The Island Explorer

I have fallen in love with Cape Town that I wanted to buy a house here. Thus, it is only fitting to end my posts on South Africa at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town , which is the perfect Cape Town urban complex. Situated at the heart of the historic harbor of Cape Town, the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is a bustling myriad of entertainment attractions, shops, restaurants, cafes and even historical sites. Thus, it is the most visited tourist destination in the entire South Africa. The V&A Waterfront   It houses the Nelson Mandela Gateway which offers boat trips to Robben Island that weren't able to visit. Robben Island was where Nelson Mandela was held captive. There are also museums in the compound, such as the Chavonnes Battery Museum and the SAS Somerset . There is a mall of course, but the shops are quite limited. You get some high end boutiques but they were quite hidden in the 2nd floor area. Since I was with my kid, we...

Long Street is known in Cape Town as a bohemian hang out and a venue for arts and culture. With its Victorian buildings with wrought iron balconies, Long Street is charming and has a very diverse selection of restaurants, cafes, bookstores and shops. It's not a long street though, and one can easily walk it from end to end. It is located in the City Bowl area, hence it is in the city center. Some office buildings are located at the streets parallel to it. I admired the eclectic art that dressed up facades of buildings. They looked so vibrant and gives character to an otherwise normal Cape Town street. It was our last two nights in South Africa, so we decided to book an apartment style accommodation. Hence, we ended up at  Flat Rock Suites , just off Long Street. We have stayed at almost all types of accommodations in South Africa, from chalets, to country farm guesthouses, to a villa in a vineyard, a boutique hotel and now, an apartment. ...

The most popular attraction of Cape Town is its heart - Table Mountain. When we entered Cape Town, I was struck with awe at the sight of the mountain. It was impressive, imposing and calming at the same time. Cape Town is built around the Table Mountain, one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. We were lucky that the day was quite clear when we drove up to the park entrance. Sometimes, Table Mountain has a cover (table cover as they call it) of thin clouds that block the view of the city from the top. We rode up the high speed cable car up to the summit. There are only 2 cable cars operating, but each can accommodate up to 65 people. The ride was around 5 minutes long, and the floor of the cable car rotated to provide 360 degree views. The view from the top was breathtaking as expected. At one point, you can see the 12 Apostles lined up all the way to the end of the cape. On the other side, you will see Signal Hill and Cape Town in all its glory. The Cape Town Stadium at C...

As mentioned in my previous entry, we checked in our Agoda booked hotel at 6:30PM. There was still sun over Cape Town as we had an hour before sunset. We booked a hotel the night before, so we really didn't know where it was. Finally, after some navigating using GPS, we made it to our hotel. To our surprise, the hotel didn't allow children. They politely declined us, and even offered to help look for a replacement. I was quite pissed, because I was already tired. But since they were kind enough, we tried to look for a nearby hotel. That was how we ended up in Dys Art Boutique Hotel . That was a long intro, but I was happy that we got kicked out of our previous hotel (I don't even remember the name). We made it into Dys Art, and was met by the owner of the boutique hotel who personally led us to our room. We were pleasantly surprised again that we have been upgraded. It really pays to book at the last minute, and arrive late. We were led in the only room that ope...

Finally. After 2 days of driving, we finally made it to Cape Town from Franschhoek. Cape Town was beautiful with its villas, cafes and beachside restaurants. Of course, Table Mountain made a huge impression. But the first thing that popped in my head was the beach. I was itching for sand. We got off the M4 highway and followed the signs for Camps Bay, the most popular beach in Cape Town. The area was very busy, and had a bit of a traffic jam as I exited the highway. Cape Town seemed to be my kind of city, very laid back and has the best of both worlds - mountains and beaches. Camps Bay is the epitome of a South African beach. There were several beachcombers laid out on the ash colored sand, with the mighty Atlantic crashing onto the shore. Though I yearned to visit Zanzibar first, I guess, I have to make do with the beaches of Cape Town. Despite the cold waters, people were swimming in the safer parts of the bay. Camps Bay is also Cape Town's largest beach,...

We decided to stay for 3 days in Cape Town and its surroundings, and part of the plan was to drive to the Cape Peninsula all the way to the Cape of Good Hope . It was an exciting part of our trip, since we've heard that the scenery is jaw dropping amazing. So we set off early in the morning, and drove for less than an hour to our first stop on our route to the Cape of Good Hope: Muizenberg . Muizenberg is a laid back town along False Bay , which already faces the Indian Ocean. Hence, it is warmer to swim here than in Camps Bay which was facing the Atlantic. The beach is also flat and wide hence you get a lot of people swimming here. But take caution when swimming here, because Muizenberg has its share of the great white sharks of Africa. Shark attacks have been reported here, but still significantly low in percentage. But the real draw for tourists into Muizenberg are these lovely colorful Victorian beach houses , which are reminiscent of an era when Muizenberg was the...