We flew to Cape Town in November with KLM via Amsterdam. The service was very good and there was plenty of room in economy. We were lucky as we were on board a new Boeing 777 and there was a huge choice of movies and games to keep us busy. We had booked into the Holiday Inn Waterfront (now the Southern Sun) as we had stayed there last time and it is in a great location. This was our second visit to Cape Town, so we were a little more confident and decided to hire a car. We had booked 5 nights in Cape Town before flying to Durban, so we decided to explore a little more than we had done on a previous trip.
We booked tickets to go up Table Mountain, and although we had been before, the view is just amazing and we never get bored. It is better to pick a clear day when there is no wind (Monday morning is recommended as there tends to be less smog around after the weekend). You will find that if it is windy, the cable cars will not operate. There are hundreds of species of flowers and plants on the mountain as well as nature trails. If you are feeling energetic or brave, you can walk up the mountain or abseil down the mountain!!!!!
The next day we were heading for Hermanus, which is known as one of the best places in the western cape for Whale Watching. The drive is mainly all coastal and is a beautiful scenic route. We stopped off at Bettys Bay and Stony Point en route to Hermanus. Betty's Bay is situated in between Kleinmond and Pringle Bay and is about 45-60 minutes away from Cape Town. You can visit the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens at Betty's Bay or just walk around and take in the beautiful views. Stony Point is at Betty's Bay and there is a Penguin Colony and old Whaling Station which is also worth a visit. The colony at Stony Point is smaller than that at Boulders Beach and it is off the beaten track a bit so there are usually much less people around and it can be a good way to avoid the coach tours.
Hermanus, which is in Walker Bay, has a Whale Crier who blows a horn when there are whales in the area so that whale watchers can hurry to the sea front and try and catch a glimpse. As well as being popular for whales, Hermanus is a lovely seaside town which has lots of shops, cafes and restaurants. There are market stalls selling mostly whale and African souvenirs. There are other areas close to Hermanus where whale watching at close range can be seen such as De Kelders, Gansbaai (famous for shark diving in a cage!!!) and Kleinmond among others.
There are lots of Hotels and B&Bs in the Hermanus area should you want to spend a few days there, but we like to base ourselves in Cape Town as it is handy for the motorway. Just 10 minutes drive from Cape Town is the beach resort of Camps Bay. This is where the wealthy have their homes. It has a beautiful beach and has plenty of shops, restaurants, cafes and bars. There are plenty of beach activities such as volleyball, Windsurfing and water skiing. There are also lots of spas and wellness centres here. It is the place to be seen and you don't feel like you are in Africa in fact it reminded me a little of Ocean Drive in Miami.
The next day we were visiting Boulders Beach Penguin Colony and Simon's Town which is a former Naval Base. On the way we stopped at Muizenberg which is known for its colourful beach huts (we were told that this was the setting for Atomic Kitten's cover of The Tide is High!!!!). Muizenberg is in False Bay Muizenberg is popular with families and adults and is quite often used for fashion shoots as it has white sandy beaches and turquoise blue sea. There are lots of Hotels, B&Bs along the promenade and former Grand Mansions.
We arrived at Boulders Beach next and paid to go into the Penguin Colony which is definitely worth a visit. It is a conservation and educational centre and you can see the penguins at close range. There is a quite a long walk to get to the actual beach where the penguins are. There is an area now where you can swim next to the penguins, which was not there when we were last there. We next went to Simon's Town which is only a few minutes drive away.
Among the attractions in Simon's Town is the Naval Museum. There are Ocean activities such as cruising, whale watching, fishing and African Shark Eco Charters with companies such as the Simon's Town Boat Company. There are lots of cafes and restaurants selling seafood, and cuisine from all over the world. If you are missing English pub grub, you should visit the Two and Sixpence Tavern which is a traditional English Tavern. The best way to explore Simon's Town is on foot, but there are buses and taxis as well.
That evening back in Cape Town we decided to eat at one of the many restaurants at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. There are loads of cafes, bars and restaurants selling every kind of food from Seafood, Pizza, Italian, Belgian, French and many more. One of our favourites is the City Grill Steakhouse, in my opinion they have the best steak and they also sell African specialities such as Springbok, Ostrich, Crocodile and much more and the Green Dolphin which has live jazz bands and booking is recommended. The Waterfront is popular with tourists as there are lots of shops, Galleries and Hotels. The Robben Island Ferry also leaves from here. The main Tourist Information office is based at the Waterfront where you can get maps and book tours, safari and fishing trips. It is also home to luxurious Hotels including the Cape Grace and the Victoria and Alfred. There are street entertainers and the Two Oceans Aquarium is at the Waterfront.
On a previous visit to Cape Town, we had booked a Culture Tour which took us to the District Six Area and museum and on a Township Tour of Langa where we visited the Chris Hani Community School founded my Mrs Maureen Jacobs. The classrooms were old ship containers, and Mrs Jacobs and her teachers gave the children an education but had no help from the government. I had enquired before travelling if there was anything the school may find useful such as stationary. I was told that any donations would be most welcome.
Working in the travel Industry, we are always being given pens, and other airline stationary so I decided to get my work colleagues to help. I asked them for any spare pads, pens, rulers and I scrounged some freebies from some of the Airlines we deal with. The school were really grateful and it was wonderful to see the kids again. It gave me great pleasure to be able to help!!!!. I have heard that a few months after our visit, Oprah Winfrey visited the school en route on a visit to see Nelson Mandela and has given the school a building and the kids all now have their own books.
We also visited the Khayelitsha Township where Vicky Ntozini has opened her shack to visitors to give you a taste of a real Township experience in Vickys B and B. I have met Vicky twice and she is a wonderful woman who gives profits back to her community. Cape Town is like two different worlds, as you travel from the airport to the Waterfront the first sights you see are the shacks in the townships on one side of Table Mountain, and then other side it is all luxury hotels and high rise buildings.
We had two days left and decided that we were going to spend one day at the winelands and the last day visiting Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. The winelands are famous in South Africa, and there are lots of routes such as Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Constantia and Paarl to name a few. It is a beautiful drive and there are lots of Wine Farms where you can stop and visit the cellars and do wine tasting (booking a tour is probably better if you like wine so you do not have to drive!!!!). I am not really a wine drinker so my hubby did the tasting and I did the driving!!!! [This is the way it should be - hubby] Stellenbosch was home to the first wine route and is probably the best known. You can also buy the wine from the farms.
Our last day was spent at Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope national Park. The park is huge and you will see Baboons and Ostrich's. The view along the coast is beautiful. At Cape Point, you can walk up to the lighthouse (not for the faint hearted) as there are loads of steps or ride the Funicular. Whichever you choose, you will be rewarded by the view!!!! There are signs all around warning you not to feed the baboons, do so at your own risk!!!!! We saw some silly woman giving one baboon some food and its family then came over and became aggressive because she wasn't' sharing any more and they then started jumping on the car!!!!After another tiring day. we had to pack for our flight to Durban the next day. Even though we explored more of Cape Town this time, we are still not done as there are so many more places we want to go to, so I will have to plan my next visit when I get home!!!!!
Coming Soon..... Durban
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