Once upon a time, along the magnetic coastline of the Côte d’Azur, a bright and bonny English rose, and a young gentleman from Johannesburg, met and fell in love. Helen and David Untiedt began their abiding journey together amidst the glitz and the glam of Monte Carlo. With its grand architecture, flashy hotels, fast cars and lavish boutiques, the sheer opulence of the yachting capital of the French Riviera is known to tire even the most tenacious of travellers. But with their feet firmly grounded, Helen and David embraced the Monégasque language, food and culture, and parlayed all that they were privy to, into an eternal love affair with travel – and everything that comes with it.
Leaving the gamblers and the glitterati behind, they set off around the world working on chartered yachts between Europe and America. Exploring the Spanish Balearic Islands, sailing around The Caribbean, cruising New England from the seats of a classic sports car, and discovering the not-so-beaten tracks of California, Nevada, New Orleans and even Venezuela, David and Helen experienced the wows and the woes that come with being on the road. To them, special moments don’t just come about when the doors to a luxury suite are swung open and the champagne’s ice bucket is twinkling in the sunlight that’s bouncing off the turquoise waters below. It’s also about the moments spent with the heart and soul of the destination. Eating local fare that’s been roasted outside a beach shack with a ragtag bunch of locals. Witnessing the ways of the world and all of its intricate disparities, and equalities.
With a handful of stamped passports, Helen and David chose to settle in Cape Town, where they have been residing for the past few decades, raising their four children. The beauty and diversity in South Africa’s cultures, languages, food and style make for an enthralling place to start a business, that’s centred around sensationally dreamy locations. A land that can be wholly African, but is not shy to be under the influence of foreign shores.