For carnivores, possibly the best steak you may have, is at the 1800 Restaurant at the Cape Royale Hotel , named for the perfect cooking temperature of steaks served there. This is where my partner declared he’d sampled the best steak of his life so it gets the WhereAndNow seal of approval.

 

Also at the Cape Royale Hotel, there is ZAR , the newly opened night club where the glossy posse are to be found after-hours. Head over to the Grand Daddy Hotel and hire The Sky Bar, the popular roof top pool bar of the hotel, for a private party or just chill for a drink if someone else hasn’t already hired out the bar.

 

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Long Street is a favourite place for backpackers and others alike to shop and eat, where the bars can stay open till 4am.

 

For great live music and good food, give Mama Africa a try.

 

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THE V & A ON THE WATERFRONT is not to be missed, with its many malls, shops and restaurants. Enjoy vibrant live music and ethnic street entertainers.

 

Ride the big wheel or take a helicopter tour for a bird’s eye view.

 

For an elegant Sunday lunch listening to a jazz band or Afternoon Tea, try the impressive Table Bay Hotel.

 

For a spot of sea-gazing, watch the seals swim in the harbour and bask in the sun on their own deck.

 

To spot dolphins, take a boat trip with Marine Eco Tours. The crew are marine biology graduates, who will tell you things about sharks and penguins you probably never knew.

 

ROBBEN ISLAND:

 

To better understand Apartheid, visit Robben Island. It’s last use was as a political prison that hosted Nelson Mandela for 18 years. A boat goes to the island, where a coach visits places remaining from its previous history, from a Victorian leper colony, to a WW11 base. The guides inside the prison were formerly held there as political prisoners.

 

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To get around Cape Town there are Hop on - Hop off buses which tour the town and into the countryside. One of the stops is Kirstenboch Gardens . Relax with a picnic under the shade of a tree, or listen to an open air concert on a Sunday evening.

 

A fish lover’s dream is the Strandloper Beach Bar atLangebaan. Approx ½ hour’s drive from Cape Town. Enjoy a set price buffet menu with each course freshly cooked on the barbi. Set on a pretty beach, the seats are wooden benches. Tables are shell encrusted stone. The décor is all casual, with fishing nets. The music is Donny playing guitar. About as laid back as it’s possible to get!

Ring first as they are not open every day, and it’s popular. +27(0)227722490

 

Views:

 

For celebrity spotters, it’s Camps Bay . Restaurants and bars overlook a stunning white sandy beach. This is a trendy hangout of the rich and famous.

 

Breathtaking views can be had from Table Mountain . Take the cable car. On the ascent and descent the floor slowly revolves for a stunning 360% vista.

 

Go see a Penguin Colony in the wild at Boulder Beach . Go to Simons Town, with its quaint Victoriana buildings.

 

Written by Jan Pinder