Our trip to {CAPE TOWN}:

The V&A Waterfront is an easy starting point for a trip to Cape Town. You can walk everywhere in this busy and buzzy central area, with shopping, harbour life, galleries and restaurants all close by.

Radisson RED is a good option if you want a contemporary hotel in a central location in the Silo District without splashing too much cash. We chose it as the base for our last trip to Cape Town. The interiors are punchy and modern: bold graphics, lots of colour and playful details. Rooms are practical, comfortable and of a decent size. The big draw is the rooftop, with a pool and bar sharing views out to the mountains.

If you want one truly special hotel stay in Cape Town, The Silo should be on your list. The hotel sits right on the V&A Waterfront, occupying the top floors of a reworked grain silo building above the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa. It’s central and walkable for the Waterfront’s restaurants and galleries. The architecture is striking, with signature pillowed windows featuring geometric ironwork, giving you huge panoramas of the harbour and mountains. Design-wise, it’s bold and very “Cape Town now”: colour, filled with contemporary art and playful, high-impact interiors. The rooms are all individually styled (there are 28 in total).

The Granary Café is a good spot for an easy lunch or an early evening meal, while the Willaston Bar has a strong South African wine list and a buzzy, more dressed-up energy. There is also a rooftop pool with 360-degree views across the city and out to the water, plus The Silo Spa.

All this doesn’t come cheap, and up to now we haven’t taken the leap to fork out the £1,400+ a night for a room during peak season!

The Victoria & Alfred Hotel is a classic and calm stay where David stayed once on a business trip. It’s right on the marina, with a harbour atmosphere and Table Mountain in the distance. You can step outside and be straight into the Waterfront’s shops, galleries, and restaurants, then retreat back to something that feels a little more settled.

Inside, it has a traditional feel: polished, comfortable, quietly confident. Rooms are elegant and unfussy, with a grown-up feel.

Gorgeous George is a more boutique and design-forward stay, with a bit of personality. We’re yet to stay there, but it sounds fun, and we’d like to try it on our next trip. It’s in the CBD rather than the Waterfront, so it feels more “in the city”, with cafés, galleries and bars nearby.

The style is a mix of vintage and modern, with local textiles, interesting art and little curios. Rooms are comfortable and smart, with a slightly playful edge. The rooftop has a small pool with a great view.

The Pot Luck Club is still our favourite place for dining out in Cape Town. The menu is made of small plates that are big on flavours. It’s set up for sharing, and you can try different dishes across the menu, which you order with an old-school pencil and paper. The room that feels lively from the moment you arrive, with a stylish space and an energetic open-kitchen feel. If you’re visiting in high season, book ahead — this one fills up for a reason.

Friends dined out several times at Den Aneker, a buzzy, relaxed and fun place right on the waterfront. No need to book, and a good call for a casual, laid back and lively dining option.

Fyn is on our list of hot Cape Town tables to try out on our next trip. It’s chef Peter Tempelhoff’s love letter to South Africa. According to write-ups we’ve read, it has a tasting menu that is “ambitious but grounded”, with beautifully judged combinations and precise technique. The room itself looks stylish and intimate, with a city-edge feel: modern and confident rather than tablecloth tradition.

The Gin Bar is a Cape Town classic — low-lit, atmospheric, and ideal for starting (or ending) an evening. It has that hidden-away feel, with a focus on South African gin.

Watershed is a vibrant craft and design space packed with local makers — ceramics, jewellery, fashion, art, homeware. New designers sit alongside more established names, and there is a mix of price points. It’s an easy stop if you’re already at the Waterfront, situated right by the Two Oceans Aquarium.

Woodstock is Cape Town’s creative, up-and-coming side — a formerly industrial area that’s been steadily revitalised with galleries, antique shops, cafés and some of the city’s most exciting food (see The Pot Luck Club in the Dining section). It’s a quick ride from the Waterfront/CBD (around 10–15 minutes depending on traffic).

The Old Biscuit Mill is a compact pocket of design shops, cafés and food spots that’s ideal for a morning wander. If you’re in town at the weekend, there is a market with a range of food stalls and also stands selling locally made gifts that feel considered rather than touristy. It gives you a real sense of the city’s creative energy in one stop.

The Zeitz MOCAA (Museum of Contemporary African Art) is worth a visit partly for the art, but also for the break taking building. The focus is contemporary art from Africa and the diaspora, and the scale of the collection and exhibitions make it a major cultural institution. It’s housed in a converted grain silo complex, reworked into a dramatic series of carved-out voids and cathedral-like spaces by “starchitect” Thomas Heatherwick. It’s one of the most striking museum interiors we’ve seen.

Bo-Kaap is one of the most distinctive parts of Cape Town, with brightly painted houses sitting on steep streets. It is one of the oldest urban residential areas in Cape Town, with most of the area built between 1760 and 1840. It’s still a residential area with people living their daily lives here. The Bo-Kaap Museum is a good anchor point if you want context. It’s one of the earliest homes in the area and focuses on the neighbourhood’s cultural heritage.

Check out the colourful and creative South African surfwear brand Mami Wata if you’re in the area, at 104 Shortmarket Street.

Robben Island is a powerful half-day experience that will stay with you long after the visit has ended. You start at the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront, then take a ferry across the bay. Once on land, the guided route stitches the place together in scenes: the quarry where political prisoners toiled, the windswept roads and then the prison, including Nelson Mandela’s tiny cell. With a former political prisoner as your guide, the stories of hardship are brought vividly to life.

Boulders is a memorable mini wildlife experience: African penguins, up close, in a protected coastal setting! Go early in peak months before parking and viewing areas fill up.

Table Mountain is a must-do as long as the weather plays along! Even if you’ve seen it from everywhere in the city, being up there shows you the majesty of Cape Town from a completely different perspective. Check conditions so you gcan o when visibility is clear, with cableway tickets and planning info on the official site.

Constantia is Cape Town’s wine-and-garden escape. This leafy, residential area is a good option if you want a quieter base than the Waterfront, with vineyards and mountain views on your doorstep. You can stay here for a more secluded feel, then head into the city for dinner, museums and shopping.

Villa Steenberg is part of the Steenberg estate — the oldest wine farm on the Cape Peninsula — and the architecture is classic Western Cape farmhouse: whitewashed walls, shuttered windows, and a wide covered patio. Inside, it has generous communal spaces, a calm palette, and an easy indoor-outdoor flow that suits the Constantia climate. Outdoor areas include a lawned garden and a pool terrace. You also get access to award-winning wine, a luxury spa, a championship golf course and excellent dining options.

Friends who visited Cape Town loved The Vineyard Hotel just outside Constantia. It’s a great option if you want a calmer, more relaxed base. The old-soul property dates back to 1800, with the eastern slopes of Table Mountain as its everyday backdrop and the Liesbeek River quietly threading through the gardens. The Vineyard Hotel’s most famous residents are the fourteen numbered tortoises, some of whom have called the grounds home since the early 1980s!

There are different dining options on site, from easy, relaxed plates and patio time at the Garden Lounge to seasonal dining at The Square, Eastern Mediterranean flavours at Morii.

We’ve read a lot about Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia, and it is on our list of places to try on our next trip. We’re looking forward to a “dinner-with-a-view” experience, with the restaurant perched above the Constantia Valley with glass and greenery all around. The format is a set-menu journey made up of seasonal, produce-led dishes. And with that value for money proposition, Cape Town does so well: 4 course set menu for £50 at the time of writing.

Photo: chefswarehouse.co.za

Camps Bay is Cape Town’s picture postcard perfect beach suburb. It has a wide strip of sand, lots of restaurants and bars and the Twelve Apostles range sitting dramatically behind it all.

POD is a stylish, bright boutique hotel where we stayed on our last Camps Bay stay. It’s genuinely convenient for beach time, being situated just off the main strip. The design is contemporary and calm, with clean lines and warm textures. Rooms are spacious, comfortable and smartly planned, with a sense of “quiet luxury”.There’s also a small pool for post-beach dips.

The Marly is right on the beachfront, and it’s ideal if you want to be in the middle of things: wake up to ocean views, walk downstairs for a range of restaurants and stroll to the beach. Friends stayed here and loved it, and we completely get why: it’s polished, comfortable, and makes Camps Bay feel easy. Suites are stylish and modern. The hotel sits above a collection of restaurants and cafés (see below). There’s also a rooftop pool terrace.

Photo: themarly.co.za

Kalky’s is a classic, old school fish & chip joint that is a favourite of our daughter Jessica. You order at the counter, wait for your number to be called and then tuck in! You eat at the edge of the water, watching boats and people drift past.

Zenzero is one of the several dining options at the Marly that our friends tried out. It’s a good option when you want beachfront energy with a slightly smarter edge. Expect a lively room with an upbeat atmosphere.

La Belle is a reliable all-day bistro for bakery classics, proper breakfasts, and easy lunches.

Surfshack is the casual, relaxed seaside diner for cocktails and wood-fired pizza. Ideal for an easy meal when everyone’s a bit sun-tired and hungry. Great views, with sunset a great time to visit.

Salsify at the Roundhouse has a beautiful setting full of old-world Cape Town romance, in a circular building with an elevated position. The food is modern, precise, and quietly creative. It was our choice for a special evening out in Cape Town, with attentive service and dishes that felt considered without being overly complicated.

The beach is the main attraction here. Go early for a quieter swim, or late afternoon when the light is softer and the whole place feels more relaxed.

We also hired bikes to ride along the scenic coast — a brilliant way to see the shoreline and work up an appetite for lunch!

Franschhoek is the Winelands at their most cinematic: vineyards, mountain backdrops and an incredible concentration of boutique hotels and seriously good restaurants. Renting a bike is a great way to explore this beautiful area. It’s an easy and enjoyable add-on to a Cape Town city break.

After much research, we chose Leeu as our base for our Franschhoek stay, and we are blown away by this amazing place. The scenery is simply stunning with spacious grounds and views of the mountains. Art plays an important role, with monumental sculptures placed across the grounds to create an open-air gallery. There is also art inside the hotel and in the estate’s purpose-built gallery.

The rooms and suites are spacious and luxuriously finished with a calm, natural colour palette. We got lucky with an upgrade to a suite, and the view was genuinely breathtaking, looking out over the estate.

Immersive, host-led tastings take place at The Wine Studio on the estate. You can choose from three tutored flights—Signature, Single Terroir, or Leeu Passant—each designed to dig into the detail behind these small-batch, handcrafted wines. Tastings are guided by dedicated hosts who talk you through flavour, structure, and style, while also flagging new vintage releases and the occasional special cuvée. Leeu Estates guests receive one complimentary tasting per stay, but spaces are limited, so it’s worth booking ahead.

La Petite Colombe sits on the Leeu Estate, surrounded by vineyards and landscaped grounds, with views out towards the valley and the Franschhoek Pass. The dining room has floor-to-ceiling windows looking onto the estate’s sculpture garden and mountains. Food is a multi-course chef’s experience built around precise seafood and Cape flavours: snacks like a market fish tartlet, followed by dishes such as yellowfin tuna with Kerala spice and coal-roasted lamb with harissa and tagine notes.

Photos: lacolombe.restaurant

Protégé is the more relaxed but still stylish restaurant of the La Colombe group. It’s casual fine dining done properly, with an open-kitchen feel and a menu with global influences. It’s a good choice if you want a high-quality meal that feels fun rather than formal. “At Protégé, we play on imagination and an expression of bold, full flavours, with a relaxing setting where one can sit back and watch the team in action.”

Photo: lacolombe.restaurant/protege

Reubens is a good option when you want a really good meal without committing to a full tasting-menu style evening. The menu is broad enough to suit different moods, and it’s the kind of place where you can settle in and have a genuinely enjoyable evening.

Babylonstoren is on the way from the city to Franschhoek and is absolutely worth a visit for lunch and a wander. It was created by the owners of The Newt and has the same passion and attention to detail in terms of food, gardens, and interior design. It was a working farm that’s been converted into a contemporary experience whilst maintaining its agricultural roots. This beautifully designed destination is, at heart, still a place where things are grown, picked, and used—often the same day. The gardens are home to fruit orchards, vegetable beds, herb plots, and rows of edible flowers. And the produce isn’t just for show: it’s grown on site and feeds straight into the farm’s kitchens, bakery, and shops. Depending on the season, you’ll see everything from citrus, figs, and grapes to leafy greens, tomatoes, pumpkins, and bunches of herbs.

