Top Ten Luxurious Things to Do in Cape Town

If there’s one city that I truly fell in lovely with and dream of revisiting, it’s Cape Town. A place with incredible food, remarkable scenery, wonderful people and a vibrant atmosphere. With that being said it wasn’t hard for me to put together my top ten luxurious things to do in Cape Town.

1. Stay in a luxurious hotel

While staying on the V & A Waterfront, I’d highly recommend the One&Only Cape Town which boasts absolutely stunning views, a gorgeous pool, fantastic service….oh and there’s a Nobu as well as a world-class restaurant by Reuben Riffel. The One&Only Cape Town is located very centrally, making it the perfect base for exploring the local area but with a luxury resort to return to after a busy day. And try the afternoon tea…you will thank me…

We split our time between staying on the Waterfront and a little further out in the suburbs of Bantry Bay at the gorgeous Ellerman House. The boutique hotel has only 11 rooms and the service is so personal that you feel like you’re right at home!

With beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean, a menu customised to suit your tastes and a vast cellar of incredible wines, Ellerman House is easily one of my favourite hotels of all time.

With Cape Town only a ten minute drive away, and Camps Bay nearby too, the location is ideal to explore some of the highlights of the city.

2. Enjoy World Class Cuisine 

One reason why I really fell in love with South Africa was the utterly fantastic food. We tried plenty of different restaurants from fine-dining places to more relaxed and casual ones but the quality of the local produce was evident where ever we went.

The Test Kitchen is widely regarded as the best restaurant in South Africa and Luke Dale Roberts is the much-lauded chef at the helm. Located in Woodstock, the shabby-chic interior belies a cutting edge menu of international food that is simply outstanding. Mr S and I were lucky enough to sit with a view of the open kitchen watching the chefs put together the dishes that made up our incredible tasting menu.

While the food is comparable to any from a Michelin-starred kitchen, the prices aren’t and The Test Kitchen represents excellent value for money.

Our other favourite restaurant was La Colombe, around a twenty-minute drive out of Cape Town, the restaurant has an incredible view of the Constantia Valley and the food has placed the restaurant as one of the best in the world for several years.
Mr S and I got lost finding the restaurant and ended up forty minutes late but they kept our table and pressed a glass of sparkling wine into our hands as soon as we arrived. Now that’s service for you!

3. Explore the V & A Waterfront

Yes, it’s a little touristy but there’s no denying the beauty of the sweeping view of Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean from this historical harbour. It’s also a great place for shopping, eating, drinking and museums and, despite the crowds, it maintains the old world charm of its heritage.
For restaurants, I would highly recommend getting stuck into LOADS of seafood at The Harbour House or getting trying some Cape cuisine at Camissa at The Table Bay Hotel.

4. Overnight in the Cape Winelands

Though only around a 45 minutes drive away from Cape Town, I’d highly recommend staying over night in the Cape Winelands…mostly so that you can drink ALL the wine but also because there are so many beautiful vineyards and fantastic restaurants to explore. Towns such as Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Paarl house some the major wineries but also boast some of the most outstanding scenery that I’ve ever seen! For accommodation I’d recommend a stay at the outlandishly opulent La Residence or for something more under stated and modern, The Delaire Graff Estate.

If you don’t stay at The Delaire Graff Estate I’d still recommend visiting for lunch and taking in the spectacular views.
For dinner, my choice would be The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Francais, one of the best restaurants in South Africa with an innovative menu of creative cuisine. Vineyards that I recommend include Moreson, Haute Cabriere and La Petite Ferme where we also had a fantastic lunch. But if you want a little help from the experts, Great Wines of The Cape with Oz Clarke tour could be just for you!

5. Discover the wildlife

My favourite animal has got to be a penguin and at Boulders Beach in Cape Town you can get super close to a colony of African penguins.
Honestly, who knew that you could even get penguins in Africa but here you can find around 2,500 of the little guys. I definitely had to resist taking one home with me. 
The top of Table Mountain is a great place to spot these adorable dassies which look a little bit like big guinea pigs, there’s even a dassie walk that you can go on!
You can spot ostriches around the Cape Peninsula and whales and seals can be found at The V & A Waterfront. If you’re super brave you can go shark-cage diving, though if you know me you’ll know I’m scared of everything and I wasn’t quite willing to look Jaws full in the face!

