CAPE TOWN- I don't wanna come back!
A European city in Africa, the most south-western point of the continent, a heaven with a combination of fresh mountain weather and ocean breeze. It's among my list of top ten cities that I want to live in. I can guarantee that it will turn your head with its vineyards, seafood and nature. Actually the reason of the turning may be too much wine, I'm not sure. But with your first step in the city, you will never want to go back.
You got off the plane, checked into your hotel, now it's time to discover the city.
The best stop for your first day (assuming that you are tired and jetlagged) is "Waterfront". This ocean-view mall welcomes locals and foreigners with its various cafes and restaurants for every budget. "Ocean Basket" could appeal you at first but it is kind of a fast food restaurant and contains MSG in their food, so I don't recommend it. When you walk through the harbour, the souvenir shops will beckon you "come, come to me" but try to ignore your shopping instinct for that moment, you will find local bazaars in the streets which are much cheaper.
If it's midday you can try "Quay Four"; it's a little bit noisy but I like it there. But if you say "I had had enough of a ruckus at the plane, the child behind me didn't stop wailing for a minute during all the flight", then you should head for "Den Anker", which is more isolated than the others. By the way, don't even think about "borrowing" the costum made beer glasses. If you order a glass of beer with these galsses, you have to deposit one of your shoes to the bartender until you finish your drink and return the glass. I'm not kidding, you're gonna believe me when you see a load of unpaired shoes in a basket above the bar and a lot of people sitting with one pair of their shoes.
If it's night time with a nice, warm weather you may probably prefer sitting outside. If that's the case it means Belthazar, Tasca or Sevluga. According to some lists, Sevluga is rated as one of the best restaurants in Waterfront and has some good comments, but I was not very satisfied there. Their portions were very small but the prices higher than the others. Plus, it is a little bit dark inside. I was more pleased with the view, the prices and the portions at Tasca (where this picture was taken) and Belthazar.
But if the weather is chilly and you want to sit indoors, you should head to Willoughby&Co. The menu and the foods are awesome. They also got me when they offered a glass of wine while we were waiting a table. (Yeah, it's free, red or white, your choice).
If you say "Enough for today!" and you are wearied by travelling, then it's time to head for the hotel. But if you need a cup of coffee on the way, you can stop by at Mug&Bean; but if you need an Italian dessert with your coffee, try San Marco.
The next day, after a great breakfast, you can arrange a tour to the penguins, Seal Island, (Be careful, you can get wet at the boat. If you are lucky, you may see a whale!), semi-precious stone shops, vineyards, Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope. Or you can go for sightseeing with a "HopOn-HopOff" bus from Waterfront. The tour guide system at the bus is audial with earphones and has different languages. You can relax and enjoy the view. Feel free to get off the bus wherever you want and spend some time there. You can get on the next bus and continue your sightseeing.
First stop, Groot Constantia, has a small museum and a restaurant. You can taste four different wines for 20 Rands. They won't let you to sit on the grass and have a picnic because of the baboons around. But you can keep tasting at the restaurant. Let me give you an advice, grab a bottle and move on to the next vineyard, because you will love it there.
The picture beside is Eagle's Nest, the second and the main stop. You can do your wine tasting at the white building behind or order a cheese board with delicious kind of cheeses and crackers for two, go outside and sit on the grass under the warm sun and have a picnic, birds chirping, dogs barking, children laughing around you. And you may even start singing (I couldn't, I have a terrible, horrible voice) "Heaven, I'm in heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak, and I seem to find the happiness I seek". They offered a spit bucket for the tasting but we couldn't let all the good wine go to waste. So we got a little bit lightheaded when we were finished and couldn't visit the third vineyard. If you can, please let me know how it is.
I can say that both vineyards had delicious wines but the South Africa's signature grape "Pinotage" was the best and made me panic because I knew I couldn't find it anywhere but South Africa.
On the way back to the hotel, if you feel peckish, then you can hop off at the Camps Bay where you can find various of restaurants and cafes. And if you are lucky you can catch the sunset there.
On the third day, you can go shopping for souvenirs at the local bazaars or relax at the Cliffton Beach, Muizenberg, Noorhoek or Camps Bay. But for dinner, you should definitively make a reservation at Panama Jacks. It's in the shipping port and you can't go in if you don't have a reservation. It has a delicious seafood menu. If you are fed up with seafood (I don't believe if anyone can ever get tired of seafood), you should try Mama Africa, with its live music and African cuisine. I believe you will enjoy that choice. But be careful when you try the peri peri sauce, lots of valiant men who claimed to love hot sauce, perished with the first bite. If you still have the energy and want to listen live music, grab a beer or another drink, Dubliner Irish Pub awaits you.
Well, from now on you are on your own. I hope you will enjoy your trip as I did. Don't forget I already called "dibs!" on Cape Town...