Zimbo

Andy, thanks for posting all these photos in one place.

Some additional info from Johannes, for those interested in the scale of the undertaking:

- 14 day project

- 4,000+ line tasks are being managed in order to monitor project progress

- 11,000 person-hours work per day average, not including the input of the crew of 521 onboard

And an in-progress photo of CC Suite with bathtub, which I don't think has been posted yet...

They aren't hanging around!

A somewhat related question: do you have a bottle of champagne waiting for you in your cabin (Club Continent Suite, specifically) on embarkation on Azamara? And if so, what type?

Super, WOW!! Really appreciate all of these wonderful details, tips, ideas, suggestions provided by Zimbo. Excellent I have copied ALL of these great comments to my total trip file. Still welcome and open to any added comments, viewpoints, suggestions. Don't be shy. Look forward to learning and hearing as much as possible. Fortunately, we have five days in Cape Town.

 

On Botswana in mid February, we will be staying at three different camps. These are: Savute Elephant Camp, in Chobe National Park; Khwai River Lodge adjacent to the Moremi Game Reserve and Eagle Island Lodge in the middle of Okavango Delta at Xaxaba Island. Several of the experts tell me how wonderful are these areas in this part of Botswana, rating them as the "best of the best". At this time of the year, the birds should be plenty and excellent, plus lots of animals, etc. Any added reactions/tips for Botswana or Victoria Falls?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 132,153 views for this posting.

These lodges and areas are great choices, you are not going to have any regrets!

With regards to Victoria Falls, are you staying on the Zambian or Zimbabwean side? I am not sure what the latest visa situation is (certain nationalities used to be able to get on arrival for a fee), but if possible, I would try visit the Falls from both sides ie. from the Zambian side, and from the Zimbabwean side. Both perspectives are very different, but worthwhile. February is entering end of the rainy season - be prepared to get wet! :D

Another option I highly recommend, if the wallet allows, is the "Flight of the Angels". This is a helicopter flip over the Falls, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You should be able to organise this from either side of the border.

Finally, once the adrenalin has subsided from the heli-flight (or even the bungee jump off the bridge, if you are that way inclined!), go to the Victoria Falls Hotel on the Zimbabwe side (built in 1904) for lunch or tea on the outside terraces with a fantastic view over the gorge and bridge, with the "smoke that thunders" rising in the background.

Apologies to all for not having frequented this thread as often as I would have liked to over the last year or so - work, business travel, and relocating to another continent have taken up much of my time!

Terry - to try answer some of your questions, directly and indirectly. Hopefully this may be of some use to others as well:

1) Safety - For the most part, walking around Cape Town during daylight hours is comfortable and safe. With you being there end of January, it will get light early, and dark fairly late (8:30pm-ish). You will need to be more circumspect at night, and stay to well-lit and busy areas.

You will likely see people in green and white vests around the city (walking, on bicycles, in booths - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/CCID_trailer,_guard_and_manager,_Cape_Town..JPG) with the letters CCID on them – this stands for the Cape Town Central Improvement District, and these are public safety and assistance officers who complement and assist the police. Don’t be afraid to ask these individuals for help or information if need be.

As with everywhere, use common sense at all times, watch out for pick-pockets, and try to avoid appearing too obviously a "lost" tourist. If you are going walking, leave the "flash and bling" behind, and also important documents and cards that you are unlikely to use eg. passports etc. Whilst the chances of losing them, by whatever means, is small, just eliminate it altogether by locking them in the safe at the hotel. But don't be shy to carry your camera and take lots of pictures!

