When planning my trip to Cape Town, I focused on three key areas of the city and its nearby surroundings: Hout Bay, Camps Bay and Stellenbosh. Cape Town is much like L.A. in the sense that when people refer to “L.A.,” they rarely mean downtown. Instead they’re referencing the popular Beverly Hills or Hollywood neighborhoods – or even nearby Santa Monica. The same geographical ambiguity holds true for Cape Town: the city proper serves as the nightlife and business hub, but the true beauty of the city shines in Cape Town’s “Hollywood Hills.”
Hout Bay Manor is a 5-star boutique hotel nestled between Chapman’s Peak and the village’s eclectic fishing harbor. From the turquoise parasols accenting the tea garden to the cowhide rugs and plaster big-five sculptures peppering the walls, I knew this place was going to be just what I needed after my 12-hour flight from Frankfurt. And it was.
White-glove service assisted with car service to Langebaan, a day tour to the Cape of Good Hope/Cape Point and reservations at the in-house restaurant, Pure (where I tried my first Springbok—it was perfection). Amanda and Michelle could not have been better hosts. What makes Hout Bay special? It’s a great urban village for those wanting to be near the Cape of Good Hope/Cape Point, as the drive from Cape Town center is easily over an hour. The Workshop pub and independent stores just around the corner from Hout Bay Manor make this the perfect urban oasis en route to see one of Africa’s most photographed landscapes.
Next up: Stellenbosch. About a 30-minute drive from central Cape Town on the backside of Table Mountain, Stellenbosch is South Africa’s wine capital. No trip to Cape Town is complete without sipping your way through its many vineyards and wineries.
Hawksmoor House is a rustic, Dutch-Colonial farmhouse abutting lavender fields and grape vines with views of Table Mountain. The charm of this estate is immediate, but is exponentially increased upon entering: antiques, porcelain and a long communal dining table take the show. An open-to-guests kitchen serves complimentary afternoon cake and brandy for eating on the back veranda while Jack and Alice – the resident German Pointers – frolic in the lush scenery. The Hawksmoor makes its own award-winning wines and my travel companion, Daniel, and I were lucky enough to be invited to a live filming and tasting of their wines upon check-in. This communal experience not only made our stay here more memorable, it introduced us to Kirstin, the fabulous estate manager who not only knows wine, but makes it a point to chat and get to know her guests.
The caveat at staying at a place like the Hawksmoor is that we didn’t want to leave, even when there was so much to explore. Mornings at the garden pool were followed by wine tastings and meals at Delaire, Simonsig and Tokara estates. Three-to-four-course Michelin-quality restaurants will run about $60 per person including wine—that’s about three to four times less than New York Michelin prices, so we indulged.
Lastly, Camps Bay was our home for the last four days of our stay. Merging with Clifton, Camps Bay is the see-and-be-seen beach promenade along Victoria Road. The Bay Hotel rests at the foot of the majestic Twelve Apostles mountain range, with envious views of the cable car sweeping the clouds to the zenith of Table Mountain. Infinity pools overlooking the beach allow for both leisure and sightseeing at once. Central Cape Town and Table Mountain were both about a 10-minute drive from Camps Bay, so the Bay Hotel is highly recommended to travelers seeking a beach holiday with a still-somewhat-central location.
It was in central Cape Town where I tried zebra and warthog, two meats I would never think of even attempting to eat. But they were both love at first bite. Central Cape Town is also home to the V&A Waterfront, where seaside shopping, dining and nightlife bring the port to life. It’s here, too, where Cape Town’s answer to the London Eye stares deeply into Table Mountain for joyous views across the city bowl for the young or the young at heart.
In retrospect, it’s the people that will bring me back to Cape Town and the fact that this is the city where I got engaged. Views from Table Mountain, lazy days spent on Muizenberg beach and all-day seafood beach-grilling in Langebaan are all competing close, close seconds.
Side note: A country that was not too long ago ripped apart under the race-segregating Apartheid law is now blooming under new light. One of the first things I noticed after stepping foot into any business in Cape Town – be it my hotel, a restaurant or retailer – was that the fabric of this city has been knitted together by whites, blacks – the entire population. It’s a result of the 1994 reformation that moved South Africa light-years ahead of its past. Being a witness to these different cultures participating in everyday life as one demonstrates that intolerance in this rapidly emerging Third World country is recognized as unacceptable – a lesson the First World could learn from.
(Images: neiljs; Hipstamatic, Joshua Clark)
