Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula

It would be hard to beat wandering around the sights of Cape Town on a sunny day. From the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront with its quirky shops and street entertainment to the parks and markets selling the locally made African handicrafts. Traditional afternoon tea with champagne at the world famous Mount Nelson hotel is hard to beat, the best that I have ever experienced. The choice of restaurants in the area range from local fayre including bobotie, a kind of African meatball, to grilled Kudu, through to sushi bars and delicious seafood.

Cape Town is roughly an hour's drive to the scenic wine region. Stay at the Village at Spier, close to Stellenbosch, and I can pre-book you a table in the trees at Moyo restaurant for an authentic African evening of entertainment and a huge buffet meal, which is so much fun. Visit Simonstown, south of Cape Town and see the statue of Able Seaman 'Just Nuisance', a Great Dane who was awarded this status for looking after the British Seamen in WW11. If you are lucky enough to be there on his birthday you will see people from miles around bringing their dogs all dressed up to celebrate - a sight to be seen. Drive along the dramatic Chapman's Peak for the stunning views and arrive into Noordhoek where you can horse ride along the fantastic white beach there. You can see Jackass penguins on Boulder's Beach and stay in Camp's Bay for an upmarket seaside experience. Beware, the sea is icy cold. You can even have a safari experience for a day or two at the Aquila Private Game Reserve which is only a 2 hour drive from Cape Town.

The choice of accommodations in the area is vast. From the newly opened One & Only hotel to the boutique style bed and breakfast guest houses which are of the highest quality.

Go cage shark diving, travel by cable car up Table Mountain, visit Robben Island and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, the fishing village of Fish Hoek, the choice is endless.

Jet lag is minimal as Cape Town is only 2 hours ahead of the UK and the flights are overnight so a short city break is not impossible.

An enjoyable alternative to The Garden Route.