You may encounter beggars or more sophisticated scam artists who may have some very convincing sounding story about losing their wallet, or losing their phone, or some other. Just provide a smile, and a polite "no sorry, we can't help" - you may have to persist for a little while :)

On a related note, Uber is well established in Cape Town and works exceptionally well. For the local equivalent of around US$5 (which is deducted straight from the app, so no need to carry cash with you), you can get anywhere around the city in a very safe and convenient manner. I use it frequently for short-hops. It might be worth getting a local simcard with some data preloaded on it at Cape Town airport when you arrive, just for using the Uber app. If you are not walking for sight-seeing purposes, and just need to get from A to B, I would recommend Uber. As an alternative, the city also has a very good public bus service with fairly extensive coverage called MyCiti which uses a card system.

2) Robben Island – I personally think this is worth the trip. I don’t think you should look at it as a “highest priority”, but with five days in Cape Town, I would have it on my list. However, don’t be surprised if your boat and tour depart late and it appears somewhat disorganised. The company running the Robben Island boats and tours are notorious for being not very good (long story…). The thing is, there is more to Robben Island than just the political prison and Mandela, although this is obviously the main element and is interesting in its own right. The island has been used for many purposes, including a leper colony, and a World War II fortification. So it has a storied and interesting history, and it may also have some of the best views of Cape Town and Table Mountain you can get! Book ahead of time.

3) Traffic – Cape Town is a relatively uncongested city, but there is some build-up during rush hour. So I would avoid needing to be somewhere in a hurry coming into the city from outside of Cape Town during the period 7-9am, and needing to get out of the city from around 4-6pm. At both of these times, there are lots of locals driving into the city, or leaving the city respectively.

4) Winelands – absolutely, even if you are not big into wine. The wine valleys, estates/farms, and vineyards are beautiful, and most have excellent restaurants as well, ranging from Michelen-star equivalent dining, through to excellent bistro-style food, or even picnics in the lovely gardens.

The Paarl-Stellenbosch-Franschhoek wine route is the most famous, and for good reason. Numerous excellent wineries, eateries, and scenery along this route. Although difficult to pick, probably my personal favourite winefarm is Jordan (http://www.jordanwines.com/) – lovely setting, fantastic food (one of Cape Town’s top chefs – make a booking ahead of time at the fancier eatery), and great wines.

Also suggest taking a stroll around Franschhoek, and driving up the Franschhoek Pass behind the town. To mention only one, stop over at L’Ormarins wine estate on the way in (http://www.rupertwines.com/farms.php?farms_id=1). If you are a fan of all things motorcar related (and even if you are not, but can appreciate a lovely collection of “things” in a wonderful setting), the Franschhoek Motor Museum is a must visit (http://www.fmm.co.za/).

Slightly further afield is the little seaside town of Hermanus (which by the way has the best whale-watching in Cape Town and surrounds), and behind it is the Hemel en Aarde Valley and wine route (http://hermanuswineroute.com/hemel-en-aarde/). Again, lovely scenery and wines are the highlight (the salty winds blowing off the sea and up the valley lend the wines a unique taste). My pick out of many excellent farms along this route is Creation (http://www.creationwines.com/).

Closer to Cape Town city, and in case time is tight, we have the Constantia wine region. Much smaller than the others, but only a 20 minute drive from town.

5) City centre – definitely worth spending a day exploring the CBD, in my opinion. Lots of history, and lots going on. Cape Town is a fairly compact city, so it is easy to walk from place to place and explore. Would suggest a guided walking tour (cannot recommend one, perhaps TripAdvisor would be a good place to get recommendations) so you get all the interesting info that can be hidden away, although a self-guided tour with a good guidebook/map is perfectly doable.

Another option is a circuit on the Cape Town Hop-On/Hop-Off red bus (which departs from the V&A), which I always recommend as a quick way to get the low-down of a new place, and get some familiarity with the layout.

Also off the top of my head, a stroll through Company Gardens is great (during the day, not at night!).

6) Kirstenbosch is wonderful. It’s not going to blow anyone’s minds, but just is a lovely, serene place. Make sure you go on the raised walkway through the tree tops (otherwise known as the “Boomslang”, named after an indigenous treesnake due to its curvy nature).

