WORDS: BETSIE LOOCK-VAN DER MERWE IMAGES: RENE WALKER
Maroelana, Alphen Park, Ashlea Gardens and Hazelwood are four neighbouring suburbs forming a triangular shaped precinct west of the N1 highway between the Atterbury and Garsfontein off-ramps in Pretoria East.
This joint area has seen many upgrades and developments in recent years due to its desirable location close to the Menlyn development node, its accessibility from the N1, and main arteries like Dely Road and Atterbury Road. It’s also centrally located to high-profile suburbs like Waterkloof, Brooklyn, Menlyn Park and several others.
It’s a most convenient location, close to the University of Pretoria and many sought-after top amenities and hot spots in the city. It offers easy access to the Gautrain network and other modes of public transport as well as excellent medical facilities and professional services. It’s a leafy and pretty area with several green spaces, including the banks of the Waterkloof Spruit, indeed a pleasant area to call home.
Property
The precinct made up of Hazelwood, Alphen Park, Ashlea Gardens and Maroelana boasts a dynamic mix and huge diversity of property types and styles, and there’s something for everyone qualifying for a purchase price of around R2m up to approximately R6m+.
New developments in Menlyn, Menlyn Maine and Hazelwood and the precinct’s key location central to these hubs have boosted the popularity of the precinct, and subsequently, property development in these suburbs as well.
Trending here, and especially in Hazelwood and Ashlea Gardens, are ultra-modern, high-tech equipped, luxury apartments and apartment hotels with full concierge services and a host of facilities available to residents living the ultimate city lifestyle. These vary from compact one-bedroom apartments to two- and three-bedroom units and spacious penthouse apartments.
These suburbs also cater to modern family living in townhouses and cluster homes offering privacy, lots of space, private gardens, even private swimming pools. The majority of these are situated in elite, smaller and secure townhouse complexes in Maroelana and Alphen Park.
There are several freestanding properties on the market, a handful of them are golden oldies ready for a new life and renovation or redevelopment.
The majority of freestanding homes in the market, however, are beautifully kept, huge and stylish, upmarket homes varying in architecture and design from Provencal and Tuscan to modern and industrial.
Schools
Pro Arte Alphen Park is an English-medium public high school, specialising in the arts situated in the heart of Alphen Park. This school offers six focus areas, namely art, dance, music, drama, culinary art and enterprise management alongside the standard academic curriculum for high school learners.
Silver Oaks International High School is situated in Hazelwood and offers independent tuition in academic subjects from the University of Cambridge’s GCE syllabus.
High school learners residing in these neighbourhoods can also enrol at the public Hoërskool Menlopark in the neighbouring suburb of Menlo Park or the English-medium public The Glen High School located in Waterkloof Glen just east of the N1 and Ashlea Gardens.
Primary school learners living in Maroelana, Alphen Park, Ashlea Gardens or Hazelwood normally attend either Laerskool Menlopark located a stone’s throw away from these areas in Menlo Park, or they go to the English medium of instruction Glenstantia Primary in Waterkloof Glen. Both these are public primary schools.
Ashlea Gardens is also home to the well-known Nuwe Hoop/New Hope School, a non-profit organisation and one of the largest schools for children with special educational needs. The programme and a host of supporting services are offered to children from preparatory level to matric.
Explore
The Club precinct development in Hazelwood brought with it a splendour of upmarket retailers, lifestyle shops and health, wellness and aesthetics service providers. These include the high-tech Planet Fitness mega-gym attracting visitors and residents from Hazelwood, Maroelana, Alphen Park, Ashlea Gardens as well as neighbouring suburbs.
In addition, Hazelwood now homes a horde of hip, upmarket coffee shops, restaurants and pubs creating a vibey street cafe ambiance. This new hangout neighbourhood is easily accessible from these neighbourhoods as well as from main thoroughfares.
Make sure to pop in at Cape Connection Lifestyle Village in Maroelana if you’re in the mood for a beauty or spa treatment in a serene environment. This complex also hosts tenants like Eau-La-La Art & Trends Café where one can purchase lovely works of art and hand-crafted articles. It’s also home to a yoga and wellness studio called Yoga Harmony as well as several designer shops.
Located directly across the street from Hazelwood and within minutes’ access from Maroelana, Ashlea Gardens and Alphen Park is the renowned Pretoria Country Club with its lovely golf course and rich history dating back to over 100 years. This club is also well-known for its variety of sports facilities like bowling, tennis and squash, and has popular dining venues and a sports bar.
Living in this neighbourhood makes my life easy. Everything I need to live a comfortable lifestyle is within a few minutes’ access, and even if I do have to travel, I just hit the N1 highway, which is literally on my doorstep. DANNY VENTER, RESIDENT
SHOP
- Cape Connection Lifestyle Village, Maroelana: neighbourhood gem
- Menlyn Park Shopping Centre, Menlyn: the big one
- Brooklyn Mall, Brooklyn: all-inclusive mall
- The Club Centre, Hazelwood: trendy, up-market
- Greenlyn Village Centre, Menlo Park: lots of fun
MEDICAL FACILITIES NEARBY
- Mediclinic Kloof
- Cure Day Hospitals, Erasmuskloof
- Club Surgical Centre, Hazelwood
- Life Groenkloof Hospital
- Netcare Jakaranda Hospital
EAT
- Brunch Street Café and Deli: coffee hot spot with lots of character
- Culture Club, Hazelwood: hip tapas bar and restaurant
- Caraffa, Alphen Park: authentic Italian
- Black Bamboo Restaurant, Ashlea Gardens: superb fine dining
- Hudsons The Burger Joint, Hazelwood: designer burgers
