Living in Joburg, we have always heard how envious Joburgers are on how beautiful and magnificent the mother city is. The mighty Table Mountain, Robben Island, Camps Bay, Hout Bay, Cape Point, Boulders Beach, Muizenberg, Hermanus, the wine country, and the list is endless. There is so much to do and to see in and around Cape Town that one can go there again and again and yet it never feels like it's enough.
The second most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg, Cape Town has everything for everyone. The ever changing season, one that we miss in Joburg, is definitely the first thing I noticed when we arrived. One minute it was warm and sunny, then suddenly it was cloudy, windy, cold, and it felt like it's autumn in the midst of the summer.
There is a significant historical link between Cape Town (South Africa in general) and Indonesia. Both were subjects to the Dutch colonialism era. There were familiar names of fallen heroes when we visited Robben Island. Although it is well-known as a political prison during the apartheid era, the island has also been used long before that. Political prisoners or any opposition leaders from from the then Dutch East Indies (Nederlands Oost Indie) were exiled to Robben Island. Among others are the Prince of Madura and Prince of Tidore to mention a few. Growing up in Indonesia, I learned this as part of the history lesson in high school. In our history book, the location where these heroes were exiled was referred to as Tanjung Harapan (Cape of Good Hope). I stood in awe as we entered the prison's main entrance. Imagine that we were walking on the same path as the most iconic political prisoners from the 16th century until the most recent history of Nelson Mandela. Their experiences may have been the darkest part of our history and it is definitely true what the saying says that once one steps foot on Robben Island, one will never go back the same person.
During our last three visits to Cape Town we stayed at an airbnb apartment in Milnerton Bay, Hout Bay area, and the Garden. All three areas are highly recommended in terms of the locations and they are excellent bases when exploring Cape Town.
We love the city sightseeing bus (the red double decker) that runs out of V&A Waterfront, especially if you have limited time to explore the city. The audio guide is also an excellent source of information - even our 5- and 8-year old enjoyed the tour!
A visit to Cape Town is not complete without visiting the wine country. So we went to Stellenbosch and Franschhoek! Cliche :-) and definitely not off the beaten path, but there is a reason for that! The wine country is such an amazing, charming, beautiful place. Ok, not so much if you don't drink wine, but the restaurants also offer the most delicious food!!
We took the wine tram and made a few stops of wine tasting and enjoying the food. Granted we didn't make that many stops after all the tastings. To be honest, wine tasting is a great excuse to get drunk before lunch!
Where we stayed
Spier Wine Farm - Highly recommended if you travel with young children. The kids club is well run, have plenty of activities, and the staffs are friendly and professional. There is a lot of things to do within the estate itself so none of us were ever bored during our stay.
Zorgvliet Wine Country Lodge - We stayed with a larger party of 4 adults and 2 children. The family cottage is just perfect as it comes with 2 bedrooms upstairs and 1 bedroom downstairs (hint: for grandparents!!)
Where we ate
Grand Provence - One of the more elaborate lunch we had during our stay. It was a set-menu only lunch since it was holiday season, but who would refuse too many courses of good food anyway!
Holden Manz - This estate was recommended by a guest we met at Spier. He is a wine importer based out of London and I'm sure he knows what he's talking about :-) The picnic was out out of this world! It was a gourmet picnic with all the knick knacks. This is one of the few times when the food is worth every single calorie that I gobbled in! Will definitely come back!
Warwick Wine Estate - A picnic at this estate was recommended by another Joburg expat and is highly recommended for it being a kid-friendly picnic. The food is great, but not as amazing as the one we had at Holden Manz. The big five winery tour is a gimmick :-) but we had a great time being driven on a game truck exploring the winery.