Another option is to make an evening of it, and go the Sunday Summer Concert when you are there (http://www.sanbi.org/events/soil-kirstenbosch-nbg). Every summer Kirstenbosch hosts an outdoor concert every Sunday evening, with mostly local acts – very popular with Cape Townians who take a picnic and sit on the grass, listening to music and watching the stars come out!

Finally, the Kirstenbosch Tea Room does a great breakfast! Nothing better than taking an early morning stroll in the gardens, and ending with a big breakfast outside.

Couple of other things that come to mind:

• If you want the postcard views of Table Mountain, take a drive out to Blouberg Beach.
  
• You may have heard of Long Street and been recommended to go there. In my opinion, overrated, crowded, and dodgy. You are not missing much if you stay away.
  
• V&A Waterfront has some good places to eat and drink, but not great. Rather use TripAdvisor for suggestions on restaurants that meet your taste. Cape Town has so many excellent restaurants, cafes, boutique bakeries, food trucks, etc. And at the current exchange rate, all excellent value too.
  
• An “event” in Cape Town is High Tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel. Book ahead if this sounds tempting (http://www.belmond.com/mount-nelson-hotel-cape-town/afternoon-tea-cape-town)
  
• Go for a walk/run along the Sea Point Promenade, and through Green Point Park. Spectacular!
  

That’s all that comes to mind at the moment (I have left off all the rest of the usual – cable car, drive around the Peninsula, visit to Cape Point, penguins, aquarium, etc). Just enjoy! Cape Town is a wonderful place, you are going to have an amazing five days, and will be planning your next visit before you even depart!

With regards to Botswana, what are your plans there? Also a beautiful country that I have been privileged to visit, both in the dryer parts as well as the Delta. One small suggestion – purchase and take with you a guide to southern African birds. Botswana has the most incredible birdlife, that even those who are not bird watchers get sucked into the “game”. Always great in the evening to then look back on what you saw. This is the one I personally have (http://www.amazon.com/Newmans-Birds-Southern-Africa-Edition/dp/1770078762/ref=pd_sim_sbs_14_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=51c8Xz7E2QL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR98%2C160_&refRID=1JJ3PJJ4W7JR8JKQ86Y5).

Zimbo, welcome to the Azamara forum. I so appreciate the research and your macro-perspective you've shared with us. I hope you'll come back regularly!

Thanks for the welcome Bonnie. Don't get to post as regularly as I would like due to other commitments. But Cruise Critic is an invaluable resource for research and engaging with fellow cruisers.

Also really appreciate your input on these boards - a not-insignificant reason in our choosing to book with Azamara for the August 2016 Norway cruise.

Have fun on your cruise Keith. We look forward to tagging along virtually.

My wife and I have just started researching potential Crystal itineraries to book over the next few years, and are enjoying live (and previously "live") write-ups such as yours as part of our "investigations". We particularly liked your excellent and very informative World Cruise 14-15 writeups here on the CC forums, but it seems that there was significantly more detail in the dedicated blogs, which we missed out on following at the time. Do the blogs for these trips still exist?

Nick

I have not sailed Azamara before, but have booked an upcoming cruise with them due to the itinerary and what looks to be a decent refurbishment of the product.

I did plenty of research, including on the CC forums. If you base your final decisions on the posts found here, then good luck finding an alternative. The Seabourn, Silverseas, Crystal, Regent, Oceania boards are similarly littered with posts bemoaning a degradation in food quality, included drinks, service levels, etc, etc.

Bottom line is, people get jaded even if the product has not changed, or get comfortable and then vent when inevitable changes push them out of that comfort zone (even if such changes are not in any way or form a downgrade). Forums provide a fertile breeding ground for complaints, and tend to amplify a vocal minority.

One of my favourite ever books

Absolutely. A massive epic (900+ pages if I remember correctly) - perfect for holiday reading, particularly on a cruise.

If you are looking for fiction (albeit allegedly partially inspired by real life events) set in India and its neighbours, then this is a great choice.

