Where to stay in Cape Town

• Many air, land and sea activities are based here

• Visit the Two Oceans Aquarium, Cape Town Eye and Cape Town's only comedy club

• Huge range of restaurants ranging from take-aways for a quick bite, to pubs and fine dining options

The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is the perfect base for your first visit to Cape Town. There is a lot to do here, but it is also a central area to explore from. Accommodation inside the Waterfront ranges from self-catering apartments to a jail-converted hotel to five-star international luxury hotels.

Things to do at the V&A Waterfront

This is an area that never sleeps, and weekends are especially busy, so if you want to be surrounded by city energy, this is the perfect place to be. The V&A Waterfront is also where you can find the Cape Town Eye, Cape Town’s permanent luxury ferris wheel, as well as the Jolly Roger Pirate Boat that sails daily from Quay 5, offering a fun and adventure-filled experience.

Families will enjoy it here, with the Two Oceans Aquarium creatively displaying the diversity between the Indian and the Atlantic Oceans. Just across the road is Mineral World, where you can purchase your own take-home bag to fill with precious stones and then finally end off your day with a friendly game of indoor miniature golf.

Things to see near the V&A Waterfront

From The V&A Waterfront, travellers are encouraged to explore the highlights of the city, which is easily done on a half-day Table Mountain and city tour. While you’re here, make sure to visit Signal Hill for the firing of the noon gun, which is quite an exhilarating experience.

Lion’s Head and Signal Hill flank Table Mountain and all three are worth checking out, especially if you are an adrenalin junkie, as you can abseil down Table Mountain and tandem-paraglide off Signal Hill.

Another bucket list item to include in your visit is a tour of Robben Island. Join one of the multiple daily scheduled boat rides across to the island and join a guided tour bus when you’re there to experience an area like nowhere else in the world. You will also have the opportunity to step inside the cell of former South African President Nelson Mandela.

Bars and nightlife

Kloof Street in the city is a vibrant area with shoppers bustling around the lifestyle centre and art galleries. As the sun sets, the bars and pubs come alive with laughter and the sounds of music filling the air. Some of Cape Town’s award-winning restaurants are found in Kloof Street, which makes it a must-visit location for delicious dinners or a nightcap before turning in.

Recommendations

• Stay at Table Bay Hotel, elegant and convenient with beautiful views, a spa and an outdoor pool.

• Book a tour to Robben Island to learn about South Africa's past.

• White, sandy beaches with incredible sunset views

• Nightlife on ‘the strip’

• Enjoy a night out with dinner and a show

Clifton and Camps Bay are sister suburbs with mansions and exquisite homes built on the mountain slopes overlooking the crystal-clear blue sea, and if you are looking for a scenic, laid back area where to stay when you’re in Cape Town, look no further.

Things to do in Clifton / Camps Bay

Located approximately 20 minutes from the city centre, these areas are perfect for people who want to relax, enjoy beautiful wide sandy beaches, stroll along the ‘Camps Bay Strip’ and sample refreshing sundowners as the Main Road starts to come to life.

For a more subdued evening, head out for dinner and a show. Be entertained at Theatre on the Bay, a 238-seater venue with an intimate stage offering world-class entertainment for dramas, comedies, musicals and cabarets. Be sure to pre-book dinner and enjoy a delicious meal before taking your seat to watch the show.

Recommendations

• Stay at Atlantic Gold for stunning sea views.

• Visit Theatre on the Bay to see the local entertainment.

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• International rugby matches and cricket tournaments

• Family-focused activities

• Cavendish Square Mall to satisfy all shopping lovers

Newlands is a green residential suburb located approximately 15 minutes drive from the city centre. Trendy Cavendish Square is a popular shopping mall with international and local brands, a food court, coffee shops, and cinemas.

Where to stay in Newlands with kids

The area does have a variety of accommodation however in my opinion, The Vineyard Hotel is one of the best hotels for families to stay at. Offering a range of accommodation from superior rooms, to suites to garden cottages, all rooms have access to the crystal swimming pool, international Angsana Spa and popular restaurants on the premises.

