Beaulieu, Midrand

Practically rural, the suburb of Beaulieu (pronounced ‘Bewley’), despite being neighbour to Kyalami in Midrand, remains a rather dignified and countrified suburb where the horsey-set live on large estates heavily encircled by security fencing, and accessed through one 24-hour security entrance.

Homes in Beaulieu are predominantly Tuscan style villas with large, rolling gardens and a sense of effortless peace and quiet. Beaulieu, which comes from the French meaning “beautiful” but is named after the little town of Beauly west of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, lies on the outer northern limits of Johannesburg - one of several highly desirable affluent suburbs. It has managed to persevere as one of the few areas in Jo’burg undisturbed by the insistent push for development, even if estates and complexes have steadily encroached.

Homesteads here are large with views that remain predominantly green and reminiscent of country living. Staying here is ideal as you have the best of both worlds. Country living yet, because of the insistent urban sprawl that has led to the steady encroachment of the city, Beaulieu is never far from anything.

Beaulieu is close to the Midrand business district, only 25 minutes’ from OR Tambo airport and the restaurants and shopping malls of Kyalami are a matter of minutes. It lies halfway between Sandton and Pretoria yet close enough to the Magaliesberg to enable easy weekend escapes.