I assume you have read Shantaram? I see the sequel, The Mountain Shadow, has just been released, although I have not read it yet.

It's there, but only for Journey.

By the way, what is a "One Upper Berth", as per the symbol key and indicated for a number of suites? Have they replaced the sleeper sofa with a fold-down bunk-style berth?!

Latest review for Legend doesn't exactly instil one with confidence...

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=513221

My wife and I have booked the the 2016 Dublin-Reykjavik trip. The 2016 version has "lost" Copenhagen, Flam, and Lerwick (Shetland Islands), replaced by Dublin, Molde, and Kirkwall.

We are not too concerned, we think the replacements stops are just as interesting (and are also hoping that Windstar has ironed out some of the kinks from its new-ship offerings). Very much looking forward to spending a couple of days in Dublin beforehand, Kirkwall looks interesting, and whilst we are sad we won't be doing the Flam railway, it has been replaced by the plan to drive this from Molde to Kristiansund (and back):

We're thinking about taking a cruise that departs from Capetown in November & has a precruise short safari from near Port Elizabeth. Do you know had bad the misquetoes are that time of year at these game preserves as my dw is allergic to misquetoes? thanks

Unfortunately mosquitoes are a reality most of the year around in the bush here. Although, having said that, their numbers should not be too bad at that time of year coming out of winter. If you are staying at Shamwari game reserve, then most of the lodges have mosquito nets, fans and air conditioning which will keep the bugs away. In addition, you can take some repellent spray/lotion and wear long pants and long-sleeve shirts/blouses which work well.

Unless your wife is severely allergic, I would not let it deter you from taking what would be an awesome trip. It is easily possible, taking the above precautions, to go unbitten.

As an aside, in case it is concerning you, Port Elizabeth is malaria-free.

We will be arriving in Cape Town in May and cruising up to Dover. I am still in a quandary about taking malaria pills and would love to hear a Capetownian's opinion. Yellow fever shot is mandatory, but that is all. We are not doing a Kruger type safari.:confused:

Absolutely no need to take malaria pills if you are staying in Cape Town and further surrounds. Even going in safari in some parks along the West or East coasts are malaria-free and do not require pills. Typically only if you move towards the north of the country (Kruger park and bordering with Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique) would you need to take malaria precautions. This map is a good indication.

Having said all of this, if you cruise has stopovers in African ports above South Africa, it may be wise to take precautions.

We will be in Cape Town before our transatlantic cruise in November 2015. We have been told that it is pointless to go to Victoria Falls as it is the dry season. Is this true? Also from which country will the views be best? I am just in the beginning stages of planning. Our wish list is to see the Big Five, Victoria a Falls, and Nelson Mandela sites. I know we will need flights to accomplish this. Thank you for any information.

 

Pearl

Good thing you asked! ;) :D Whoever told you it is pointless is not too clued up! In fact, the dry season is the best time to see the Falls, as during the wet season there is so much water flowing over, and so much spray created, that you can't actually see much of the falls at all! In the dry season, the water volume is much lower, but it is still absolutely spectacular, and you can see so much more of it!

Both Zambia and Zimbabwe have decent view and different perspectives, but Zimbabwe does probably have the best views. That said, if you prefer to stay on the Zambia side you can walk across the bridge and get a temporary visa to visit the falls from the Zim side for the day. Alternatively, the best view of the Falls is by air - the "flight of the angels" by helicopter is a must!

Running out of time now, but we try be back in the next couple of days to provide some more thoughts and advice on the rest of your trip.

We will be in Cape Town in early May and are staying at the Commodore Hotel. Can you please advise on best way to get to hotel from airport... And if by taxi what would be the approximate cost? Do taxis take visa? Thank you..

There are actually quite a few ways to conveniently get to the Commodore Hotel from the Cape Town airport.

