A destination of destinations.
Cape Town is one the best holiday destinations we've ever been to. Period.
Spectacular sceneries and dramatic natural sights blended with lively city life. Lush greens, endless beaches with white sand and azure water, never ending hiking trails leading up to coastal canyons, wildlife, vineyards, organic food, colonial architecture, best customer service – it has it all. It reserved a special place in our hearts.
One of the main reasons visiting this city was kitesurfing, but we ended up traveling & hiking more than playing in the freezing ocean. There is so much to see and do in Western Cape that no matter how long you are planning to stay, chances are that it won't be enough. Time just flew by when we clocked up a fairly solid 2500 km on the odometer.
The stay.
As our original plan was to hit the waves of Atlantic Ocean, we stayed in the famous neighborhood of Bloubergstrand, so we can reach the kite spot by foot, or drive to Shark Bay as fast as possible. We rented an amazing beach facing Airbnb with a modest yard. Even though waking up every morning to the views of Table Mountain, beach and Ocean was the highlight of our stay here, driving to other parts of the city was a bit of a headache as it took too long. Perfect accommodation plan for next time would be to change spots every other day, as Cape Town has so much to offer. Few nights in a wine farm, an overnight stay in a game reserve, few nights camping somewhere in the wild, few nights in a beach house and so on.
The ride.
Due to the sheer size of the place, it's quite common to rent out a car. As we we're quite unsure what to expect, we opted for the an average economy car with Hertz. Business as usual, no hassle rental with fairly pleasant service, however there is one major piece of advice - take the complete insurance, as excess (the amount you pay in case of accident before the insurance company steps in) is very high and basically makes the basic CDW coverage pointless. We got clipped in a parking lot at the end of our stay. Money well spent.
Safety.
In the two weeks, we didn't face a single problem related to safety. We were cautious all the time but not too stressed. Most of the time we were leaving car in free parking slots, these slots usually are watched over by 'locals', so its normal to leave a few rands to them so they really watch your car, especially if you leave some valuables inside. Most of the time we were hiking alone and never did we feel that anyone around us had any bad intentions. Just stay away from townships, dodgy streets, don't stop for hitchhikers in the middle of nowhere, and keep your car doors locked. Use common sense and you'll be completely fine.
Chapman's peak drive.
One the most beautiful roads in the world. This breathtaking scenic coastal road follows a 9 km stretch of coast, between red rocks and Atlantic blues. Stop at the side of the road to savour the ocean breeze, and admire the way the rocky land spills into ocean. If you are looking for a better views, there are several panoramic trails along the road that lead to Chapman's peak.
In the end of Chapman's drive on the right side you will see a beautiful shoreline of white sand. It's Noordhoek beach. From the road it's impossible to understand how massive the beach is, you need to step on it to get an idea. You feel like an ant in this wide stretch of sandy beach. It's a popular dog walking area among locals, so you can sit on a sand dune watching dog gangs playing in this never ending beach.
Bo-Kaap.
We enjoyed Cape Town more outside the town, but there is few neighborhoods you need to visit. The most colorful area – Bo-Kaap and Kloof street, that seemed like the biggest hipster concentration in the area.
Wonder around Bo-Kaap when skies are blue for better contrasts. Most people stay in the main street, jumping into each others shots, but the area is bigger than one street, wander around.
Eat & Drink.
If you are looking for night out, dinner and drinks in the city most probably you will end up in one Kloof street bars and restaurants. Among our favorites:
Bombay Bicycle Club. Great cocktails, food, and oh that atmosphere! Must visit, reservations recommended.
Kyoto Sushi Garden for great japanese food, especially seafood.
El Burro’s Taqueria for great tacos, ceviches in colorful and lively atmosphere.
The Power & The Glory for a quick glass of draft beer or cider while you wait your table in Kyoto Sushi Garden or El Burro’s Taqueria.
Kirstenbosch.
Kirstenbosch botanical garden it's not only botanic garden in footstep of Table Mountain, but it's also a great public space. Bunch of romantic sundowners with their picnic baskets meets every Sunday afternoon for a sunset open-air gig and every Wednesday for a movie under the stars. Must do ! You can reach gardens by car, or you can hike Table Mountain, and then go down straight to the gardens.
Saturdays.
If we were living in Cape Town, probably every Saturday we would go to Old Biscuit Milll's Neighbourhood Market for breakfast, shopping and socializing. The market has food stands, coffee stations, mobile bars, boutique fashion pop-ups, flea markets, workshops, live music and everything in-between. It's just mind blowing, we lost our self there. Most of the things are hand made and one of a kind, Capetonians really know how to make pretty and quality leather goods, jewelry, clothes... Take some cash, you will need it, believe me. We bought some ceramic jewelry, leather goods, and I'm hoping to come back soon for some handbags I didn't take.
Southernmost Africa.
If you are looking for another day trip outside the city. Trip to the Most Southern Point Of Africa in Agulhas it is! Place it self is nothing but the fact. But as always it's not about destination it's about journey. If you are on whale watching season, most probably you will see them on your way. Start your day early, drive to say good morning to huge colony of penguins in Betty's Bay. This Penguin Nature Reserve is less pretty than Boulders beach, but it's less touristy as well. We met few people and thousands of penguins. After saying hello to these cute buddies, head to Hermanus town for breakfast. This small Italian alike town is famous for whale watchers, harbour is full of small cozy eateries. Stop in any other small town to enjoy empty white beach just for yourself, or stop at beer breweries and farms outside the road to try their goodies. When you visit Tip Of Africa don't turnaround straight away, head few km more to see ships skeleton. This small japanese fishing boat floats here since 1982 and looks like a real ghost in stormy ocean.
The ins and outs.
Cape town is big in the food-and-beverage department. You need to do research before going not to be disappointed. Here is some other places we loved food
Olympia cafe in Kalk Bay. Specializes on mussels, and they do it so well! I think it was our best food location in Cape Town. I did like mussels, but after eating in Olympia cafe, I think I never ate them right before.
Massimo's in Hout Bay. Great italian food, especially oven baked pizzas!
Cheyne's in Hout Bay. Contemporary asian food. Order few meals per person and share! Happy endings (I mean desserts) are must!
The Farmhouse in Langebaan. Located in an old farm, now transformed into hotel, overlooking lagoon. Mouthwatering steaks, crafted local beers.
Die Strandloper in Langebaan. It's definitely not food it's experience, Braii experience. Some days it starts 12 pm, some days 6 pm and 10 course seafood menu can take up to 4 hours. All the seafood is caught locally and cooked on open fire in front of you, eat as much as you can, bring your own drinks from liquor shop! It’s a help yourself style of dishing up. You eat off paper plates and the cutlery comes in the form of mussel shells. Definitely must visit if you're in area.
Truth coffee roasters. Great coffee and stunning interior.