Early June 2022 Bart and I traveled to Capetown after we have finished our work on the Operation of Hope surgical mission in Bulawayo Zimbabwe. It was a dream trip! Here are my notes!
Bart and I only spent 3 days in Cape Town. (I think a day or two longer would have been better.) There is a finite number of things to do and every article or Instagram posts the same thing over and over. There are no festivals and gatherings in the winter so you have to come up with your own fun.
We rented this AirBnB around the corner from Long Street which is a very long street of local arts and crafts. We loved the location as we could also easily walk to restaurants and bars. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/12371489?source_impression_id=p3_1677629689_jZ3fdrubXFjQ2go7
Lots of people use ApplePay but we mostly used our credit cards. (Never hand a waiter your card! Have them bring the reader to your table or pay cash.) We felt very safe at all times however it would not be safe for a female to walk alone in the downtown area at night.
GETTING AROUND:
The Red Bus was the perfect way to get the lay of the land so do that early in your trip. (It’s easy to jump on and off.)
We hired a driver, Shamiel who was awesome! He was raised in Cape Town and has fun stories about the “old days.” He is delightful and we now call him friend. (Please give him a big hello from us when you meet him!)
Shamiel / +27 (81) 488-3457 / shamiel.azuretacs@gmail.com
We didn’t think we wanted to visit the wine country but Shamiel took us to a lovely winery for lunch and the experience was very different from our two days of exploring in the city. The scenery was spectacular. We are so glad we went!
I wanted to buy authentic Shweshwe fabric so Shamiel took us to a store we never would have found on our own.
RESTAURANTS:
Food in Cape Town is extraordinary. It feels like big city but with small town prices. We had so few days and nights, we chose restaurants very selectively!
Great article: https://www.timeout.com/cape-town/restaurants/best-restaurants-in-cape-town
Dinner at La Colombe was an experience we will never EVER forget. (Around $125 a person.) Book early as reservations are not easy to get. (Make reservations and skip reading about the restaurant. Let it all be a big surprise. You will thank me later!) Shamiel drove us to and from the restaurant.
Our lunch in the Old Biscuit Mill at the Pot Luck Club was incredible! (There are a few fun shops there too.)
Dinner at Belly of the Beast was really fun and interesting!
The Test Kitchen was a place we could not get into as we couldn’t make it work on our schedule. The story of the restaurant sounded very intriguing. Someday we will make it there!
SHOPPING:
Open Saturdays and Sundays, go to Neighborgoods Market http://www.neighbourgoodsmarket.co.za (Pot Luck Club restaurant is located here.)
Victoria & Albert Waterfront is a great shopping destination. https://www.capetown.travel/theres-something-for-everyone-at-the-va-waterfront/
Food Lovers Market is a grocery store that is a fun mouth-watering browse!
MORE:
If you like swimming, the 1950’s oceanfront Sea Point Pavilion Swimming Pool is so pretty! https://www.sa-venues.com/things-to-do/westerncape/sea-point-pool/. (This area is where I’d like to stay during our next Cape Town visit.)
There are things to do that take more time than we had available. If you like to hike, there’s Table Mountain and Lion’s Head which can take most of a day. If you like shark cage diving, you need to get to that side of the island. Same with viewing the penguins. There is Robben Island where Mandela was imprisoned. We stumbled upon a small apartheid museum which was fascinating. The contemporary museum was a big let-down.
https://insideguide.co.za/cape-town/hiking-trails/
You will have fun no matter what you end up doing! Enjoy!
Teryn
