Would like to inform overseas visitors of this beach.
Often overseas visitors only goes to the Clifton and Camps Bay beaches in Cape Town, being unaware of the existance of other beaches in the Western Cape. At Strand (funny name for a town, since Strand means beach in my home language, Afrikaans) there is a beach which is about 5 kilometers long. This beach is next to the road, so you don't have to walk too far to get to the beach. Parking is usually limited in peak season in the road next to the beach, but there is always plenty free parking one or two blocks from the beach. Depending on the traffic getting to Strand can take as little as 40 minutes from Cape Town by way of the N2 national road. A huge advantage that Strand has over Clifton and Camps Bay is that the water is much warmer, since Clifton and Camps Bay gets the full force of the artic (that is the Antartic) currents and unless you are planning on being a Fear Factor contestant, swimming there is not advised, even in summer. The water in Strand is much warmer and more pleasant to swim in. Clifton and Camps Bay is mainly the hang out of the rich crowd, which can be nice sometimes, but if you want to mix with more down to earth South Africans, Strand is the place to go. Apartheid is ancient history, but for some reason people still choose to go different beaches. The beaches in Strand are basically 90% white and there are other beaches in the Western Cape that are basically 90% black. The mix at Camps Bay and Clifton is also about 90% white, so in that respect it is similar. (I don't mean to offend anybody, I am just giving the facts.) Strand is also much cheaper than Clifton and Camps Bay as far as food and accomodation goes. There is also a pretty large mall about 3 kilometers from the beach. Also for the ladies the beach is topless, or to be more politically correct top free. So the "dress code" is the same as Clifton and Camps Bay. My personal suggestion would be that if your are on a beach holiday in the Western Cape to check out both Camps Bay/ Clifton and the Strand and to see which you like the most. It would not surprise me if you prefer Strand at the end of the day. To check out the beach, Earth Google it at 34deg06'15.33" S , 18deg48'57.11" E at about 1125 ft for a good look.
Reply to this 
