DESTINATIONS CAPE TOWN | AFRICA


exper expert ASK THE FROM FAR LEFT: Boulders Beach; Constantia;


Table Mountain and Lion’s Head; V&A Waterfront; Camps Bay;


Signal Hill; Robben Island; Bo-Kaap


PICTURES: South African Tourism; Shutterstock/Londe Van Hoolwerff, DragonWen, Delpixel; Jeff Rikhotso


“We were thrilled to resume our daily direct flights from London to Cape Town in November, for the first time since 2015. Even though this will only be for the winter season for the time being, we hope to be able to make it year-round eventually. Demand has been high, and we’re already seeing bookings for this


winter, with flights operating from October 28 through to March 30, 2024.


from a wooden boardwalk accessed by ticketed entry, where you’ll see penguins in their hundreds, swimming, resting or sitting on eggs.


13.00: Back towards the city centre, Camps Bay is a dazzling, South Beach-like stretch of golden sand lined with bars, restaurants and hip hotels. Start with an aperitif at the Baptiste bar on the rooftop of The Marly hotel, then head to the Surfshack diner for lunch. Bag a table close to the seafront while tucking into the likes of lobster rolls, seared ahi tuna burgers and barbecued ribs – a nod to South Africa’s great braai tradition.


15.00: Photo opportunities abound in the colourful Bo-Kaap neighbourhood, a half-hour walk from the waterfront. Formerly known as the Malay Quarter, it sits on the lower slopes of Signal Hill and comprises a series of brightly painted houses set around cobbled streets. The historical centre of Cape Malay culture in Cape Town – the Cape Malays are descended from free and enslaved Muslims, who


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lived here during Dutch and British rule – it’s also home to the Bo-Kaap Museum. Located in one of the first houses to be built in the area, the museum dates back to the mid-18th century and features a distinctive Cape Dutch wavy-topped facade. It showcases Islamic culture and heritage, giving a sense of some of the many different communities that have called Cape Town home.


17.00: To the south of the city centre, where built-up urban life gives way to rolling fields and looming hills, you’ll find Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. It was set up in 1913 to preserve native plant life, and in its well-kept and laid-out grounds, you’ll find examples of some of the region’s most beautiful flowers and trees, including the pretty protea.


20.00: Head to lively Bree Street, lined with bars, restaurants and art galleries. Increasingly hailed as a must-visit foodie destination, places such as La Parada – a fun tapas bar – and Villa 47, a three-storey space serving Mediterranean cuisine,


pull in the crowds. For something a little more elevated, try refined bistro Grub & Vine. Within its red- walled, plant-filled, chequered- tiled interior, you’ll find a menu featuring the likes of heritage tomato carpaccio, pan-roasted linefish with mussels and baby shrimp, and shallot tarte tatin.


23.00: End the night at the nearby Gin Bar on Wale Street, composed of a series of interconnected townhouses complete with an indoor courtyard that’s entered through a chocolate shop. It started life in 2014 as a speakeasy where you needed a password to enter, but now it attracts a hip local crowd and serves a range of cocktails with cryptic names – think Hope, Heart, Ambition and Soul.


BOOK IT


Four nights at One&Only Cape Town with Elegant Resorts starts from £3,195, including flights, lounge access and private transfers, departing February 11, 2024. elegantresorts.co.uk


15 JUNE 2023 35


For clients, the appeal of the destination is multi-fold – it’s perfect for winter sun, and it offers excellent value for money thanks to the


exchange rate. Many major sporting events take place here, from cricket to the South Africa Sevens rugby tournament. It’s also easy to combine the city with other destinations in the country: you can fly with our airline partner, Airlink,


to Johannesburg or Kruger National Park, and the winelands are only an hour’s drive away.”


Juha Järvinen, chief commercial officer, Virgin Atlantic


TW


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