The City's new and very modern bus service MyCiti has a station directly outside the arrivals terminal at the airport. If I recall correctly, a bus departs every 30 minutes (the A01) and it will take you all the way to the Waterfront. You can get off at the Granger Bay stop and it is a short walk across to the Commodore. If your flight arrives sometime during the day, this is not a bad option, and costs around R60 per person (cash).

There is also the option to take a shuttle bus. My preference is CitiHopper (http://www.citihopper.co.za/) - I use them often for business and for personal transfers. You can book ahead of time online, they will have someone waiting for you at arrivals to take you through to the transfer desk (where you can pay by card), and then they will take you to your shuttle bus which will drop you off right outside the hotel entrance. Cost will be about R400 for 4 people.

A normal "yellow" taxi is also an option. There are airport accredited ones just behind the MyCiti bus terminal. I have not taken one for a while but I should imagine they will cost in the region of R300. I don't think they will take credit card.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.

I loved your list of "things to do" in and around Cape Town - while I have been there before (8 years ago and 32 years ago) my partner has not visited and I found your list the most useful and informative source of information I have found so far. Thank you !! We are in and around Cape Town for 8 days ahead of joining the Queen Mary 2 on 28th January 2014 and are staying close to the V & A area. For half of the time we will have a car, so we should be able to get through quite a bit of your list !!

 

My only questions are do you have any new thoughts or additions to your list since you wrote it, and do you know of anything special that might be on in Cape Town around the time we are visiting ?

Sorry I didn't get a chance to reply before your trip. I hope you had an amazing time - I did see the QM2 docked in the harbour, a beautiful ship and awesome sight given its size in our small little port!

If it's any consolation, there isn't much I can add to my previous list, most of it still stands. The reality is, there is so much to do in Cape Town, and so many events on all the time, that you could pretty much wonder around aimlessly and still have a wonderful time.

I am hoping you are still monitoring your thread. We are looking at a cruise that will end in Cape Town next December 21st. We have the opportunity to do 1 of 2 post cruise 3 day land packages. One goes to Chobe and Victoria Falls and one goes to Kapama game reserve. Do you have any thoughts on either of these destinations? At this point in time I don't have any details just the 2 destinations but hope you have some insight into which one you recommend. Thanks for any thoughts you might have.

Apologies for my delayed response! Have been very busy the last few months, hardly room to breathe! Hopefully I am not too late with my advice.

In my opinion, I would do the Chobe and Victoria Falls package. Chobe is excellent for wildlife, probably as much so as Kapama. And then there the Victoria Falls, which is an absolutely magnificant sight and should be on everybody's bucket list. Because of this, it shouldn't be a difficult decision! :D

We will be in Capetown early May, 2015. We want go do a photo safari then on to Victoria Falls. You say Botswana is probably the best location for a safari. Can you recommend a place to stay? Or better yet, do you know of anyone I can contact that would do an all inclusive package that includes the safari, Victoria Falls and airfare?

If mentioning a company poses a problem, you can email me at:

ka4293 at gmail dot com. Just put safari in subject line.

Thanks so much for your help.

Kathleen.

 

 

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Early May is the perfect time (IMHO). My wife and I did a very similar itinerary last year to the one you are proposing. Cape Town to Victoria Falls for 2 nights, then from Vic Falls a short flight across the border to Botswana for 7 nights. In Victoria Falls we stayed at Toka Leya lodge, and then in Botswana we split our time between Zarafa camp and Jao camp. Can very highly recommend all 3 lodges, absolutely superb, we had the time of our lives. Trip Advisor reviews can back me up on this. :D All 3 camps fall under the Wilderness Safaris company. I can also highly recommend the Little Mombo camp in Botswana, also a Wilderness Safaris camp (http://www.wilderness-safaris.com/)

To book our trip we used a lady named Ricky, who is a Cape Townian. Her company is African Luxury Vacations (http://http://www.africanluxuryvacations.com) and she organised us an amazing once-in-a-lifetime (or hopefully there are a few more similar to come ;)) trip. Her contact details are on the website - let her know that Nick and Melissa recommended her to you. She will be able to organise you a all-inclusive package absolutely tailored to your needs, and could not be more helpful.

