Just Back From… Cape Town

I’ve been wanting to take another trip to southern Africa ever since I returned from my first visit, a safari in Botswana, in March of 2020—just days before Covid travel restrictions kicked in. Last month, I was invited to return, this time to the tip of South Africa, by the PR team for two hotels in the Cape Town area. The plan was to fly into Cape Town for two days, then continue on to the Winelands Region. While I initially felt a twinge of disappointment that the trip didn’t feature a safari—especially after the 15-hour flight from NYC—I was thrilled at the prospect of experiencing one of the world’s southernmost cities, with the most unique of residents: penguins.

After the long flight, it was a mercifully quick 20-minute drive from the airport, where we checked into Cape Grace, a storied Cape Town property that opened in 1996 and was one of the first hotels on the V&A Waterfront—think NYC’s South Street Seaport on a much larger scale. The oldest working harbor in the country, the V&A was reinvigorated throughout the 2000s as a restaurant, retail, and cultural hub, including the huge Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa. Having recently reopened after a nine-month renovation by design firm 1508 London, the hotel leans into its location with windows spanning its rear side, overlooking the yacht marina and harbor. While much of the decor is classic—beautifully covered wingback chairs and leather sofas—there is also a deep sense of place, with displays of local objets and books about South Africa throughout. (You can read my full hotel review here!) 

It was late afternoon by the time I had settled into my room, and I thankfully had the rest of the day free. Though it was almost sunset, I headed across the Bascule Bridge to see a bit of the Waterfront (several locals mentioned that it is safe to walk the Waterfront after dark, which is not the case in a few other Cape Town neighborhoods). I started at the Time Out food market, which houses 17 food stalls from some of Cape Town’s best restaurants and chefs. I had a glass of Chenin Blanc from Culture Wines and Peruvian ceviche from The Melting Pot, both of which were excellent and surprisingly affordable (the exchange rate really works in your favor if you’re coming from the US or Europe). The wine, followed by a luxurious soak in my suite’s marble tub, rejuvenated me from the seemingly endless travel day, and I couldn’t wait to see more of the city. 

In the morning, I had coffee in the hotel’s main restaurant, Heirloom, a bright space centered around a large marble bar, which overlooks the harbor and was peacefully quiet at 9am—long after all the group tours in head-to-toe khaki had rushed out to make their safari camp flights. The restaurant staff were gracious and relaxed, and service was friendly and efficient (I thought it spoke volumes that the majority of staff were kept on during the renovation). Once the full group had arrived, we took a helicopter tour over the coast and Robben Island, where Nelson Madela and other political prisoners were incarcerated until the fall of apartheid. It’s now a museum and World Heritage Site that offers tours of the prison, including Nelson Mandela’s cell. (There are several helicopter tour companies based on the Waterfront, and you can book a 30-minute tour for about $200.)

The Cape Grace team suggested lunch at Tang, one of their favorite sushi spots, and the extremely fresh fish seemed like the perfect accompaniment to the water views we enjoyed outside the large windows. Full and happy, we explored more of the sprawling waterfront, which has more than 450 shops, 80 restaurants and more boats than you can possibly imagine. I loved the Watershed, a huge market housing local craft and design vendors—it’s definitely the place to snag unique souvenirs like ceramics, art, and for me, crocheted stuffed animals for all the kids in my life. If you like wildlife, seals are usually lounging on the pier behind the Two Oceans Aquarium (I found them so amusing to watch that I went back twice). And don’t miss the incredible sunset behind Table Mountain at the end of the day. 

Before leaving Cape Town proper, we drove up to Signal Hill, where the views of the ocean and Table Mountain are absolutely stunning. Our driver described several hikes he enjoys on the mountain and I added the Lion’s Head Trail to my list of must-dos on the next trip (right after a visit to Boulders Beach to see the penguin colony).

After checking out of Cape Grace, we made the 45-minute drive to Babylonstoren, a 500-acre property in the Franschhoek wine valley that includes vineyards, an epic garden, three restaurants, lodgings and shops. Our visit started with a garden tour led by master gardener Gungula Deutschlander, who has been with the property since its opening in 2007, and whose angelic demeanor, flower crown, and encyclopedic knowledge of each plant had us referring to her as the “garden fairy.” The last stop of the tour was the healing garden—one of the newest additions—in which all the flora and fauna are labeled with their medicinal function. At lunch in the glass-enclosed Greenhouse restaurant, we were able to choose cut plants and herbs from the healing garden to steep in our tea. Magical! 

Post-lunch, we hopped into golf carts en route to the Fynbos Cottages, a group of houses set back in the vineyards, just a few minutes drive from property’s hub (bicycles are also provided), where I clocked not just one but two pools available to guests. Though they aren’t original farmhouse buildings like many of the structures on site, one would be hard pressed to guess—the cottages share the same whitewashed Dutch exteriors and mix of traditional farmhouse features and contemporary design on the inside. Ours was situated around a courtyard with loungers and the aforementioned private pool, and with 5 bedrooms would be perfect for a multi-gen family or large group of friends (see my full description of the property here). 

We capped off the evening with an open-Jeep tour up the Simonsberg mountain, along the way passing olive plants, many varieties of grapes and the signature fynbos flowers. Eventually our driver stopped and led us up a dozen or so steep steps to enjoy some Babylonstoren Pinot Noir and watch the incredible sunset.

The next day, we toured the water buffalo farm (the property makes both water buffalo cheese and ice cream!), and even got to bottle-feed some of the youngest calves. After that cuteness overload, we finally had our cellar tour and wine tasting. All I will say is that I went home with more bottles of wine than I care to share (the staff know how to safely and efficiently pack the bottles for travel). The 230-acres of vineyards produces 13 different varieties of grapes, and visitors can book a tasting, whether they are staying on property or by purchasing a day pass (there is also the Franschhoek wine tram, which is a hop-on hop-off tour stopping at Babylonstoren and other wineries in the region). Buzzing from all the good wine, we shopped the Scented Room’s floor-to-ceiling displays of Babylonstoren bath and body products, all of which are compounded on site with botanicals from the garden. Down the path past the chicken coop and donkey paddock, the farm shop sells meat, cheese and produce from the property, as well as baked goods and tins of its own olive oil and tea.

I really wish I’d had more time to explore both the city and other parts of the Winelands—my must-do list for a return trip just kept getting longer (did I mention the penguins?). But while these destinations are often used as a soft landing en route to (or from) a safari—connecting to either South Africa’s Kruger National Park or Maun, Botswana—I found in the end that I didn’t miss the safari part at all, and felt like even despite a 15-hour flight, this pair of diverse places could easily justify a vacation in themselves.