South Africa
adventurous potential of the city. Popular
trips include a sunrise hike up Lion’s Head and stand-up paddleboarding or surf lessons at Muizenberg at False Bay. Securing the services of an experienced local guide has become a sure-fire way of maximising time, indulging specialist interests and gaining privileged access to places that are often off limits, whether it’s touring the city’s job-creating, organic, edible garden projects or taking a culturally immersive walk in the Bo-Kaap area of Cape Town – the brightly-decorated former township, situated on the slopes of Signal Hill above the city centre. When it comes to this, Footsteps to Freedom is known for its excellent guides, and offers group and private options. Or to see it all from above, NAC Helicopters offers an exhilarating flight along the coast from the Waterfront to Cape Point, putting this city’s dramatic geography into perspective.
On the radar Cape Town also has plenty of new accommodation options to talk about – one of the most extravagant openings the city has ever seen will be Silo Hotel, part of the Royal Portfolio. Set to open in March 2017 in the Waterfront’s
prestigious new Grain Silo precinct, it forms part of the multi-storey Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa which has 89 galleries designed by UK architect Thomas Heatherwick. Each of the Silo’s 34 rooms and suites, including two-bedroom family suites, will have sublime city, mountain and ocean views through five-metre floor-to-ceiling windows, while the top floor will boast a rooftop pool, cocktail bar and restaurant. Meanwhile, The Capital opens in November –
a first in Cape Town for this Johannesburg-based hotel group. It will be a slick, modern hotel with a
distinct neighbourhoods, many of them urban regeneration projects that are breathing new life into areas that were considered no-go zones a decade ago. It’s an easy cab ride to the likes of Juta Street in Braamfontein, with its weekly Neighbourgoods Market and bars, such as Thirteen (a rooftop cocktail bar) or the Maboneng Precinct for super-chic local fashion, such as Loin Cloth & Ashes and an array of cafes that embody the city’s fast-evolving home- grown food revolution. Located close to Rosebank’s high-end art
rooftop bar for taking advantage of the views from its De Waterkant location. And next year Tsogo Sun’s ambitious hotel complex will include a 200-room SunSquare hotel and a 300-room StayEasy hotel downtown, on the corner of Strand and Buitengracht streets.
Northern exposure While Cape Town may have the good looks, Johannesburg is the country’s economic powerhouse up in the north: in-your-face ambitious, cash-flush but also increasingly cosmopolitan. It’s often regarded merely as a layover for
safari-goers with just enough time to visit the Apartheid Museum or shop in the continent’s biggest malls, including the just-opened Mall of Africa. But these days the city lures worldly travellers of their own accord, thanks to its edgy cafe culture, art galleries, and cultural tours that help put the country’s complex history into perspective. Companies such as Past Experiences specialise in niche walking tours, from graffiti and murals to tracing Mandela’s footsteps. Vast and sprawling, Johannesburg has
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galleries, Marble is a new restaurant opening this July from award-winning chef David Higgs, formerly at The Saxon. Specialising in live fire cooking on a wood-fired grill, it will have a rooftop bar above and walk-in butchery below. Over at The Saxon, Luke Dale-Roberts – one of South Africa’s most exciting chefs from Cape Town’s The Test Kitchen and The Pot Luck Club – has just opened a hotel restaurant with chef Candice Philip. Newtown’s nightlife is hopping thanks to the
Newtown Junction, close to the revitalised Market Theatre. Victorian-era potato sheds have been converted into atmospheric shops, cafes and little bars, including Town (a dim sum and beer bar) and the prohibition-style Gentleman’s Art House for artisanal cocktails. The Westcliff, South Africa’s first Four
Seasons, offers the softest of urban landings with panoramic city views (the terrace is great for sundowner drinks) and a class-act spa with a rooftop apres-spa garden and rejuvenating BR “second skin” facials (a first in South Africa). Look out for the hotel’s new “airport stopover” package designed for travellers who have several hours to kill before a long-haul connection, but don’t need a room. Smaller and more intimate of the city’s hotels is the redecorated Athol Place, a sophisticated, grown-up boutique hotel that also welcomes families.
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