First Stop Cape Town
Cape Town
It’s one of the most picturesque cities in the world and I’m glad that we had our first view of the city from Table Mountain. The view of the coastline, with white sand beaches and many hues of blue sea, Robben island and the city itself were stunning. There is a huge amount of wildlife viewing experiences available – from African penguins at Boulders Beach, to whale (July – Nov) and dolphin spotting from the shore, and even diving with great white sharks. The trip up Table Mountain should be planned for as early as possible in the stay, as the weather does stop the cable cars when it is too cloudy or windy.
We stayed at the Table Bay hotel, the largest hotel in Cape Town, and situated in the compact Waterfront area, connected to the V&A Waterfront mall. It is very easy to get about the centre of the city with plenty of restaurants, outdoor entertainment, shops and markets for the whole family to enjoy. The rooms in the hotel have either a view of the mountain or the ocean, and the breakfast buffet is very extensive, with sparkling wine, oysters, fresh fruit and hot options. There is a lovely recently renovated outdoor pool area.
Dinner in the Cape Grace hotel, the oldest hotel in the city, was a real treat, served in the Signal restaurant with the knowledgeable sommelier on hand to pair each dish with a superb glass of wine – our first taste of South African wine! Each hotel guest can choose a bottle of wine from the hotel’s cellar upon check in, which is a lovely and very unique touch!
Cape and Peninsula Tour
We left the hotel at 8.30am for our full day tour of the Cape and Peninsula Tour, passing through the affluent Camps Bay and Clifton areas before travelling along the spectacular coastal route and then through the Cape Point Nature Reserve (photo stop at Cape of Good Hope compulsory) where we had our first view of baboons.
Lunch at “Seaforth” in Simonstown was a great place to stop, and we could walk from there to the African penguin colony at Boulders Beach. It was amazing to see these funny creatures, which are an endangered species, enjoying running into the surf. They are threatened by commercial fishing practices and are preyed on by seals and sharks at sea, whilst their eggs and chicks are targeted by mongooses and seabirds on land. Final stop on the tour was the tranquil Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, a popular spot for picnics set against the Eastern slopes of Table Mountain, with a fabulous canopy walkway through the treetops.
We rushed back to our hotel for the night, the Leading Hotels of the World “The Twelve Apostles” – overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, where the terrace of the Azure restaurant is a perfect viewpoint for sunset and the African tradition of “sundowners”. The hotel has a modern, bright feel, with each room individually decorated – anyone familiar with Red Carnation hotels will know that they are proud of their impeccable service and generous hospitality, as well as being very family friendly. I loved the concept of “tiny noticeable touches” where the staff will go out of their way to look after guests in as personal a way as possible. The hotel supports the Pack for a Purpose initiative, which encourages visitors to pack medical items, pens or toys for local communities.
The Atlantic pool is heated to 24 degrees, and there is a lovely spa built into the hillside, which makes the spa experience very atmospheric! There is a complimentary shuttle service to the Waterfront area as well as Camps Bay, giving easy access to the attractions and restaurants in these areas.
Cape Town has been facing a water crisis and the hotel’s all have various water saving initiatives – removing plugs from baths, encouraging guests to restrict showers to 2 minutes, reusable ice cubes, and providing robes (which use a lot of water to wash) only on request. Far from detracting from the guest experience, these are all good reminders to us all about the precious resource that water is.