Holirays

This place ticks all the boxes for me – amazing views, incredible food, world class wine and friendly people. There’s so much to do in this city that I could return year after year and never get bored.

Recommended for:

Couples or groups of friends who are looking for great food and wine and want their holiday to be all about the day time activities and are looking to explore the area.

Not recommended for:

Anyone looking for nightlife or who wants to spend their holiday laying on a sun lounger. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend for families as you’ll really want to enjoy those wine farms!

When to go:

Summer in Cape Town is winter in the UK – so anytime from December to February is peak time to visit. The weather is warm but unpredictable – it can get very windy. The winelands are typically 5 degrees or so warmer than Cape Town itself so can be very hot in the summer.

Where to stay:

Seapoint is a great area to stay in. It’s close enough to the city but you can also walk around in the day along the promenade (also great for running) and there’s lots of restaurants and coffee shops here.

Camps Bay is great if you want more of a holiday feel near to the beach

It’s very easy and cheap to get around by Uber.

Contact me for hotel recommendations.

What to do – Tourist attractions:

There’s so many things to see and do that you probably won’t fit it all in unless you’re staying for a long period of time.

Table Mountain Cable Car this is a must do – the views are incredible from the top. It’s one of the 7 wonders of the natural world. If you’re feeling (very) brave and active you can hike (I’d say it’s more of a climb) to the top and then get the cable car down. Warning – this is not for the faint hearted. I’d recommend going as early as you can to this as it can get very busy and pay for the fast track queue jump too. Make sure you check the website before visiting as they often close if the winds are strong at the top of the mountain or if the visibility isn’t good it’s not worth going.

Boulders Beach Penguins this is a great place to visit if you’re doing a drive of the Cape (see later). It’s a penguin sanctuary and amazing to see the animals living in this little haven on the beach – they like it so much they never migrate!

V&A Waterfront this is very touristy but worth a visit for a walkaround. The views of Table mountain here are great, especially at sunset. There’s a shopping mall here too and plenty of restaurants, although in my opinion they aren’t great quality or service and are over priced compared to other areas.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens these beautiful gardens are perfect for a stroll around. If you climb Table mountain you can start your hike here too.

Lion’s Head the smaller peak next to Table Mountain that’s visible throughout Cape Town. Another hike (again not for the faint hearted) it’s quicker than Table Mountain (about 2 hrs) but there’s no option to cable car back down and the way down is a bit hairier than the way up! You start with an uphill walk that turns into steps and then it’s rock climbing from about half way up. If you’re not feeling very brave, it’s still worth a visit to just do the walk part as the views are great and it spirals round the mountain so you get to see the whole coastline.

Chapmans Peak Drive one of the best scenic drives in the world, this toll road is well worth a visit. It does close due to poor weather so check before you go. The views are amazing and there’s plenty of photo stops along the way

Game reserves around 2 hours away from Cape Town there are some game reserves that you can visit for a safari day or stay overnight. Aquila is an excellent choice to see the big 5 but I would recommend staying overnight for the best experience as it is quite a long day and if possible make your own way there as the transfers aren’t too pleasant!

Township tours this is not something I’ve done but have been recommended by locals on both of my visits. The townships are extremely poor areas where millions of Cape Town residents live in huts. The tours are organised and raise money for the people who live there. You must not visit them without a tour guide as they can be dangerous.

Beaches there’s plenty of choices for beaches. If you want to swim, check out the tidal pools as the sea isn’t always safe for swimming and some beaches have common shark sightings. My picks:

Camps Bay is a large beach which is famous for it’s sunsets

Clifton has 4 different beaches surrounded by some of the most expensive real estate in the country

Muizenberg famous for it’s multi-coloured beach huts and also known as Surfer’s Corner

Museums there’s a variety of museums to visit

District Six is a museum dedicated to the apartheid

Robben Island this is an old prison where Nelson Mandela was held which has now been turned into a museum where you are guided round by ex prisoners. This is a boat ride away from the V&A waterfront.

Where to eat

Cape Town has some of the best restaurants in the world. The food is so reasonably priced and the service is fantastic also. Here’s my picks of places to try:

Fine Dining think tasting menus and wine pairings

• FYN – voted 37th best restaurant in the world! This is such an experience but if you want to go make sure you book well in advance (like months in advance!) Book a time where you can see the sunset over Table Mountain.
• Chefs Warehouse – there’s a number of different locations for this restaurant. I visited Beau Constantia – if you go here book for lunch as the views are out of this world. You will need to book in advance also.

• Pot Luck Club – small plates with eclectic flavours and fusions. Make sure you try the green Thai cocktail. Book around one month in advance.

Casual Eats

• Nelson’s Eye incredible steak – try the flambe. Casual restaurant in the Gardens area
• Kloof St House lovely setting both indoors and outdoors for small plates. Great for lunch or dinner. Cocktails are also excellent
• Mojo Market food market in Seapoint. Try South African favourites such as biltong and braii.
• Truth Coffee voted the best coffee shop in the world by the Daily Telegraph, the industrial style café is a must visit
• The Lawns at the Roundhouse come here for sunset drinks and grab a few small plates. The views are incredible and it’s a great vibe for sunset. Book in advance to secure the best seating.
• Chinchilla Camps Bay another sundowner hotspot – watch the sunset on Camps Bay whilst having great cocktails and snacks. It’s part of the Marly hotel and there’s a few places here to grab a drink and watch that famous sunset.

Where to drink wine

The wine is absolutely amazing in the whole of the Cape. The main wineland areas to visit are:

Constantia easy to get to from Cape Town (about 20-30 mins), you can even get the hop on hop off bus on the blue route to the vineyards of Eagles Nest, Groot Constantia and Beau Constantia. We visited the latter and I can’t recommend it enough. Combine with lunch at Chef’s Warehouse and stay all afternoon tasting the wines here.

Stellenbosch around 45 mins from Cape Town, this small town has so many vineyards here. I’d recommend staying a night or two here to get the full experience. Try Boschendal or Tokara vineyards.

Franschhoek around 1 hr. 15 mins from Cape Town, this small town has a plethora of world class restaurants and vineyards and is home to the famous Wine Tram which allows you to visit multiple vineyards in a day – do not miss this! I’d definitely recommend staying here for a few nights and making the wine tram a whole day experience. I’d recommend Protégé restaurant and Chef’s Warehouse also has a restaurant here.

What to do in a week

Ideally I’d recommend visiting for two weeks but if you only have a week I’d say my top recs are:

Day 1 Walk the Seapoint promenade. Explore V&A waterfront and watch the sunset here.

Day 2 Truth coffee in the morning, this is also near District Six museum. Constantia winelands for the afternoon. Lawns at the Roundhouse for sunset.

Day 3 Table Mountain cable car (hike if you’re active). Clifton beaches and Camps Bay for sunset.

Day 4 Hire a driver (or a car and do it yourself but I would highly recommend a driver who knows where to stop for photos etc) and visit Chapman’s Peak, Simon’s Town and Boulders Beach penguins, Muizenberg, Kalk Bay, Hout Bay and if you have time go all the way down to the Cape of Good Hope. Book a fine dining restaurant for dinner.

Days 5 – 7 Stay in Franschhoek for a couple of nights and experience the wine tram

If you have longer I would recommend one of the hikes (active people only!), visiting Stellenbosch and just generally having more time to chill on the beach or by the pool. There’s plenty to see and do, I hope you love it as much as I do!