What makes this perfect for children is the rolling green lawns with many corners to be explored and hiding spots completely suitable for a game of hide-and-seek, while mom and dad enjoy a guided garden walk exploring this award-winning eco-friendly accomplishment. Activities arranged here for children during peak times are amongst some of the best in the city. There are also are a variety of family-friendly activities not too far from this hotel.

Things to do in Newlands

Rush Trampoline Park is fun for kids and a great work-out for parents, ten-pin bowling is available, there’s a gym for those wanting to stay fit and of course, the nightlife over the weekends makes this a popular area.

Newlands Rugby Stadium hosts a variety of exciting local and international rugby matches where loyal, and sometimes rowdy crowds, stream in with painted faces while waving flags and banners. Streets surrounding the stadium are filled with vendors selling snacks, rugby paraphernalia and memorabilia available on match day and the buzz in in the air is thrilling.

Newlands Cricket Ground is home to the Cape Cobras and here you can lie out in the sun on the grass or sit in the stadium seats to watch the game. These cricket grounds are also a venue for Test matches, ODIs and T20s. Newlands and the neighbouring suburb of Claremont should definitely be areas to consider if you are travelling with your family.

Recommendations

• Stay at The Vineyard Hotel with space and activities for kids

• Book tickets to watch a sports game at Newlands Stadium.

• Culture and history in the colourful Bo-Kaap

• Culinary delights and artisanal sweets

• Easy to walk around and explore during the day

Gardens is the perfect area where you can stay in Cape Town if you want to feel as if you are a local on the trendy Cape Town scene. Lying just on the outskirts of the city, visitors can find refuge at the end of a busy day in this leafy suburb, built on the lower slopes of Table Mountain. With this vantage point, the views looking down over the city and Cape Town Harbour are amazing.

Where to eat in Gardens

The location gives visitors easy access to various eateries and coffee shops. The Bombay Bicycle Club restaurant is the little bit of crazy you might expect on a trip to Cape Town. Fitted out with eclectic décor and a fun atmosphere, some tables are tucked away in tiny rooms while others have swinging chair seats suspended from the ceiling.

For a treat, reserve your seat for high tea at the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel. This 122 grand-old lady of Cape Town serves high tea at noon and 3 pm daily. Enjoy relaxing in The Lounge while music from a live pianist softly floats through the air, creating a leisurely atmosphere. Enjoy a banquet of savoury delights and sweet treats, and complement that with a unique tea from the hotel’s impressive loose-leaf tea collection.

Things to do in Gardens

The kilojoules gained at tea can be walked off on a stroll through the historical Company Gardens, originally established in the 1650’s to grow fresh food to supply passing ships en route to the East. As you enter this green oasis in the middle of the city, vendors will sell you packets of peanuts to feed the squirrels and birds, almost a tradition when you are here.

Stop for coffee at The Company Gardens Restaurant and take a meander around the South African Museum before ending your day watching the night sky in the southern hemisphere at The Planetarium.

Bo-Kaap

If you want to explore a little bit further, head along the city border and closer to the Waterfront to the Bo-Kaap District. So much culture adorns these cobblestone streets, with a striking backdrop of colorful houses in various shades of lilac, blues, pinks and yellow.

These houses date back to the 1750s and there many stories on the reasons for the various colours - every tour I have been on gives a different version. The neighborhood is warm and friendly, and it is the perfect setting for photographers.

You will always find travellers in the Bo-Kaap. They are easy to spot, either grabbing a traditional snack from a local vendor, strolling around with camera in hand, or joining in on a guided walking tour.

If you’re especially interested in culture and food, try one of Bo-Kaap’s incredible cooking classes, run in the homes of local people who will show you their recipes and teach you their methods. At the end of the class, you’ll be rewarded with a sit-down dinner to eat your creations with your fellow chefs, most likely from all around the world.

