Cape Town
I stayed my first few nights at The Bay Hotel which is a first class hotel across the road from Camps Bay. The service here was impeccable, the rooms were impressive and to be honest nothing was too much trouble. Along the road there was an amazing choice of restaurants to dine al fresco and literally watch Cape Town drive by. I then moved onto the Twelve Apostles for the rest of my stay which is a luxury hotel set in the mountainside; a 20 minute drive away from the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. Although its set on its own, it offers an out of this world experience, a fabulous restaurant, a lounge where they serve anything from cocktails to tea and the concierge here will help organise any tours or sights you want to take in whilst there. I did a full day tour of the Peninsula and the Cape of Good Hope, including wine tasting at Stellenbosch, a visit to Boulders Beach to see the penguins and a one day safari which was fantastic. We really got up close and personal with Rhino, Giraffes, Ostrich, Springbok and Wildebeest. We visited the Cheetahs in quarantine and some Lions which the rangers had rescued. Of course I went up Table Mountain by cable car, this takes only 8 minutes and the views are stunning. Unfortunately I missed Robben Island but some other guests were telling me its not to be missed. I also visited the famous Mount Nelson Hotel for dinner and cocktails in their new uba-chic bar. I had a quick tour of some of the rooms and cottages at the hotel which were lovely. Earlier in the year I stayed at the Table Bay Hotel which is a deluxe hotel down at the V&A Waterfront, this is a totally different experience of Cape Town as the Waterfront is set for the tourists, a huge choice of bars, restaurants and a shopping centre. It is very safe here to go out at night. The best thing is although its a 12 hour flight direct to Cape Town there is only a 2 hour time difference, so no jet lag. Also the value for money is fantastic, eating out, even in 5 star establishments is reasonable and of course the selection of wines to choose from is always good. No matter what anyone says about the area being 'unsafe' I must say that I have never met a more friendlier race and are immensely proud of their country and just love to tell you all about it. The private tours I took were very reasonably priced and well worth it as I had a private guide to tell me all about the vast history of the area which was very interesting.
