The weather was spectacular while I was in Cape Town last month! What a “winter” at 70 degrees with blue skies.
Cape Town has a vibrant waterfront, a hip art scene, happening downtown area and a serious foodie and coffee scene. LOVE!
It’s so unique–you have beaches on one side of the city and Table Mountain on the other, both 15 minutes from city center.
I did a one day tour of the Cape Peninsula, the same as I plan for most clients who stay in Cape Town, and it amazed me once again. Although Chapman’s Peak was closed, the views are still astounding and it’s still a thrill to go up Table Mountain and down to Cape Point, the southern most tip of Africa. And I can still watch the penguins at Boulders Beach for hours.
Once again I stayed at the One&Only, but I took one day to do site inspections at several hotels in Cape Town that I have not stayed at, including Cape Grace, the Taj and the brand new “It” boutique hotel, the smoking hot The Silo. More on that next week.
I also went out to Camps Bay and had lunch at Twelve Apostles, which is another fabulous Red Carnation hotel! An outdoor pool with water views, a movie theater showing 4 movies a day with popcorn and candy, a rock pool, a spa, 24 hour café, a popping bar scene in the Leopard Lounge and hiking trails right off the property. Best to stay a couple of nights here AND in Cape Town!
But with a teenager in tow, some shopping was in order, so we also walked trendy Kloof St and Bree St, stopping for coffee and treats at the famous Jason’s Bakery on Bree. But you must get there early, his creatively crafted “doughssants” such as Dulce de Leche Crème Brulee sell out well before noon. And don’t miss home made artisanal ice cream at The Creamery!
A day spent on the waterfront and paragliding from Signal Hill, a don’t-miss day trip to Robbens Island to see the prison where Nelson Mandela was held for over 20 +years and before you know it, time is up and we were moving on to the Cape Winelands and its towns of Stellenbosch and Franschoek.
The Cape Winelands are gorgeous!! You could be in Northern California or somewhere in Europe. And with over 160 wine farms between the two towns, there’s plenty of tasting to be had. And with the dollar so strong against the rand, with tastings running about $3-5 USD for a 5 wine flight, there was plenty of wine tasting!
Several wineries have bird/animal sanctuaries, picnic and play areas, even a classic car museum (we saw a crazy good, priceless car collection), so there are lots of activities besides wine tasting. The South Africans have gotten very creative with the tasting as well, you can get wine and small plates tastings, wine and chocolate, grappa flights, even wine and cupcakes or ice cream!
Like Napa, they also have a wine train here too!
Here are some pictures to give you an impression:
