Cape Town Itinerary Question

[chicago]

Looks pretty good to me!

@sfgal530 - Also wanted to suggest La Colombe for dinner!  It's in Constantia, about a twenty minute drive from Cape Town city center, but I think it might be your sort of place!  Test Kitchen was more "fun", LC a bit fancier/more refined but a great tasting menu when we visited.

[dutchgirl678]

Looks pretty good! I have only been to Hout Bay (great spot for lunch!) and Cape of Good Hope and both were definitely worth the visit. You could do both in one day. We had a car rental so we drove there ourselves but this was back in 2002 and I felt safe the whole time.

On the day you do Robben Island I would do that first and do the Table Mt hike later in the afternoon. Great light for photos and the sunset was amazing.

When you explore Cape Town don't miss the Malay quarter "Bo-Kaap" with all the colorful little houses. The Castle of Good Hope was also great to see.

Hermanus was really cool.

I loved Stellenbosch. Also out there don't miss wineries Lanzerac and Spier.

[phillyrunner]

I think that is enough days. 

We loved the Old Biscuit Mill so I'm glad you will have time to fit that in before your flight!

We stopped at Kirstenbosch very briefly on our last day, just because I really wanted to see it. But I really really wished we had spent more time there. There were many people there who were having picnic lunches there and just relaxing/enjoying life. It is the perfect place to relax for awhile.

Don't know if you are considering the cable car for Table Mountain but it was closed every day we were in Cape Town because of the wind. We instead hiked one of the trails (Tranquility Cracks) which was gorgeous. We did hike with a guide for this, which isn't necessary but I would recommend. 

When will you be in South Africa? Hermanus was really neat but we only saw one whale because we were there in November (the end of whale season). 

I would also recommend the District 6 museum. It was very interesting. 

When you are doing your winelands tour, see if you can eat lunch at La Petite Ferme in Franschhoek. Absolutely gorgeous view!

[mangobanana]

Looks good! I don't think you'd regret another day in Cape Town, but I'm not sure it's worth giving up time in Botswana. How many days do you have planned there?

Chapman's Peak Drive was closed when we were there last month and the detour added an extra hour or so to our route, so check on that before you go. If it's not for a while, you'll probably be fine. Loved Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope - craziest wind I've ever experienced! Boulders was fun too. Lots of tourists though and we didn't need much time there, but it's definitely worth a stop to see the penguins.

Ditto the PP on Table Mountain. I'd be prepared for it to be closed due to wind. If you really want to go, plan it before your relaxing day so you've got another chance. And if you go on a day after it's been closed, be prepared for long lines, even if you buy tickets in advance. We went around 10 and it took us about an hour and a half to make it to the cable car. The lines looked a bit better around 12:30 or so when we came down.

We LOVED the B&B we stayed in, Parker Cottage. It's an old mansion that's been converted into a B&B. Amazing breakfasts and the staff were so helpful with anything and everything we could have possibly needed. Their driver is great too and can be hired for day trips.

If you're looking for more restaurant recs, we really enjoyed Societi Bistro. Great food and very reasonably priced. You really can't go wrong with most meals in Cape Town though. Such fabulous restaurants!!

[phillyrunner]

Okay good - so you should definitely be able to see whales in Hermanus! The weather was gorgeous when we were there (70s and sunny during the day and 50s at night), it was just always windy near Table Mountain.

You are going to love it and I am so so jealous that you get to go there soon. I think about South Africa constantly since our November trip. I love traveling and am the type of person who doesn't like to go back to the same places that I've already been because I want to see it all but I would go back to Cape Town and South Africa in a second. I really do feel like I left a piece of my heart there haha!

[flatlan]

If you have time while in Cape Town, going for sundowners at The Twelve Apostle's Hotel is always a highlight for me.  If Chapman's Peak is open then you will really enjoy it.  When you go to Spier, please eat at Moyo.  We ate there in a treehouse type thing and they painted our faces with traditional markings.  It was very cool. 

[klingklang77]

I'd suggest doing a township tour as well.

Spier is a good winery, and I also love Delheim, Muratie, and Simonsig. I did a seal boat tour, but I forget the specifics of it.

[Deleted]

I think the itinerary looks good.

For your day of driving I would do this route:
Simon's Town/Boulders Beach, then to Cape of Good Hope/Cape Point, then head back to town via Chapman's Drive. I think the drive going that way is more stunning than the reverse trip. But definitely a must-do driver regardless.

There is a market in Hout Bay Fri, Sat and Sun that is nice to go to if you'll be around any of those days. Other than that, if you're on a limited scheduled I wouldn't prioritize Hout Bay.

Kirstenbosch is nice for walking around and a picnic if you have time, but again I'd probably prioritize everything else before it.

I don't think you need 3 nights in Stellenbosch. So I'd probably do 2 nights and then 1 night in Hermanus because there is whale watching, a beach and a nice hiking trail there. It's a nice day trip.

I don't like "township tours" so I wouldn't do that either.

In September the weather is pretty decent and the hurricane strength winds start to die down, so you should be able to take the cable car, but I'd be flexible with that and plan to go in the later morning as opposed to the afternoon because that's when it usually gets really windy or cloudy and the car shuts down.

You could spend a solid 2 weeks in Cape Town and not get bored, but what you have looks good and unless you're spending a really long time in Botswana I wouldn't take a day from that either.

Have fun!

[Moe]

Jan 7, 2014 12:41:29 GMT -5 @sfgal530 said:

So, H and I are going to Cape Town and surrounding environs and this is our itinerary - I wanted to get feedback to see if we were missing anything, since it is flexible and because I am finalizing hotels (which will be somewhat affected by recommendations / plans with Cape Town):

-Spend one day exploring the Cape with a driver - this would allow us to choose from Cape Point Nature Reserve, Cape of Good Hope, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Chapman's Peak Drive, Boulders Beach Penguin Colony, and Hout Bay Fishing Harbor (if you have opinions on any of these spots, they are welcomed!)
-Spend one day visiting Table Mountain and Robbens Island
-Spend one day just relaxing in Cape Town, exploring V&A waterfront, etc.
-Spend one day on a guided tour through the winelands, overnighting in Stellensbosch for 2 nights
-Spend one more day in Stellensbosch, which could be more wine tasting, relaxing, or going whale watching at Hermanus Bay

I would actually argue that, while ZA wines are, in fact, divine - you being from San Francisco (I think?) are probably exposed to great wines as well.  So I'd kill one of the wine nights (though IMO, Constantia had the better wines, though Stellenbosch was amazing) and make sure to try to hit up all the points that you put in your first point.  One day is not enough.  I also liked Simons Town (I don't see it there).