Let me know if you have any more questions, happy to help in any way I can. :)

Sounds like we can just pop in for wine tours and no reservations are needed??

 

We have a full day driver hired. I want to squeeze in a lot. Can we do the coast drive in the morning and spend the afternoon in the wine region with a couple of wine tastings? How long would this take

 

Have you ever been to Botswana or Zimbabwe? We are going onto Victoria Falls and then on the Zambezi Queen Riverboat. I have been on cruise critic mainly looking for the river cruise reviews.

 

Thanks in advance for your time and help

Do you mean popping into the individual wine farms? If so, then you are absolutely right, no need for reservations, just arrive during open hours and wine taste away! Some special items may need a reservation on certain wine farms eg. Cellar tours, but they normally clearly indicate this on their websites.

If you start early (I assume you will be here in summer, which means the sun rises around 5:30am and sets around 9pm), you can indeed do the coastal drive in the morning, then do some wine tasting in the afternoon. It will be a busy day, but definitely doable. A peninsula tour, with a couple of stops for pictures and to admire the views, will probably take 3-4 hours. The Constantia wine route is actually the end leg of a typical peninsula tour, which means you can grab some lunch in the Constantia wine region, then spend a few hours in the afternoon sampling various wines on the farms in the area. Alternatively, you can take a longer drive out to the Stellenbosch, Paarl or Franscchoek wine regions. Takes about an hour drive outside of Cape Town centre to get to these areas, but they also have fantastic wine farms, and are beautiful areas to visit in their own rights.

I grew up in Zimbabwe, so know it very well. You will love Victoria Falls, it is spectacular! I have also been to Botswana. In my humble opinion, there is no better country for safari game viewing in Southern Africa. A beautiful country. Any particular questions, will be happy to help as I can.

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Thanks

 

Interesting that you pick August. Most cruises are there from Dec to April which is not good for side excursions for Safari.

 

It seems Kruger Park is well developed and independent reservations for travel and on site camps is relatively easy?

You will still have a fantastic safari time during those months, especially in the Kruger, which is very rich in game. December, January will be quite warm, but that is not a problem for everyone, and depending where you stay, there will be swimming pools, fans, air conditioning etc. to make it more bearable. April would be good, as it has begun to cool down a bit by then.

Kruger Park and the surrounding private game parks are exceptionally well developed. Independent reservations should be very straight forward.

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We plan to do a three nite pre cruise Safari with some company in Kruger National Park.

 

What is the best way to get to Kruger from Capetown?

 

Given that the summer heat will drive the animals into the dead of nite, when is the best time of year to do a Safari?

 

Are there day tours to all of the wine regions from Capetown hotels?

Best way to get from Cape Town to Kruger is to fly direct from Cape Town to Hoedspruit. I believe there are around 3 flights a week scheduled. Your safari company should be able to organize transport from there to your accommodation in the Kruger. The other option is Nelspruit further south, but then you would have to go via Johannesburg, which is inconvenient.

In my opinion, best time to visit is around August. This is towards the end of winter, so temperatures are largely pleasant. It is also before the start of the rainy season, so the bush is dry and the animals roam more to seek water, often gathering at larger known waterholes which do not dry up. Hence you have a better chance of seeing a wider variety of wildlife.

Most decent Cape Town hotels will be able to organize day tours to the various wine regions, and will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel. May be difficult to fit all of the wine regions into only a one day tour though. I would say it would take a good two to three days to sample all the main ones.

Hope this info is of some help!

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I know you are in Capetown, but we have 3-5 days in Johannesburg in early to mid October. 1. Wondering what are the key things to see/do, 2. should we take a day and night to Sun City? 3. We are flying to Richard's bay to go to a Safari resort and thinking of a nite or two there. 4. Finally, do you have suggestions of good tour companies in Johannesburg?

