| Submitted by: Philip Hazel, United Kingdom |
| Submission Date: 04 February 2005 |
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You can take boat trips round the harbour and out in the Table Bay round Robben Island (R70 [1996]), though you cannot land on the island. The Two Oceans Aquarium was opened at the Waterfront in October 1995. The entrance fee was R22 for adults in 1996, but I thought it well worth it. It's not just fish in tanks - there are some interesting dynamic exhibits, and the large kelp forest and deep ocean tanks are most impressive.
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I have found theatres and concerts to be generally good and also cheap in CT. They all subscribe to a computerized ticketing system called Computicket, which means that you can get tickets for any theatre at any box office, and there are also Computicket outlets in most major shopping centres. The future of some theatre companies is in doubt [1995] because the new government is cutting down on the subsidies that they have enjoyed in the past.
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There are open markets in and around the city. One major street, St. Georges's St (parallel to Adderley, one block away) is completely pedestrianised and there are often street performers etc. Greenmarket Square is also a site for markets, and there is another down by the railway station.
There are a number of inter-connected large underground shopping malls under Adderley & Strand streets near the station. This is the main shopping area in the city with shops of all kinds.
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You should also travel around the Peninsula, and even further afield, if you have time. Drive down on the East side of the Peninsula (via Muizenberg, Fishoek, Simonstown) and drive back on the West side, via Kommetjie and Noordhoek and then the spectacular Chapman's Peak Drive to Hout Bay.
As well as the National Botanic Gardens at Kirstenbosch (mentioned above), the University is worth a visit just to see its splendid site; also the Rhodes Memorial just above it on the slopes of Devil's Peak. If you take refreshment at the cafe at the Rhodes Memorial, try their cheesecake with Cape gooseberries. (These are totally unrelated to English gooseberries. An orange fruit about the size of a small cherry and very tasty.)
You can also visit Groot Constantia, the estate of one of the Dutch Governors, now a museum, but they still grow vines and make wine on the estate and you can tour the winery. There's a restaurant there too, but quite an expensive one. There is a cheaper place to eat or have a snack just by the entrance, called the Old Cape Bistro, attached to and run by the same management as The Old Cape Farm Stall (which is itself worth a visit). Last time I was there I had the tallest slice of chocolate cake I have ever seen - and it was very good [1995].
In Tokai, just a bit further on from Constantia, there is an arboretum, which is a delightfully peaceful place for a stroll, though it appears that a new development of houses is now being built not too far away [1995]. From the arboretum you can walk right up the adjoining mountain, the Constantiaberg.
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South of Tokai, the road over the mountain called Ou Kaapse Weg (Old Cape Road) passes through the Silvermine Nature Reserve. There never was any silver there; the name comes from an ancient scam when fraudsters tried to persuade people there was. There are nice picnic spots and walking trails in the reserve, which charges a small entrance fee. A particularly nice walk is the ascent of Noordhoek Peak from here (60 - 90 minutes). The views in all directions are spectacular. If you are feeling fit you can continue on to the Constantiaberg.
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Carrying on southwards you reach False Bay at Muizenberg (popular beach), and the road then leads via Kalk Bay (fishing harbour) to Fishoek, which has another nice beach, and is a bit more sheltered from the Southeast wind by Elsie's Peak. There are easy paths up to the top (about 3/4 hour) and you can see both oceans from the highest point.
The next bay after Fishoek is Simonstown (which increasingly seems to be spelt Simon's Town these days). It is a navy base and has a naval museum and also a semi-precious stone polishing works you can visit. The town has a relaxed feel to it. There are often craft vendors in Jubilee square, which is next to the yacht harbour. This is the end of the densely populated area on this side of the Peninsula. At the southern end of Simonstown, near Seaforth beach, a colony of jackass penguins has established itself in the bushes above the beach - right next to the houses there. The birds are protected, and there is a warden on the site and a charge of a few rand to visit.
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CAPE POINT NATURE RESERVE
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Go down to Cape Point nature reserve. You need a car and the best part of a day for this. (There are bus tours but they only go to the main tourist places and they tend to try to cram everything into one day.) You must visit the Point itself, to see the Atlantic and Indian oceans meeting, but drive back a bit and take the side road to the Cape of Good Hope to find a quiet site to eat your picnic. You can usually find a bit of rocky shore where there isn't anyone else. There is an entrance fee for the Reserve, but you will get a map of all the roads and footpaths. There is a new restaurant at Cape Point [1996] but I haven't tried it.
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A little way off the road in Noordhoek, as you leave to start the Chapman's Peak Drive, is a collection of small shops and a restaurant and a tea room. There's a sign on the main road indicating it (on the left). It consists of a collection of old buildings round a very plant-filled courtyard, and there are, amongst others, a furniture repairer, a stained-glass maker, and a shop selling handmade clothes and African curios. The restaurant is called the Red Herring and it specializes in home cooked country food. I had a light lunch there in 1994, and the butternut soup and Cape Brandy Pudding were excellent. A more substantial meal in 1995 confirmed its quality. There's a nice view out over to the sea at Noordhoek.
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As you enter Hout Bay from Chapman's Peak, you pass one of the most comprehensive liquor stores in the Peninsula - attached to the Chapman's Peak Hotel. They have an incredible variety of wines and liqueurs, both local and imported, and a large walk-in cold room so you can buy wine and beer ready to drink if you like. Books about South African wines are available for consultation.
At Hout Bay there is a fishing harbour with some restaurants (cheap and not so cheap). Also a beach. Also The World of Birds. Worth a visit. A large number of birds in large walk-through aviaries (visited 1993).
The traditional round-the-Peninsula route from Hout Bay keeps to the west and carries on via Llandudno to Camps Bay (nice beach, restaurants, theatre) and finally via Sea Point back to Cape Town.
The Two Oceans Marathon is run round the Peninsula near Easter each year. It starts and ends at Claremont, and follows part of the route just described, though it does not go all the way down to Cape Point, and it cuts back from Hout Bay to Claremont over Constantia Nek.
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There are lots of good restaurants all over the Peninsula, and indeed in other places too. I mention a few that I have visited below, but that is only a small sample. If you want a cheap and cheerful quick meal, there is a chain of steakhouses under the brand name 'Spur' which give good value for money. There are also Hard Rock Cafes and Pizza Huts...
Sea Point is an area of expensive high-rise flats but it is very cosmopolitan and there are ethnic restaurants of every kind. Many restaurants in Cape Town are closed on Monday evenings, but some in Sea Point are not. Sea Point has a large open-air swimming pool right next to the beach.
There is one restaurant in the City, in Queen Victoria Street, right at the top just about opposite the planetarium, that serves only South African cuisine. It is called Die Kaapse Tafel (The Cape Table). I haven't eaten there for a few years, but had good reports of it in 1993.
Another good restaurant, discovered in 1994, is situated on the opposite side of Table Bay to the city, at Bloubergstrand, a beach resort (about 20-30 minutes drive). It is called 'On the Rocks', and it really is - the waves break right under the windows. It has one of the most spectacular views of any restaurant in the world - the classic view over the bay to Cape Town with the mountain behind, and you can also see Robben Island out in the bay. We found the service and the food to be very good, as well. I ate ostrich steak with amarula and Cape gooseberry sauce.
If you can't get into 'On the Rocks', then a few yards along the road there is 'Ons Huisie' (our little house), which doesn't have the view, but is charmingly situated in an old fisherman's cottage that is now a National Monument, and its food is also good [1995]. |
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