Cape town

clifton, cape town, south africa

clifton, cape town, south africa

 

I went to Cape Town as a precursor to my friend Kelly's 30th birthday in Zimbabwe. As you'll see when you go, it is incredibly easy to fall in love with this city. It's gorgeous, it's green, the people are great, the markets are fun, the mountains surrounding it are stunning. And then the cherry on top is the winelands, which is not to be missed. Notes for both the city and the winelands are below!

CAPE TOWN

WHAT TO DO

  • Walk around Bo Kaap (happy, colorful homes)

  • Wander around Kloof St, Adderly St, Long St, Bree St and Loop St for lots of shops and restos

  • Drink gin (they love it here)

  • Walk around V&A waterfront

  • Swim at and/or just check out Camps Bay (cool surfery neighborhood + beach)

  • Climb Lion’s Head mountain

  • Go to the top of Table Mountain (take the cable car or hike)

  • Day drive to Muizenberg Beach, Kalk Bay, Boulders beach (penguins) and Cape of Good Hope

SHOPPING

  • Old Biscuit Bill for Neighborgoods market on Saturdays

  • Greenmarket Square (good touristy buys)

  • Oranjezicht City Farm market on Saturdays

  • Adderly Street flower market

  • The Watershed (for local artisans and shops)

  • Woodstock Exchange

  • Long Street has lots of great shops (faves include WAG, merchants on long, tribal trends)

RESTOS I WENT TO

  • Pot Luck Club (one of the most well-known and delicious spots in the city, great drinks too)

  • Codfather (fun spot in Camps Bay where you pick out what fish you want to eat and then they grill it up for you)

  • Biesmiellah (legit and local, go specifically to try Cape Malay food)

  • Baia (in V&A Waterfront, go for the view and great seafood -- but it's located inside a mall btw)

OTHER RESTOS OF NOTE

  • The Kitchen

  • Superette

  • Test Kitchen (fancier but same chef as Pot Luck Club)

  • Hemelhuijs (brunch/lunch)

  • Chef’s Warehouse

  • Olami (medi food, highly reco’d)

  • Clarke’s Bar + dining room (good for bfast)

  • Manna Epicure (good for bfast)

  • Cafe Paradiso

  • Jerry’s Burger bar (local chain)

  • Il Leone Mastrantonio (din)

  • Black sheep (din, make res)

  • Kloof Street House (try ostrich)

  • Bombay Bicycle Club

  • El Burro (mexican)

  • Truth Coffee Roasting (for the coffee)

  • Belmond Mount Nelson (for high tea or tasting menu)

  • Life Grand Cafe (mediterranean food)

  • The Shortmarket Club

BARS

  • House of Machines

  • Outrage of modesty

  • The Rumbullion at Roundhouse (for sundowner)

  • The Waiting Room

  • Mother’s Ruin Gin Bar

  • The Gin Bar

  • Woodstock Gin Company

  • Hope on Hopkins (buy some gin to take home)

  • New Harbour Distillery

  • Orphanage Cocktail Emporium (get G&T in a bag)

  • Tjing Tjing (rooftop!)

STAY

  • Cape View Clifton (stayed here most of our time in Cape Town, absolutely INSANE views, great breakfast, beautiful rooms)

  • La Grenadine (stayed here one night, located right in the center of the "downtown" shopping/restaurant district, nice rooms with fun/quirky features, very well priced)

  • Kensington Place

  • Ellerman House

  • Le Grenadine Petite Hotel

  • Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel

  • One&only Cape Town

 

THE WINELANDS

 

VINEYARDS

  • Babylonstoren (stunning and beautiful and I love it here and the wines are amazing and... sigh.)

  • Solms Delta (cool place with a great history, you gotta talk to the people who work here for a full story)

  • Vrede en lust (went here, nice views but didn't love the wines)

  • Delaire Graff (no res, open daily from 10am)

  • Hidden Valley wines (no res, open daily 9-5)

  • La Motte (walk the grounds)

  • Mullineaux & Leeu (recommended to me by a friend)

  • Vergelegen Wines (recommended to me by a friend)

  • Leopard’s leap (recommended to me by a friend)

  • Solms delta (recommended to me by a friend)

  • Groot Constantia

  • Creation Wines

  • Bouchard Finlayson

  • Almenkerk Wine Estate

  • Rust en Vrede

  • Glenelly Estate

  • L'Omarins

  • Anthonij Rupert Wine

  • Simonsig

RESTOS I WENT TO

  • The Table (lunch only from thurs-sun, such a delicious, multi-course meal, if you can make it here -- DEF GO)

  • Babel at Babylonstoren (amazing restaurant with fresh food and they are serving their delicious wine of course, too)

STAY

  • Babylonstoren (a beautiful farm and vineyard where everything is so happy and gorgeous -- you just have to go to experience it)

  • Akademie street boutique hotel (one of the top boutique hotels in the world and IT SHOWS, easily one of the coolest boutique hotels I've ever stayed at)

  • Leeu House and Estates