A collection of beaches and surf havens lie south of Cape Town. I traveled away from the noise toward Simonstown, a small area with a few waterfront restaurants, small beaches, and most notably – African penguins.
Here are a few things to know before you go:
- Hot birds… the penguins on Boulder’s Beach
See the penguins at Boulder’s Beach: These waddling little birds are protected from humans by a deck that extends over the sand, allowing them to roam freely without interaction with beach goers.
Transportation: To get there inexpensively, you’ll travel by train, bus and foot. For me, the journey seemed longer than necessary, but worth it. To our left, bright blue waves lapped at the shore and created a salty breeze that cooled the city’s scorching temperature.
The lone hostel: Our hostel (Simonstown Backpackers) was the only one we saw in the town, and was quietly inhabited by a few travelers. Gone were the partying youth that frequented our other hostels – we were now enveloped in a much-welcomed sense of quiet. If you’re looking to relax, this is where to do it.
One stop shop: The Meeting Place is on the main street in Simonstown, and is quite literally a one-stop shop. Downstairs serves brunch in the morning, a full bakery menu of treats and coffee, a grocery store of novelty spreads and delicacies, specialty clothing, and unique home items. Upstairs is an elegant restaurant with balcony seating, a full bar, and an eclectic dinner menu.
Fish Hoek: The beaches we saw out of our train window were not like the ones we would lay our towels on in Simonstown. Fish Hoek, a stop along the way, brimmed with locals and packed each person so closely, I couldn’t see where the sand met the water. Most of the people on board unloaded at these stops. Leaving the train to catch a bus in Fish Hoek, we rode onward to the quieter (and arguably more touristy) beaches of Simonstown – a place characterized by one main road and enviable mountain homes that overlook the water.
Simplify your itinerary. You won’t find Cape Town’s nightlife culture here – there’s not much to do except to eat ice cream, go window shopping, enjoy al fresco dining, and to sprawl on the beach.
See our Cape Town photo gallery.
Need a little connectivity? Wireless internet hard to come by, but a restaurant near the water called Bertha’s lets you sit on its porch and access the internet if you’re a paying customer.
Naturally rocky beaches: Unlike beaches in the U.S. or the Caribbean, Seaforth and Water’s Edge beaches were small and compact, with little or no landscape changes to accommodate tourists. On Caribbean islands, I’m used to seeing miles of white sand peppered with strategically plotted hotels on each new acre of sand. Here, beaches were refreshingly separated by vegetation and rocks that had yet to be removed by construction or development.
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