Staying Amazing in the Mother City; horrible hire-car from the Woodford wallies; dire dinner at the V&A Waterfront; Camps Bay, Llandudno and the 12 Apostles; seal-smooching at scenic Hout Bay; climbing Cape Point; Italian feast at La Perla, Seapoint
You would never visit South Africa for the first time and not go to Cape Town, the Mother City. So, after an equally unmissable safari escapade together at Nambiti Big 5 Game Reserve, Ellie, Steve, Roy and I boarded a two-hour afternoon flight to Cape Town from Durban’s King Shaka International Airport.
Through Stay Amazing, we’d booked a three-bedroom apartment at 27 Leeuwen Street. Level 16 is the penthouse level – look at our view of Table Mountain!
After a third-rate dinner at Marco’s on the V&A Waterfront that first evening, I have now banned the revisiting of restaurants where we once upon a time had a good meal.
As for the Waterfront eateries in general, they’re guaranteed tourist footfall so they don’t have to try very hard. My advice is to stroll around, maybe do a bit of shopping and stop for a drink – it’s a sin to waste one’s appetite on mediocre fare. (More later on where to actually eat.)
Day One – Beaches, Cape Point and Simonstown
Roy had booked a Hyundai Tucson, which, though it had been confirmed months in advance, had inexplicably been given away by the wallies at the airport branch of Woodford Car Hire. He was gravely displeased by the substitution, a grotty Toyota Avanza, but there was nothing he nor anyone else could do about it.
Though ascending Table Mountain* is a must, particularly on such a fabulous blue-sky day, we were put off by the queue for the cable car. So we did a U-turn and drove instead to Camps Bay for breakfast at Mynt Café – green juice, toast and avo for me; kipper and poached eggs for Roy; serious brekkies for our friends.
(* A few moons after I met Roy, some 28 years ago on our first trip anywhere, I asked him to climb with me to the top of Table Mountain via Kloof Neck Gorge. At that early stage in our relationship I had no idea how revolting such a prospect was to him – but he agreed, clearly still trying to impress. We did the climb (more or less) together and came down by cable car; but I soon realised that such a thing would never, never, ever happen again.)
From there it’s a leisurely drive to Llandudno beach (next to it is the nudist beach, Sandy Bay), and onwards along the foot of the imposing range of coastal mountains known as the 12 Apostles to picturesque Hout Bay, a working fishing port.
Hout Bay
The highlight for me was meeting a man who was apparently kissing a seal by transferring bits of fish from his lips to it. “They arrest me for this,” he told me sadly. “I have to appear in court on the 19th of February, even though I only do it to put food on the table – and because I don’t want to steal.”
Linking Hout Bay to Noordhoek is the spectacular Chapman’s Peak Drive, a 9km stretch of 114 bends. Hacked out of the mountains some 100 years ago, it is now an extensively restored toll road. (Spoil the day of the toll-collector by asking for a receipt for your R50.)
From Noordhoek you can head for the pretty harbour and naval base Simon’s Town – hello Digby and Allison! – and then continue all the way to Cape Point, the southernmost point of Africa.
Simon’s Town
My good feeling about Simon’s Town café Tasty Table was justified: Steve’s salad and our various bunless burgers were outstanding. (For a more high-end meal you could try Harbour House, says our clued-up foodie friend Karin Jenkins.)
Cape Point
Having had to queue and pay to get into the Cape Point nature reserve – the international fee is R320 (about S$32) a head, though it’s only half that if you’re South African and have your SA IDs with you (which we did not) – Roy seemed determined to get his money’s worth. And so, completely out of character, he insisted on hiking up the steep path up to the lighthouse lookout point instead of taking the funicula.
(To be more accurate, we only spotted the funicula too late, when we were already approaching the top of the hill. We did use it to come down – and it was well worth it at R70 per person.)
Dinner was at classic Italian institution La Perla at Seapoint, with our old friends Michael and Karin. Karin is an amazing chef and foodie, so I took the opportunity to pick her brain on the culinary scene in Cape Town and the surrounding Winelands.
Sitting on La Perla’s terrace with the sun on our backs and a view of Seapoint beachfront was perfect. For me, Knysna oysters followed by spinach and ricotta cannelloni; for Roy, oysters followed by kingklip; for Ellie, minestrone followed by angelhair pasta and veggies; beef carpaccio for Karin, followed by the kingklip.
Watch this space for Part Two, where Roy and I explore the Cape Winelands with Ellie and Steve.
Oh! It looks so fabulous. The scenery is extraordinary. Verne, all your adventures are so interesting but this one is extra special to me as Ellie and Steve are with you making your birthday such a memorable one. Looking forward to the next installment.
A few hiccups, but overall a very interesting schedule. You all look good and happy. Stay safe. Did you see the Big 5 at the reserve?
Verne: Thanks, Alf – and our very best wishes to you. We saw four of the Big 5 at Nambiti; though the reserve does have leopards, they are apparently people-shy and hard to spot as they pre-date the reserve to a time when this was farmland and farmers used to hunt them.