Recommendations

• Stay in Welgelegen Boutique Guest House, a small hotel in a Victorian building with a pool.

• Book a cooking class in Bo-Kaap to learn to make delicious Cape Malay dishes

• Muizenberg for surfing and body boarding, including lessons

• Simon’s Town for sea bicycles, kayaking, SUP trips, deep sea fishing, PADI diving

• Home to the African Penguin colony

Muizenberg

If there is a surfer’s village in Cape Town, Muizenberg has to be it. With delicious ice-creams, bustling coffee shops and on-trend restaurants, Muizenberg is a great place to visit for a surf and tan. Along the beachfront, there are a choice of surf schools should you wish to learn to surf. Or, if you already know how to hang ten and catch those gnarly waves, you can rent just a board and wetsuit and enjoy time in the water.

Muizenberg is a wonderful beach for families too. Tidal rock pools are popular for children who can search for small fish, periwinkles, starfish and other fascinating sea life. Just keep in mind that sharks do sometimes visit these warmer waters. Shark spotters are located here daily and sound the alarm if a shark has been spotted in the waters, signalling that everyone in the water needs to return to the beach.

Simon's Town

Just 10 minutes along the coast, as you drive towards Cape Point, you will find yourself in Simon’s Town. Another fantastic Cape Town neighbourhood, this is the perfect place to stay if you love the ocean. This historical suburb is not only home to the South African Navy, but it also used to be a market where farmers would sell their produce to locals.

Today, passionate sea lovers can obtain their PADI certification with Pisces Divers, and, once qualified can explore fascinating shipwrecks or have fun swimming with seals. For those who prefer staying on top of the water, the Cape Town Bicycles give you a surreal feeling of freedom as you ‘cycle’ across the sea as part of a tour.

Another fun activity in Simonstown is renting a SUP (stand-up paddleboard) or joining a class that will have you up on your feet and seamlessly gliding over the ocean within an hour. This area is perfect for SUP-pers because there are almost no waves due to the shape of the bay.

Kayak trips are also popular here because of the flat, clear seawater. Those keen on witnessing the African Penguins should definitely book a kayak tour that you will take you to the world-famous colony at Boulders Beach.

Recommendations

• Stay at Simon's Town Quayside Hotel for easy access to the ocean.

• Visit the penguin colony at Boulders Beach.

• White sandy wide beaches with the historic Kakapo Wreck

• Surfing spot

• Visit the Slangkop Lighthouse

Kommetjie lies in what is known as ‘The Deep South’ of Cape Town and is accessible via the scenic Chapman’s Peak or Cape Point, which you should visit while you are in the area with its natural beauty and natural wildlife populations. Kommetjie has the feel of a holiday town, with an extremely laid-back approach to life and, if you can live with a ‘no shoes’ attitude, you will love it here.

Slangkop Lighthouse

The Slangkop Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in the southern hemisphere and made of cast iron and is easily accessible by a short walk from the village of Kommetjie. If pre-arranged, visitors can enter the lighthouse and climb the steps of this circular lighthouse right up to the landing floor at the top with incredible sweeping view of the Atlantic Ocean.

Accommodation

There is a variety of accommodation in Kommetjie, but should you wish to splurge a little, The Last Word Long Beach Boutique Hotel is set in the perfect location giving travelers the chance to relax in their room with uninterrupted views over the Atlantic Ocean, and a stretch of shimmering white beach right on your doorstep.

Other activities

Stroll along the sand until you reach the historic Kakapo Wreck, which ran aground in fog in 1900 while en route to Sydney, Australia. If you’re a bit hot and bothered after your walk, the clear, frigid water of the Atlantic Ocean will cool you down. This area is particularly great for surfers, SUP’s, kayakers and families looking for a relaxing day out - it doesn’t feel crowded, even during peak season.

Recommendations

• Stay at The Last Word Long Beach Boutique Hotel for laidback luxury with beautiful sea views.

• Visit the Slangkop Lighthouse and the Kakapo Wreck.