Cape Town, Winelands and Surrounds:

A visit to South Africa is not complete without a visit to the beautiful city of Cape Town! The best time to visit this region from a weather point of view, is from December through to March/April in the hotter, summer months. Cape Town is a spectacularly beautiful city, with so much to see and do, from sight-seeing, shopping, the oceans and beaches, cape flaura and forna, wild life, penguins, the spectacularly beautiful Peninsula drive to Cape Point and of course the famous Table Mountain and Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for more than 20 years) to much much more!

There are also interesting places to visit within a short distance from the city of Cape Town, such as the popular Winelands and whale-spotting areas of Hermanus and Gansbaai. A little further away from Cape Town include the wild and ruggedly beautiful Cedarberg Mountains up the west coast (around a 3 hour drive) and the famous and very popular and beautiful "Garden Route" which follows the Indian Ocean coastline from Hermanus, Cape Agulhas (the most sourthern tip of Africa), through to George, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Cape St Francis and up to the city of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape.

Ideally a fair amount of time is needed if one wants to include all these Cape regions, let alone going on Safari in other regions.

Personalised Day Tours:

When visiting Cape Town and its surrounding regions, we would highly recommend (dependent on budget) and even if private care rental is involved, that tourists consider using the services of a "personal full day tour guide" to do one, or all three main "tour routes":



Cape Town City:

Table Mountain, the whole Peninsula drive to Cape Point, via Simonstown (naval base and harbour), Penguin Island, have lunch at a good restaurant in the area, and if time allowed, perhaps a visit to Robben Island.



Winelands

you must visit one or more wine farms to experience their operations and wine production, wine-tasting at several destinations, a short tour of the historical town of Stellenbosch, a traditional Cape Malay lunch at a popular restaurant in the region, and if time allowed to include the wine regions of Paarl, Somerset West and Franchhoek, etc.

The Winelands has always been a popular region to visit while in the Cape. The Winelands region stretches "around" the city of Cape Town, (around a one hour drive out of the city), including the areas and towns of Stellenbosch, Paarl, Somerset West and Franchhoek. The Village at Spier, Le Quartier Francais, Grande Roche and The Lanzerac Manor and Winery, Le Couronne are highly recommended venues in these areas.

To visit the popular whale watching area at the lower end of the garden route, around Hermanus and Gansbaai, preferably for a 2 or 3 day stay, but otherwise for a day trip...

2.5 hour drive north of Cape Town, situated just north of Hermanus. This privately owned nature reserve (not game reserve) and family managed, is situated on a hill with spectacular views of the ocean. This is a destination where one can sit back and relax in peace and quiet surrounded by natural beauty, whilst trying to spot the rare and extraordinary whales.

The Marine Hotel is another good option, situated in the heart of the Hermanus town, right on the edge of the sea. It is luxuriously decorated with a number of different rooms and suites on offer.

 

Whale watching

A tour from Cape Town following the spectacularly beautiful coastal road from Gordons Bay to the popular holiday town of Hermanus, visiting the Whale Sanctuary, spend time seeing the whales on the shoreline and then drive back via the inland route, through Sir Lowreys Pass...

(this is only advisable in the months from around June to January being the official "whale watching season") Other tours of interest would include the likes of Robben Island - a half day trip to visit the island made famous by Nelson Mandela, Shark Diving, hiking up Table Mountain etc.

In Cape Town itself, there are many, many different hotels, guest houses or B & B's to choose from.

It is important to note that in the very busy, summer "high tourist" season (November through to March), both rates and availability are at a premium, particularly at the better quality establishments, while generally speaking, lower rates are offered in the quieter, winter months.



Some of the best quality hotels in Cape Town include:

The Victoria & Alfred Hotel, Cape Grace and The Table Bay Hotel all situated on the popular V & A Waterfront.

The Bay Hotel is a superb, modern hotel on the famous Camps Bay beach with superb views of the ocean and beach, as well as the mountains to the side and back of the hotel. It is ideally located to access the city, the V & A Waterfront, Table Mountain, many other beaches and tourist attractions all within a 10 minute drive from the hotel.

The Mount Nelson is a magnificent, old, colonial hotel located behind the city bowl, at the base of Table Mountain overlooking the city and ocean/harbour. This hotel is very luxurious, offering a "stately and olde' worlde' charm", with excellent decor and service throughout.

Another good accommodation option, is the superbly decorated Colona Castle, in the Lakeside area at the end of the Constantia Valley, which is a quality guest house with magnificent views across the entire False Bay region to the back of Table Mountain.