It’s a beautifully run estate with multiple dining options: Babel for the full restaurant experience, the Greenhouse for a lighter café-style stop, and the Old Bakery for something quick and simple.

You can also stay at Babylonstoren, with rooms set inside beautifully restored old farm buildings. The original features have been kept intact and then softened with thoughtful, modern comfort. Clean, pared-back interiors and natural textures reflect the farm setting away.

There’s an excellent mix of wine estates to visit for tastings, with plenty of choice depending on whether you’re chasing big views, beautiful architecture, or standout bottles (ideally all three). In peak season it’s smart to book ahead, especially for the most popular tasting rooms. We opted for a private guided day that covered three estates, focusing on the most scenic, picture-perfect properties—gorgeous settings first, but with genuinely good wine to match.

The wine tastings at Mont Rochelle are set up to make the most of the estate’s Franschhoek Valley views, with the main option running from The Country Kitchen (next to the cellar) and additional tastings arranged at the bar. It’s a relaxed, light space with a terrace looking straight over vines and mountains. You can keep it simple with a short flight or go broader with a six-wine tasting. There’s also a food-paired “gourmet tasting” if you want to try the cuisine as well.

Tastings at La Motte are set on a working Franschhoek Valley estate, with options to taste in the cellar and barrel maturation room or outside with views over the gardens. The premium Vinoteque personalised tasting takes place in an elegant private tasting room. The history of winemaking at La Motte is presented alongside the tasting (by appointment only)

Grand Provence is a lovely place to slow down for a tasting. It has a historic estate feel, with shaded lawns and big old oak trees. The tasting experience is polished but relaxed, with award-winning wines poured in an elegant setting that balances heritage charm with a quietly contemporary edge.

Somerset West is a little less talked-about than Franschhoek and Stellenbosch, but it is a good option if you’d like a less touristy and more local wine experience. It has mountain scenery, excellent wine estates and some fun dining options too. Our daughter Jessica has had several lovely trips here and is a big fan!

Erinvale Estate Hotel & Spa is a country retreat framed by the Hottentots Holland Mountains and surrounded by gardens. It has multiple restaurants, a spa and access to a. Gary Player-designed golf course. Much of the estate is made up of houses owned by people who spend part of the year there. But houses can be rented out via the estate or through Airbnb. There is also now a hotel on site.

The grounds are a big part of what makes it special, with plenty of places to sit with a book or a glass of wine. There is also a nature reserve with walks to do and have amazing views of the countryside and sea. The newer wellness offering is a good excuse to build in a “slow day” between wine estates and exploring. Nearby is The Strand beach (below right) which is a lovely for long walks on the sand, swimming and stopping off in a café.

Pajamas + Jam in Strand is a Jessica’s top spot for a chilled out brunch break. They bake bread daily, and there’s temptation aplenty from the range of cakes and pastries on show!

On selected Saturdays, this colourful market has a selection of local crafters, artists and artisans. You can wander and also stop for a craft beer or a coffee whilst enjoying the live music.

Lourensford is a great all-rounder: wine tasting, of course, but also a lovely setting and sporty activities including padel and yoga. If you’re there on a Friday or Saturday, the night market is a fun change of pace: live music, food and drink stalls, and an easy atmosphere that feels local, not touristy.

Vergelegen is one of the most atmospheric estates in the area, with elegant wines but also a strong sense of history. The grounds are genuinely beautiful to wander through, with walking routes in the gardens. Do a tasting with one of their wine ambassadors. Then stay for a “white tablecloth” picnic in the camphor forest. The Rose Terrace Tea Room is a lovely stop for lighter bites or afternoon tea

Cape Town delivers variety in a way very few cities do: big scenery, proper food and wine, strong design and art, beaches that feel like a holiday, and day trips that genuinely add depth to the trip. Whether you do it as a long weekend “greatest hits” break or build a 10-day itinerary with the Winelands and coastal exploring, it’s one of those places that keeps giving.