibre unseen on this continent”.
Named AURUM – which means “Shining Dawn” in Latin, while Au is the symbol for gold - the sea-facing presidential apartments in Victoria Road range in size from 270sqm to 800sqm. On the mountainside of Victoria Road, the luxury residential units start at 125sqm, increasing to 600sqm. Prices start at R15 million for mountainside apartments – going up to R130 million for sea-facing apartments.
The eight presidential residences each occupy their own floor, with private lift access, and when completed AURUM will feature details such as a cascading waterfall with gold hand-stitched mosaics for the logo, a reception area adorned with fine glass and crystal chandeliers, a luxurious spa, restaurant, 24-hour valet and concierge services, and beautifully landscaped grounds around a feature pool.
AURUM developers, Da’Realty, established their presence in the Western Cape three years ago when founding President Ahsan Darvesh fell in love with the beauty of Cape Town whilst studying for his MBA here, and made the decision to open a South African division of this family-owned property development company, which is part of the internationally renowned Darvesh family.
At the time, Ahsan was staying at the then Ambassador Hotel, which was for sale, and this became the first acquisition for Da’Realty. “The Ambassador Hotel presented prime positioning, where all elements of nature presented themselves to be woven into the artistry of the building – a focus that is integral to Da’Realty’s ethos,” explains Ahsan, who has a deep and abiding passion for art and beauty – particularly in nature.
Pioneers turning buildings into artworks
Da’Realty are global pioneers, turning property development into an art form. The company has a strong brand guideline which brings the five elements of nature into every development - a combination of luxury and nature that Da’Realty calls ‘Lifestyle Artistry’ and which offers a rare level of beauty – not only in terms of the positioning of the building within the landscape but indeed in every fixture, finish and detail.
“Our goal is to create buildings which are in themselves works of art and which redefine the concept of opulent limited edition living in South Africa. Da’Realty will never develop more than one building within a given suburb or area of the Western Cape and we will only create artistic developments as and when the right properties present themselves, with the right balance of art and nature."
“AURUM, when completed, will be an extremely exclusive, super-luxury work of art with exquisite finishes that are rarely seen in South Africa. The few privileged AURUM owners will be part of a private collection of art properties where every aspect has been carefully considered and each element is crafted by top artisans from around the world," says Ahsan.
From brass sanitary ware to hingeless handmade doors with beautiful picture frame architraves, 2.5 metre vein matched marble tile flooring, Bang Olufsen TV and music systems that look like art on the walls, every detail has been carefully selected by Ahsan Darvesh himself. Ahsan developed his passion for art and creativity, as well as his exacting standards and eye for detail, whilst overseeing Elegant, a division of the Darvesh family in the Middle East founded by Ahsan which pioneered bespoke retail fit-outs for top brands such as Chanel, GUCCI, TOMFORD, YSL and 100 more luxury brands.
“True beauty lies in the details and to achieve perfection one has to strive for more. As most artists around the world start from a vision or an inspiration, so is the case with Da’Realty and AURUM,” says Ahsan.
Da’Realty have already won two awards for AURUM – one being an award for Best International Development Marketing and the other for the Best Development Marketing in Africa. In addition to AURUM, the company is also developing luxury residential hanging garden villas in Clifton called AZALEA, as well as a luxury retail galleria in Sea Point called ARTEM (previously the old Adelphi Centre) - an opulent retail-meets-art experience unlike anything seen in the Western Cape, with completion scheduled for February 2018.
For more information, visit www.darealty.com.
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