The words “Lifestyle farm” have in the last few years become familiar in the property lexicon. But what exactly is a lifestyle farm.
A lifestyle farm, broadly speaking, is a relatively small property – a farm or smallholding depending on personal perceptions of size – where a gentleman farmer (or wannabe farmer) can live in extreme comfort in a gracious homestead while producing as little as five hectares of grapes for example, on a boutique wine estate. Or raise some specialised animals such as goats for cheese, or indulge in a passion for olives with a few hundred trees, or grow organic heritage vegetables.
The farm and its products and activities will not necessarily make a fortune for the owner, neither will running it be too taxing; it usually requires only casual labour and removes the grind of commercial farming and its reliance on the weather, staff, market fluctuations and other restrictions – while providing an enviable lifestyle for the owner with sufficient funds to support it independently of the farm’s true economic viability.
There’s been a very marked move among the wealthy semi-retired corporate people to do just this: get out of the rat race while still in the energetic healthy years, and live out one’s life in a better and usually more beautiful place and at a more serene pace.
Many “lifestyle” farms have a guest accommodation component, and may also have a barn or small shop for selling the produce, and providing a venue for conferences and weddings. It is the ideal set-up for horsey people to keep a few animals and offer outrides or mountain bike trails, game rides, birdwatching and hiking.  Essentially, just enough to keep one busy without being too tied down or heaven forbid, overworked.
Country Estates Property Brokers in Prince Albert are offering two ideal lifestyle properties, one an exquisitely beautiful 22-hectare organic farm with a magnificent  homestead twenty minutes from the town (R5,75m) and the other an imposing historic gabled house in town on 5300m2 of vines and rose gardens which provide a pleasantly  substantial annual income with minimum input of either cash or manpower (R4,7m)
Prince Albert is one of the Karoo’s blue-chip towns, and has attracted local and foreign investors with its value-for-money properties and enviable lifestyle. The town has an excellent infrastructure with schools, two theatres , and a hospital and old age home, as well as being conveniently located less than two hours from the coast and the airport at George. There is also a landing strip for private aircraft close to the town.

It is known for its superb climate and a host of eco-attractions not least of all the majestic Swartberg Pass and Meiringspoort, as well as the quality of its local wines, olives and excellent cuisine. There are several very good restaurants and a recreational cooking school   It is just 380 kms from Cape Town. Currently the smash hit TV reality cookery series “Kokkedoor” is being filmed here for the second season. The town also has a calendar of popular events involving food, wine and the arts including  a new Literary Festival, which attract thousands of visitors annually.
For further information please call Elaine Hurford or Leon de Wit of Country Estates at 0827741069 and 084 491 5062 and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

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