From sizzling re-imagined street food to the trendiest handcrafting adventures and coolest coffee haunts, this is the first of a series of love letters to the untamed summer spirit of the Cape. Bask in the insider guide with traveller tips vetted for fun, value-for-money, and yes, aesthetics too, so you spend your dime on the experiences that count!
You’re invited to the season of thrills, colour, good cheer, and sensational flavours. This is your menu to build a bespoke adventure itinerary to remember…
THE STARTERS
WHERE TO COFFEE DATE: The Winchester Hotel
Neighbourhood: 221 Beach Rd, Sea Point, Cape Town, 8060
With blended decor styles perfectly in symmetry with the hotel’s stately Cape Dutch Manor history, the indulgent cosmopolitan city and the scenic promenade, The Winchester Hotel has made its stand as the Cape’s answer to Los Angeles’s famed Beverley Hills Hotel – favoured by the glamorous and the sensible vagabond yearning for style and boutique style comforts & service.
Shoreditch restaurant and its neighbour Harvey’s Bar are the eateries and drinkeries in residence at this historic landmark, and both presenting succinct menus speaking to the current global culinary zeitgeist! But there’s just something really divine about their breakfast (especially that buffet! It is generous and varied) – maybe the hotel’s white facade or proximity to the fresh sea breeze.
While visitors have the option of grooving and getting cultured when the hotel’s event calendar allows, in the early mornings this is the perfect place to be to watch people do ‘impossible’ things before breakfast – like folks defying gravity with paragliding; something fascinating to watch perched on Paris bistro-style chairs, with your cup of well-brewed coffee, and gliders landing nearby.
Don’t be scared to drop in for coffee on a whim, or a full breakfast. Visit throughout the day for something more, too. The spa is opening soon and it’s sure to have the most decadent and cutting-edge treatments for you to try.
They’re quite welcoming here for any customer – dressed up or down! And the well-versed concierge has all the guidance on how to spend the day at The Winchester Hotel, or where to go beyond it for Summer fun!
WHERE TO NIBBLE: The Pot Luck Club
Neighbourhood: 375 Albert Road, the Old Biscuit Mill, Woodstock
Any outpost tied to award-winning chef Luke Dale Roberts is no one-season-wonder, and the much-loved local Pot Luck Club restaurant is no different.
Small plates and good living is the motif that runs through here – with the decor and menu marrying rustic and refined with a creative vigour that invites guests to lean in and scent, pause to savour, and recline back in satisfaction. The restaurant’s open-plan kitchen also delivers entertainment for those curious at the labour of culinary love that’s manifesting their next morsel.
Whether its the lauded multi-course Sunday Brunch (which starts with oysters and eventually ends with the likes of choux buns or canéles) that teams local ingredients with hearty and memorable recipes plated with panache, or you’re stopping in for the talented resident mixologists to mix you up the best Bloody Mary in town, The Pot Luck Club maintains a steady stream of savvy travellers, celebrants, solo diners, and business professionals settling in for a delectable nibble and sip.
By the way: true ‘Bottomless Bubbly’ spots are hard to come by in Cape Town. I’ve done the Google legwork! Turns out: The Pot Luck Club has their own seasonal ‘Bottomless Bubbly’ offering and you can enjoy Cape Vistas there ASAP, with a glass that won’t quit!
WHAT TO SHOP: Simonsig Wines
Neighbourhood: Kromme Rhee Rd, Stellenbosch, Cape Town, 7605
Whether you visit them in person or online, the Simonsig wine experience makes for a colourful memory that lives bubbly on the mind and taste buds. So, toast to summer with their latest offerings (like the 2023 Needless to Say Rosé birthed from the very best in Chenin Blanc and Pinotage grape varieties) – perfect for gifting, indulging, and even introducing people to the world of wine smoothly!
They’re one of South Africa’s leading wine estates, with a medley of award-winning wines (some even suited for vegans) like refreshing Sauvignon Blancs and masterfully crafted MCCs, as well as a lush green estate one can wile away an afternoon at, soaking up wine knowledge and sunshine.
With no expectation of you arriving in a group, with family, solo, or as a couple, family-owned Simonsig welcomes those simply wanting to carry a piece of the perfect summer in a bottle, to visit their vineyard or simply shop & uncork their bit of magic for a steal!
THE MAINS
WHERE TO PLAY: Clay Café
Neighbourhood: 199 Bree St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8000
Tried and tested by my friends and me, Clay Cafe is where you’re meant to get your hands dirty with some creative fun. This establishment is dedicated to ceramic painting, with a side of passable food & beverages not necessarily meant to be the centrepiece of the experience.
This is a lighthearted and tangible experience that brings people together and shines a light on the benefits of practical fun. So put paint to brush (or hands) and give life to your imagination with pottery painting by day or night.
It’s an affordable activity suited for novices and seasoned artists alike. The staff are also really efficient and warm about introducing the experience, directing the visitors, checking in on their tables, and clearing up to ensure the experience remains uncrowded by unnecessary clutter.