6. Chill Out in Camps Bay and Clifton

Camps Bay is the hottest suburb in Cape Town; boasting stunning scenery and beaches, it’s easy to see why people flock there.
It’s the perfect place to enjoy long lazy lunches or sundowners with a view! One place that was highly recommended to me was The Bungalow in Clifton, for its chilled out vibe and funky decor. Sadly we never got to make it there, it’s actually Harry Styles fault…a One Direction concert meant traffic was terrible and we decided to stay on the Waterfront to avoid it! We did however enjoy a glamorous dinner at Japanese restaurant, UMI, and evening drinks at the stylish Café Caprice.

7. Visit Hermanus 

Located around a hour’s drive from Cape Town, Hermanus is a place of breathtaking scenery, a boutique wine route, nature trails, beautiful shops and activities. But Hermanus is best known for being a prime spot for whale watching. Even if it’s out of season for viewing the southern right whale, I’d highly recommend a stay here at one of my favourite hotels, Birkenhead House.

I mean you can’t argue that this is simply the best breakfast spot ever? Incredible cliff top location aside, the inside of the hotel is all white and the perfect blend of rustic beach meets luxury. Every room is designed individually designed by owner Liz Biden, there’s a gorgeous cliff top plunge pool and with excellent personal service, this place is heavenly!

Best of all food and drink is all-inclusive and they’re super generous with the sparkling wine!

8. A Walk Through the Kirstenbosch Gardens 

It would be no exaggeration to say the Kirstenbosch in Cape Town is the most beautiful botanical garden that I’ve ever visited. 
Fringed by the city’s majestic Table Mountain and home to diverse flowers and plants, it’s a simply incredible place to take in. The garden is actually an UNESCO world heritage site and is also part of a nature reserve supporting animals and birds.

Also be sure to check out the Treetop Canopy Walkway, 12 metres above the woodlands floor this timber and steel bridge allows a sweeping view across the gardens and the mountains beyond.

9. Afternoon tea at the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel

I love hotels with history and this big pink confection of a hotel opened in 1899 for the first class passengers of a British shipping liner. Ever since then it has provided accommodation for the elite, rich and famous. Many well-regarded people such as Winston Churchill, Arthur Conan Doyle, Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey and even the Dalai Lama have stayed there.

The hotel is also famous for afternoon tea, taken in the gorgeous lounge and after indulging guests can walk around the beautiful gardens. As someone who always wanted to live in a pink palace, I adored snooping around the beautiful rose bushes and fountains that are scattered around the ground.

10. Take in the Views 

One thing that struck me about Cape Town are all the beautiful vista viewpoints. Of course, going to the top of the iconic Table Mountain is an absolute must! If you’re anything like me, then you’ll have to suck up your courage to brave the cable car ride but once you’re up at the top it’s definitely worth it. 
Alternatively take the Flying Dutchman funicular up to the old lighthouse at Cape Point to take in the most dramatic coastal views. Afterwards go back and enjoy a sushi lunch at the Two Oceans restaurant above the iconic False Bay.

If you fancy a drive, ascending Chapman’s Peak is one of the most scenic road trips that I’ve ever taken. The road connecting Hout Bay with Noordhoek is totally stunning and makes a perfect day trip with beautiful picnic spots and plenty of places to stop for photographs.
The stretch of road also forms part of the Cape Town Cycle Tour so you can hug the perfect curves of that coastal road whilst taking in all fresh air into your lungs.

Finally I didn’t want to finish a post based on Cape Town without a mention of Robben Island. A trip to the prison where Nelson Mandela was held captive for 18 years forms a vital part of the history of South Africa and the story of Apartheid.

Have you ever been to Cape Town? What are your top suggestions of what to do there. 

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