Cape Town – My favourite city….why?

Where do I start with Cape Town? South Africa as a country must be my favourite country and I have been lucky enough to visit 4 times in the last 11 years but still haven’t managed to visit all the great areas of interest and beauty. Why go to Cape Town? Why not is the real question. Cape Town is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world and I couldn’t agree more. Cape Town has a real laid back vibe and atmosphere. The backdrop of Table Mountain, Lion’s Head and Signal Hill just adds a whole load of scenic beauty to it as well as some adventurous activities to get you up and down the mountain and hills. Eating out Most people would have heard of the V&A Waterfront (Victoria and Alfred). This is the social tourist hub of Cape Town. Although you can be staying in any location to see the main sights of Cape Town this has become the most popular due to its abundance of shops, restaurants, bars and markets. Set right on the harbour you often see yachts pulling in and the odd friendly seal bobbing about. The nightlife is fantastic with many restaurants offering great meat and fresh seafood and at such reasonable prices. Super cheap prices compared to the UK and excellent quality. Eating and drinking all over South Africa will not cost you much at all. For example, a 200g fillet steak could cost you approx. £7.50! If you are a foodie like me, you will be in your element. Even if you aren’t you will be astonished by the choice, quality and prices. You have a good mixture of fine dining down to tasty local food. One restaurant I would recommend if you enjoy seafood or sushi is the ‘Codfather’ in Camp’s Bay. You select the size you want, and they weigh it before cooking to tell you the price. Make sure you give the Biltong a try, it’s an air-dried meat and is perfect as a bar snack. How to get about. Cape Town does not have a tram and underground service as it’s just not big enough to need that. They use Uber a lot as its well-priced, alternatively hop on an open top bus from £14.00 per person for a 1-day pass or £20.00 per person for a 2-day pass. This is a fun way of getting around the city if you don’t fancy hiring a car or getting an Uber. It means you can tick off many attractions in one day. If you would prefer to be guided, then choose to do your excursions privately and tailor your holiday to suit your needs. Car hire is extremely popular in South Africa as they drive on the same side of the road as the UK, they have good quality roads and sat nav’s available to hire. The big bonus is that the insurance is all included in the car hire price rather than all the additional extras you must add on in USA. Many hotels have car parks if not there is street parking nearby. If you like to be independent without following a structure to your holiday then I would recommend car hire as you can then take yourself off to the main attractions whenever you want as there are also a few on the outskirts and just outside of the city. It’s ideal if you want to do the famous Garden Route. Places to tick off your list. • Table Mountain – How can you go to Cape Town and not go up Table Mountain? If the wind is low and there is no cloud cover then get yourself to the cable car and up the mountain on your first opportunity as the cable car closes when it’s windy or cloudy. Always have this planned in on your first opportunity to start site-seeing. • Robben Island - This is where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated and hosts many tourists each year. It’s a short ferry across to the island. You can expect your time at the museum and trip to and from the island to last around 3.5hrs. • Cape Point and Peninsula – This can be done by driving yourself or with a guide. You’ll get to pass Boulders beach (Penguins living on the beach), Hout Bay, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden and Simon’s Town. This is the most southerly point of the Cape Peninsula and has a dramatic cliff scene where the Atlantic and Indian Ocean meet. • Winelands - There are many wine regions surrounding Cape Town. Stellenbosch is the atmospheric university town, Franschhoek is a beautiful town set in a valley surrounded by mountains and take you back to the South of France with its French name and influence. Both are approx. 2hrs drive away. Or if you would like something a little closer then visit Constantia Wine Region which is only 45 minutes from the centre of Cape Town. • Bo Kaap - Formerly known as the Malay Quarter. It is a former township, situated on the slopes of Signal Hill above the city centre and is a historical centre of Cape Malay culture in Cape Town. Each building is painted in bold bright colours and is an Instagrammers dream photo spot. • Whale Watching - Organised tours can pick you up from your hotel and take you to Gansbaai near the quant town of Hermanus about 2.5hrs away. The best season or this is June – December. • Shark Cage Diving – This operates of the same area as the whale watching. This is something I ticked off my bucket list in May 2018. It’s not for the faint hearted or anyone that suffers from seasickness but maybe that was just my unlucky day. Still, I got in the cage and it was one of the best things I’ve ever experienced. As you can see there is loads to do and still many more so depending on your plans for the rest of your holiday, I would say you need at least 4 nights in the city, more if you have time. Get in touch if you would like to have a chat about your next trip to Cape Town.