South
Africa - Day 4
Sunday 25th January 2026
Participants: Kev & Tam
We're up at 7.00 am as we leave today for 4 nights in Cape Town. We pack and go to the restaurant for breakfast, a cheese, mushroom and spinach omlette for me. It's lovely to enjoy the beautiful mountain views for one last time before we check out at 8.45 am and start the hour drive to Cape Town. The car seems to be making a little less noise than before so we decide to risk keeping it as it would be a bit of a pain to have to return to the airport to swap it.
One last photo of our view from Alluvia Wine Boutique.
I'd read about the best and safest ways to drive into Cape Town and that you should avoid junction 18 on the N2 if going to the airport (you should use junction 16) and we see why as we pass it. The motorway passes through a township that seems to go on for miles and at junction 18 the sliproad ends in a set of traffic lights. There is a danger of having your car attacked if you get stopped at the lights, indeed there are large signs warning that you are entering a high risk area. This makes it sound like you are permanently worried as you drive around but this is not the case. Do a little homework to avoid certain areas and always have your car doors locked and you're fine.
Our first stop is at the cable car to Table Mountain. We park at the free car park at the bottom of the road and get the free shuttle bus to the cable car station. You may have noticed the use of the word 'free' twice in that last sentence. We didn't come across anywhere that we had to pay for parking, a welcome change for us. They do have official (and some unofficial) parking attendants both in the car parks and when parking roadside. They help you find a spot and look after your car. You simply give them a 10 Rand (about 50p) tip when you return. We really liked this system and we met a couple of fun guys when using it.
We'd already bought tickets online for the cable car so didn't have to queue for that, but there was still a queue to board. It wasn't too bad though and took around 30 minutes. The cable car slowly revolves as it ascends so everyone gets a good view. At the top there is a bar and a couple of restuarants and shops. You would think that it would be quite small in area at the peak, but there's a reason it's called Table Mountain. There are many walking trails covering several miles. We spend about 90 minutes walking around and taking in the glorious views.
In this photo you can see the road that leads to Signal Hill. Also the stadium built for the 2010 World Cup. In the middle of the sea is Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many years.
This is Lions Head, which we will become well acquainted with tomorrow as we hike to the top.
We get the
cable car down to the loading station and then walk back down the
hill to the car. We drive along to Signal Hill that has lovely
views and is also used as a launching point for paragliders.
After this we drive to our hotel for the next 4 nights. It's
called the Zest Boutique Hotel, which is not far from the
Victoria and Alfred's Waterfront. When we were investigating
things to do in Cape Town we came across this area and scoffed
when someone referenced it on a Youtube video. Everyone knows
it's Victoria and Albert. Wrong. Alfred was Victoria's son and he
was the guy that ceremoniously dropped the first stones into the
water to start construction of the harbour.
The hotel is very nice, small with a nice little pool area and
the staff are very welcoming. We check-in unpack and go down to
the pool for a couple of hours to relax before showering. The
staff at the hotel advise that it is easy enough to walk to the
V&A, but would recommend getting an Uber back at night. They
are correct in that the walk in is quite easy, 10 minutes or so.
We stroll around the V&A which is a large area with plenty of
bars and restaurants along with a huge shopping complex all set
around the harbour. After a while we settle on having a drink at
Der Anker and they find us a table outside after a short wait. We
have a beer and cider before a Chardonnay for me and a Campari
and lemonade for Tam. It's a lovely spot looking out at the
expensive yachts with Table Mountain in the background. We're
excited to see a couple of seals in the harbour. They're probably
like rats around here.
This is the view from our table at Der Anker.
We move on to Harbour House where we've booked a table. They show us to a spot inside, but we ask to sit outside. Our table by the water is ideal and I have Hake with a Chardonnay buerre blanc and it's absolutely delicious. A rather nice Pinot Noir accompanies it and the bill comes to around £60 with gratuity. Strangely most meals seemed to come to about £60 no matter how much we ate and drank!
Just across
from Harbour House there is a sort of amphitheatre with a large
screen showing the Man United v Arsenal game. It's packed with
fans from both teams chanting and getting excited especially as
there's 2 late goals and United win 3-2. It's really nice to see
fans from both sides mingling together, many with families, and
not the least hint of any trouble.
There's also a choir singing not far away and that adds to the
fun feel of the place.
We get an Uber back at a cost of £2! I'm sure we could walk, but at those prices it seems silly to. We're back to the Zest Boutique and in bed by 9.15 am. This might seem remarkably early, but we have to be up at 3.15 am to hike up Lions Head to see the sunrise.
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