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Fancourt
Montagu Street, Blanco, George
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Luxury-travel journalism has always been an aspiration of mine, but deep in the pit of my stomach is an uneasy feeling I can never quite ignore whenever I’m in opulent spaces; its called imposter syndrome.
The closest I’ve come to interacting with a place as grandiose as Fancourt is by religiously watching Top Billing. It didn’t really help that I was the only black person in the group I was travelling with and that the majority of dinner table conversations were about timeshares people owned at the Kruger National Park and visits to Greece every two months. I tried to chip in wherever I could, but the conversation was out of my class range and generational tax bracket.
The famous Fancourt golf estate boasts hectares of lush green opulence and homes worth R38 million and upwards. Visitors can enjoy a range of activities including a spa that has a relaxing indoor heated Roman bath, among other services.
There is also a leisure centre with a “Kidz Club”, a teen lounge, a cinema, an indoor heated pool and outdoor pool area.
The awesome thing about this estate is that you can only access its facilities using your access cards and children have to be signed into the club.
Safety is prioritised here.
Out of the four restaurants on site, I enjoyed Henry White’s the most, with its excellent fine dining menu and world-class charismatic chefs.
I also enjoyed coffee tasting at Pause and a visit to the strawberry farm, which was really fun.
There were cringeworthy moments too, as our tour guide felt the need to mention that George doesn’t have a lot of crime, insinuating that this was because there are few black people residing there.
To complement the micro aggressions of racism we passed by a high school named after PW Botha.
Fancourt does live up to its five-star status if you’re wealthy enough to afford it. George, like many other pockets of South Africa, could see you having uncomfortable encounters of race and other intersectionalities. However, it’s an all-round scenic escape from the hustle and bustle of Johannesburg.
