Most travelers that have been to Cape Town before have visited iconic spots like Table Mountain and the V&A Waterfront. However, there are dozens of more great places in the city that are worth exploring. The estate agents at Pam Golding Properties know of a few hidden spots and secrets around town that you should check out:
Sea Point agents Farrel Kelman, Minette Munitz recommend that you head to the promenade, which features new new public art and cafes. They also advise using the drop-and-go bike rental company, Upcycles, which has a network of stations around Cape Town.
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Agents Linda Kagan, Jenny Katz and Ian Konkol suggest the following:
- Drive to the end of Ocean View Drive and watch the magnificent summer sunsets from Fresnaye Rock — a popular sunset vantage point.
- Visit the open air gym on the Sea Point promenade and enjoy a gym session with a sea view where you will meet new people while training outdoors.
- Visit De Waterkant village and take a walk through this beautiful suburb with its quaint 18th century cottages, cobbled streets and colourful shop fronts. (Part of Green Point, adjacent to the CBD on the south-eastern end of Somerset Road.)
Local agent Annette Hepburn recommends visiting Clifton 4th beach as it has family-friendly evenings of free music and picture-perfect picnicking. You can also book for a sunset cruise from the Waterfront to 4th Beach and back.
Fresnaye agent Moira Ferber insists that the best-kept local secret is Ginger and Lime, the brainchild of Denise Levy, who has a passion for cooking and a love of food. She invites you into her kitchen in Fresnaye for courses, sharing how to prepare, cook and taste the food that has been loving prepared together.
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Upper Fresnaye and Bantry Bay area specilaists Jackie Rosenberg and Janice Toay recommend choosing from the many Waterfront activities such as helicopter rides, harbour boat trips and sunset cruises. Hiking trails on Lions Head are very popular while the Queens, Saunders and Sunset Beaches are the place to go for sun-drenched relaxation or sundowner picnics.
Mouille Point, Waterclub and Waterfront resident agent Paul Levy points out the landmark red and white candy-striped Green Point lighthouse, dating back to 1824. Many people mistakenly refer to this Green Point lighthouse as the Mouille Point lighthouse, but the base of the old Mouille Point lighthouse still stands on the grounds of the Cape Town Hotel School at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology adjacent to the Radisson Hotel. There is a parking boom, but speak to the guard on duty and take a look at this old relic. (Green Point Lighthouse 100 Beach Rd, Mouille Point 021 449 5171| South African Lighthouse Tourism 021 449 2400 | lighthouse.tourism@transnet.net)
From Camps Bay, Barbara Rogers and Karin Coetzee recommend the Roundhouse, created as a guard house in 1786. This has enjoyed incarnations as an hotel, dance hall and Lord Charles Somerset’s hunting lodge. The outside dining area offers guests a tapas-style menu in the heart of The Glen, where you can unwind in the sun and enjoy beautiful views over Camps Bay.
Southern Suburbs Secrets
Vickie Francis and Heather Turner, area specialists in Newlands, recommend collecting pure spring water at the Newlands Brewery spring water collection point (corner of Letterstedt Road and Main Road, Newlands.) Take your bottles or containers and fill up on this legendary elixir free of charge – it’s open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Myrna Duveen and Christiaan Steytler (Bishopscourt) say children love splashing in the stream, clambering over rocks and climbing trees at Bishopscourt Village Park. You’ll find this magical spot at the end of Upper Noreen Avenue. Look out for the green information board situated at the entrance. Oh, and pack a picnic!
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Take your family and dogs for a ramble along the beautiful Alphen Trail in Constantia Valley. Park your car on the bend of Alphen Drive off Constantia Main Road and enjoy the lush grass, trees, vistas and the Le Sueur Meadow towards Hohenort.
Don’t have time to cook? Meet ThatGourmetGuy, aka Johan Lückhof. Order delicious family fare such as butter chicken and lasagne or place a special order for a dinner party from his busy Constantia kitchen.
Resident agent Lindsay Beck recommends viewing how the under-utilised pavement edge of the Main Road in Westlake has been transformed into a magnificent indigenous garden. This is a working partnership with the City of Cape Town, local business and Zandvlei Trust.
Zandvlei Estuary Nature Reserve is situated at the only functioning estuary on the False Bay coast. Take the 1.5km circular walk, where you will find picnic tables and bird hides. Information posters help identification and to broaden your knowledge of endemic birds and animals found here. There is an environmental education centre onsite for furthering your knowledge. This is also the ideal area to try out yachting, windboard sailing, kite-boarding, canoeing and fishing. (Contact 021 701 754 for more information).
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The Mother City’s Secret Season: Visiting Cape Town In Winter
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