MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Mossel Bay Tourism has congratulated the Pinnacle Point Beach and Golf Resort on receiving the International Property Awards' Five-star African Property Award for The Best Golf Development in Africa.
The Resort also took a highly commended award in the Residential category of the competition. This after being named one the Top Ten New Golf Courses of the World by the American publication Travel & Leisure in January 2007, and receiving Compleat Golfer's 5-star Experience Awards - which celebrate South Africa's 25 top clubs - in both 2012 and 2013.
"These are richly-deserved accolades for an estate that's brought enormous attention to Mossel Bay, and one which has helped to position Mossel Bay and the Garden Route amongst South Africa's great golfing and lifestyle destinations," said Mossel Bay Tourism's Marcia Holm.
According to the organisers, entries for the African Property Awards came from companies in thirteen different countries. The International Property Awards were established in 1995, and celebrate "the highest levels of achievement by companies operating in the four main sectors of the property and real estate industry – development, architecture, interior design and real estate."
The results for the Africa and Arabian regions were announced at a gala event in Dubai on Thursday, 4 December.
Speaking after receiving the news, Jim Julyan, a director of the Pinnacle Point Home Owners Association, said that "This fantastic and prestigious award substantiates our belief that we have one of the best places to live and play golf in the world. Being awarded the title of the best golf development in the whole of Africa is a tremendous boost for Pinnacle Point and indeed Mossel Bay, and will spur us on to even greater achievements."
"The course and the properties have some of the most spectacular views of the Indian Ocean, and everything has been built in harmony with the fynbos of the area - much of which was restored to its natural state when the development took place," he said.
Archaeologist Peter Nilssen said that Pinnacle Point is also a site of worldwide significance. Dr Nilssen and Jonathan Kaplan – the director of the Agency for Cultural Resource Management - found Middle Stone Age middens in caves on the property during a survey conducted as part of the environmental impact assessment into the proposed development. Subsequent studies on the sites by more than forty scientists under the leadership of Curtis Marean, an associate director of the Institute of Human Origins and professor at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University, have revealed the earliest evidence for modern human behaviour.
Ms Holm said that the archaeology of Pinnacle Point has attracted enormous attention. "It's given Mossel Bay a unique differentiator: there's nothing like it anywhere else. Almost everyone is fascinated by the story of our origins, and people have begun visiting Mossel Bay from around the world to learn more about it. Access to the Caves needs to be controlled, though, because they contain a unique and irreplaceable record of our past.
"To satisfy this need, a tour called the Point of Human Origins Experience was created - with access provided in collaboration with the Pinnacle Point Home Owners Association, Heritage Western Cape, and the scientists studying the caves.
"20% of each ticket sold goes to a Trust for conserving and maintaining the site - and the partnership has become a model of cooperation for heritage sites that are situated on private properties. With its amazing golf course, beautiful homes, superb accommodation - and unique archaeology - the Pinnacle Point Beach & Golf Resort certainly deserves the title of 'The Best Golf Development in Africa'," said Ms Holm.
ARTICLE: MARTIN HATCHUEL
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