Where is Winter Love Island 2023 filmed? Filming location of new villa in South Africa - can you stay there

The luxury villa is located in South Africa’s ‘millionaire’s row’
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Love Island will soon be back on screens with a brand new lineup and luxury location.

The first winter edition of the popular dating show since 2020 will see contestants travel to a luxury villa in South Africa, with presenter and DJ Maya Jama hosting the dating series for the first time, after Laura Whitmore stepped down in August.

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ITV have already revealed the 10 singletons who are looking for love, with familiar faces from social media including Farmer Will, who has over 1 million followers on TikTok.

So, where is Winter Love Island filmed and can you stay at the villa? Here’s everything you need to know.

When will Winter Love Island start?

Love Island will start on Monday 16 January on ITV 2, with the first episode airing at 9 pm.

Winter Love Island villa (Photo: ITV)Winter Love Island villa (Photo: ITV)
Winter Love Island villa (Photo: ITV)

The first winter season since 2020, the ten new singletons will be enjoying the sunshine in South Africa. ITV confirmed the season’s launch date on social media on 4 January alongside the caption: “We’re ready to crack on!”.

Where is Winter Love Island being filmed?

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The first winter season since 2020 will be filmed in South Africa. The summer series is usually filmed in Majorca, but due to the unpredictable winter weather, season 9 will be filming near Cape Town for guaranteed sunshine.

It’s not the first time Love Island has filmed in South Africa, the series filmed in Eagles Nest in Cape Town for series six, which saw Finn Tapp and Paige Turley crowned the winners.

Where is the Love Island 2023 villa?

The Winter Love Island villa is located in the luxurious Ludus Magnus estate in Franschhoek. The 25-acre resort is located near Cape Town and set in the Franschhoek wine valley which is known as South Africa’s “millionaire’s row”.

The luxury resort is set in the Franschhoek wine valley (Photo: ITV)The luxury resort is set in the Franschhoek wine valley (Photo: ITV)
The luxury resort is set in the Franschhoek wine valley (Photo: ITV)

Boasting breathtaking mountain views and a private island, facilities at the resort include: 17 bedrooms, a treehouse, freshwater dam with Olympic-length swimming lanes, river tubing, ziplining, a 400-metre running track and even a Shiraz vineyard.

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The huge villa has an off-the-grid status which allows it to generate its own electricity, water and numerous food sources making it environmentally friendly. On its website, the opulent resort describes itself as a “spectacular estate like no other”.

Reported by The Sun, ITV have repotedly paid £1.2million to rent the luxury property.

However, reported by the Daily Mail, the luxury villa “overlooks” the prison where Nelson Mandela served time.

The South African anti-apartheid activist served the last 14 months of his sentence in Drakenstein Prison - formerly known as Victor Verster Prison. He was jailed for 27-years after he spokeout against South Africa’s apartheid system.

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Mandela was released from Victor Verster prison on 11 Feburary 1990 and would later go on to become the first president of South Africa.

Can you stay at the Love Island villa?

You can stay at the Love Island Villa, however a room in the luxury resort will not come cheap. According to its website Ludus Magnus, the nightly rate for a double bedroom will set you back £478.

The Love Island bedrooms (Photo: ITV)The Love Island bedrooms (Photo: ITV)
The Love Island bedrooms (Photo: ITV)

Who is presenting Winter Love Island?

Winter Love Island will be presented by DJ, radio and TV host Maya Jama after Laura Whitmore announced she would not be returning to the series in August. The 28-year-old was revealed as the new presenter in October 2022, with Jama sharing at the time: “I’ve always been such a massive Love Island fan and I’m so excited to be hosting one of the nation’s favourite shows! I can’t wait to get into the villa to meet all of the islanders.”

How can I watch Winter Love Island?

Love Island 2023 kicks off on ITV2 on Monday 16 January, with epsiodes available to stream on ITVX.

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