You pick. You tool up. You paint. You tag. You pay. And in about 5 weeks, you get your masterpiece!
WHERE TO FEAST: Carné on Keerom
Neighbourhood: 70 Keerom St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8000
It’s good…straightforward selections, made in the heart of the city’s historic district, that are a cut above the rest because of the exceptional quality of the dish’s ingredients; And then there’s the Milanese flair of their delivery, too.
More the meat & potatoes type? THIS is for you!
And even if it’s a Risotto or an authentic imported cheese dish that tempts you in the svelte sub-terranean space, you’ll be dining Italian style and with divine South African meats at the ready – carefully curated by meat maestro, Chef and restaurateur Giorgio Nava.
Get a filling hunk of local cuisine – sourced from a handful of farms in the Western and Eastern Cape – and make memories with a taste adventure set in an unforgettable space. This is Carne on Keerom – by my recommendation!
WHERE TO GETAWAY: Majeka House
Neighbourhood: 26 Houtkapper St, Paradyskloof, Stellenbosch, 7600
I go back and back again because exclusive boutique luxury has never quite been done so boldly and beautifully on these shores, quite like at Majeka House.
The Stellenbosch Valley plays host to this haven of bold colourways and textures, tranquillity, and unequivocal elegance.
In the best ways that boutique hotels often are, the hospitality here is consistently warm & efficient, and the fixings & amenities are more than adequate for the task of spoiling visitors. Facilities function as both traveller essentials and experiences unto themselves, with the main hotel pool open (to spa guests too) sheltered by a structure letting in light beautifully and letting the outside greenscape and bright blue lawn & patio furnishings shine through.
If you’re a savvy traveller, it’s booking the poolside suites – each with its own welcoming bespoke design – which lets you enjoy a bit more peaceful dips and Instagrammable moments.
The sleep in any of the rooms, is decadent & plush, and the meals are generous. The coffee is beyond reproach but the absolute draw here is the beauty of the Majeka House property with mountain peaks and manicured suburban greens making for a picturesque experience ripe for photo-taking and/or meditating.
Majeka House is lavish in its comforts, genuine in its doting service, and essential for any visit to the Cape that includes the Winelands!
THE DESSERT
WHERE TO RELAX & REJUVENATE: J Wellness Circle at Taj Cape Town
Neighbourhood: 1 Wale Street, corner St Georges Mall, Cape Town, South Africa
You never quite know what you’re getting with some of the spas in Cape Town. There have been harrowing tales.
The J Wellness Circle at Taj Cape Town though, knows its stuff – drawing from the East’s most lauded and sensuous beauty, health & wellness solutions, the hotel’s spa is a transportive and truly divine experience that also opens up spa visitors to the other spa facilities sure to relax and rejuvenate alongside the treatments.
With a hotel operating at the highest level of both local and international luxury, the J Wellness Circle spa and its skilful team keep to the exquisite standard and show spa guests what a regal escape in the city is like.
Unrivalled bliss through pampering sessions that range from facials to full-body massages, my own ongoing tranquillity is just one in a long list of testaments to the serene oasis that is Taj Hotel’s spa (and their milk baths!)
AFTER HOURS
WHERE TO CATCH STARS UNDER STARS: Galileo Open Air Cinema
Neighbourhood: Various, including: Central Park, Century City | Backsberg Family Wines, Franschhoek | Kirstenbosch Garden, Newlands etc.
Cape wanderers are spoiled for choice as far as movie-going goes. From IMAX cinemas to independent theatres, we have a medley of options depending on your mood and locale.
Galileo Cinema is the stuff of dreams though – an opportunity to veritably become one with the movie experience with an outdoor cinema that feels like the setting for a great Nancy Meyers rom-com.
From beloved cinema treats to hearty meals like pizzas and burgers, and blankets and backrests available, this is a bucket list opportunity to make a lifelong memory.
Experience movie magic while you picnic under the African skies.
You’ll be safe. You’ll be cinematic. You’ll be awed.
WHERE TO FIND LOCALS’ WATERING HOLE: MOVEABLE FEAST
Neighbourhood: 13 Kloof Nek Rd, Tamboerskloof, Cape Town, 8001
Oh, you’re here for the music and nightlife.
For as much as the establishment maintains the facade of brick & mortar restaurant design (and a gorgeous rich interior design it is too), at night locals from all walks of life flock here for the great music and bar.
There’s really no expectations dress-wise, just decency and respect all around.
Most people drop into the ‘lifestyle outlet’ for a drink before sunset, and others come as late as the last dinner service of most city restaurants. Moveable Feast has live music weekly, and the bartenders pour generously while the prices keep with the local dive bar standard.
Come parched and ready to bop your head or dance like you’re in Studio 54s secondcoming.
GOT ANY QUESTIONS? ✨ RECOMMENDATIONS?
Drop them in the comments! 😊 I can’t wait to hear from you.
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