t. + 27 21 987 7821  f. + 27 21 438 5571   e. bookings@capevillas.com  

HISTORY:

It is said that necessity is the mother of invention and for the founder of Cape Villas, Londoner Nick Raymond Ball, the need to rent out his newly purchased property in Cape Town in 1999, shortly after his first visit, inspired him to realise the establishment of his own company. In 2000 whilst awaiting the necessary business visa processing, Nick did the preparatory internet groundwork in securing the 'Cape Villas' domain name prior to relocating here a year later and developing various tourism portals to showcase Cape Town and channel travel enquiries. From the inception of Cape Villas in 2002 the company soon became the most-searched site when googled as the preferred choice. 2003 saw the successful transition of the company from an internet-only agency to having a high street presence with the opening of the first Cape Villas outlet in Sea Point and the employment of our villa specialist sales agent Oliver van der Heaver.

In 2005 a property management division was founded mandating properties for exclusive rental marketing and servicing to Cape Villas. A second shop was opened in Camps Bay in 2006 to develop this side of the business while current MD Simone Smith came on board to facilitate the expansion of the customer services and marketing operations. A new concentration on affiliate marketing, the laision practice of working hand-in-hand with tour operators in promoting properties mandated to Cape Villas, was developed in 2007 resulting in substantial additions to the company's portfolio. In 2008 the coffee table portfolio brochure in glossy magazine format of Cape Villas properties-now jointly distributed with Conde Nast Traveller- was first published while client property reviews came to the fore.

This year also saw a concentration on the most select properties at the de luxe end of the spectrum in which Cape Villas has subsequently dealt with exclusively. As the ten year anniversary mark approached and Cape Villas' reputation as a trusted brand among discerning business travellers, royalty, international models, film stars and musicians had been assured, an official relationship with the football governing body FIFA has been developed as Nick became a founder member of 'FIFA Club 2010' to accommodate special VIP guests in readiness of the global Cape Town showcase event taking place between mid-June and mid-July of 2010.