Cape Town

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My Trip To Cape Town

Let me start by welcoming everyone to my blog... welcome 😊

I've never written a blog before so please excuse my inexperience; however I'm keen to get started so I'm just going to go for it. Sure I'll pick it up as I go along.

Just got back from Cape Town and wow, what an amazing place. Just had to tell everyone what I thought as I had such a great time. It was so different to what I was expecting and from speaking to other people, I get the impression that they had the same expectations as me... a little fear, apprehension and uncertainty. It's such a shame as it's none of those things so I wanted to air my views and that's why I got thinking about writing a blog.

To start with, I felt completely safe the whole time I was there... well if I'm really honest, as I had it embedded in my head that it was unsafe the first day I did feel I was looking over my shoulder every 2 mins, but as I settled in those feelings went and after a while I felt completely at ease. The people are so friendly and helpful, it's such an easy going city and it just buzzes with something... not sure what it is but it definitely got me hooked.

The city is made up of very contrasting areas, divided up by the magnificent Table Mountain. This makes it quite unique to many other cities I've been as each part of Cape Town is so unique.

The City Bowl is urban and gritty made up of lots of small shops, bars and restaurants all with their own unique flare. The ornate balconies give a taste of New Orleans, whilst the street markets give it a touch of Africa. We spent many hours just pottering around the markets, and wondering in the shops - to be honest a lot of it's tourist tat but it's great just having a look and seeing what bargains you can find. The food around here is something special, we tried so many restaurants and every meal was unbelievably good. Try Fork, which is on Long Street - African cuisine served in a tapas style way, numerous small dishes giving you a taste of various amazing delights on offer... hmmmm, makes my mouth water thinking about it. The Springbok, Steak and Sea Food are all delish. Also if you fancy something a little more traditional, further up Long Street is Mother Africas. This is an experience in itself, African bands playing and a very traditional menu - I went for the Game Mixed Grill which was really tasty and something quite unique.

Head down to the V&A waterfront and its a very different kettle of fish. Trendy restaurants and wine bars everywhere you turn. There's a huge shopping centre filled with every designer shop you could imagine - a shoppers dream! Plush apartment blocks line the marina area. I expected it to be a little tacky like Fishermans Wharf in San Fran but it's not, it's more like Sydney Harbour. A must whilst there is to take the boat from the V&A to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, a really interesting and thought provoking trip.



Camps Bays is a blend of trendy, yet chilled. When I first saw Camps Bay I fell in love with it. How such a stunning and relaxed beach setting can be right in the heart of such a bustling city is just remarkable. Pristine white sands, swaying palm trees with an amazing back drop of Table Mountain and lined with numerous stylish bars and restaurants. Such a great place to get a comfy spot, a bottle of vino and just people watch.



Also dotted around the outskirts of the city are residential areas which are also a must to explore. We came across De Waterkant and it had some really nice deli bars, all with a really nice relaxed atmosphere - a great place to spend an afternoon chatting to the locals, enjoying amazing local wine and tasting great food.

I know I've mention wine and food quite a bit but i'm not greedy or a wino but the food and drink there is just superb. The wine is amazing and great value for money, you can get some great bottles, in trendy restaurants for just £10 a bottle - bargain! The food is the best I've ever experienced on holiday, so if you like your food Cape Town is a must!!!

If you like sports and outdoor living, this is also an idea place to visit. The mountain makes a great spot to do a number of sports, including hiking, abseiling and it your daring - hang gliding. There's loads of watersports - you can even go shark diving.. not for me but I'm sure it's intense! Loads of bicycles, surfers and runners.. it's just a really outdoorsy place.

Back to the wine talk now we've had a couple of paragraphs off - the winleands too are a must to visit.... hmmmmm oh I want to go back and only be home a few weeks. To some it up, whatever you enjoy there is something for everyone - go, please try it, taste it, love it!

Sorry for the name drop but I said and say a big thanks to eShores for sorting it - you did good! There specialists in Luxury Holidays and I'd recommend them to anyone. Also a big thanks to the guys at Cape Grace you made it unforgetable.

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