 

Thanks!

I do not know Joburg that well (and I am sure native Joburgers would strangle me for saying this!) but I don't think there is really that much to do in the city and immediate surrounds. One option is the Hop On Hop Off bus, which has just started in Joburg and should be a good way to see all the main sights in an easy manner. If you search for their website (the "red" bus), they have maps showing the routes and the main sights.

My personal opinion is that Sun City is not worth seeing. It is a bit like a very poor version of Disneyland (or i can imagine, a Donald Trump-style resort?!) - very ostentatious, fake, and overpriced. I'd much rather take the 3-5 days and travel to the Kruger Park area and surrounds, where there are numerous world-class and award winning camps to stay in. Even if wild game viewing is not your thing, the solitude, scenery and 5-star service of these camps will make it a time to remember.

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Thank you for your offer. As long as you are making recommendations from personal experience, I don't believe there is any problem.

 

Here are a couple of ideas of things which might be helpful:

 

Your 5 (or more) favorite things to do (or places to visit):

Your 5 (or more) favorite restaurants

Here goes! :D

Things To do

- If you are in Cape Town during the summer months (November to March/April), which I should imagine is the peak time for cruise arrivals, then a fantastic afternoon/evening activity is to take in one of the open-air concerts at Kirstenbosch gardens, which are held every Sunday evening, and normally feature local artists and bands, including the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. Take a picnic blanket, arrive a bit earlier and grab a nice spot on the grass, and enjoy a fantastic evening. You can also take a picnic basket and drinks with you, or order and grab at the venue.

- Staying with Kirsenbosch, if you are the more active type, explore Kirstenbosch gardens, and then take one of several paths that leads up the mountain and go for a bit of a hike above the gardens, providing various great views of the city, surrounds, and two oceans.

- Elephant's Eye Cave hike, in the Silvermine reserve - a relatively relaxing hike, and beautiful scenery and views http://namibsands.wordpress.com/2010/07/10/a-lovely-hike-up-to-the-elephants-eye-cave-at-silvermine/

- Driving - Cape Town and surrounds is a lovely place to just take a leisurely drive around, starting in the CBD, follow the waterfront around the peninsula through Camps Bay past the 12 Apostles to Hout Bay, and then around the awe-inspiring Chapman's Peak Drive through to Noordhoek and its incredible long white beaches. With more time, continue from there to Fish Hoek and then to Cape Point and its nature reserve. I would also highly suggest a drive up the West Coast, with spectacular views of Table Mountain. Cutting across, you start to hit wine country, which has lots of lazy, winding and scenic mountainous roads. Take your time, stop wherever it takes your fancy, and enjoy the diversity that Cape Town has to offer, from landscapes and scenery, to wine farms, farm stalls, ocean-view cafes and bars, nature reserves, etc.

- High Tea - the only place for high tea in Cape town, at the Mount Nelson Hotel! Enjoy the gardens whilst you are there.

- Robertson - lesser known wine region, and slightly further from the usual touristy spots, but worth the drive, as it has excellent wines, some very good restaurants, and nice little places to stay. Around the year they have certain wine and food festivals as well.

- Food and Craft Markets - Cape Town has lots of morning markets, normally Saturday, which are fantastic to visit and just chill. Some of my favourite include the market at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, the Hout Bay market, and the Saturday morning market at Laborie wine farm in Paarl.

- Wine Tasting - of course! Just pick one of the main wine routes (Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek, Durbanville Hills, Constantia), and just lazily drive along and pop into each.

- Table Mountain - for the adventurous and active, rather than take the cable car, hike up instead! Make sure you are properly kitted out, take a trail map, and start earlier in the day whilst it is still cool and there is lots of daylight.

- Lions Head and Rhodes Memorial - both awesome places for views, Lions Head especially for the beautiful summer sunsets and sundowners!

- Walk around the CBD - Cape Town CBD is a lovely city, and it is worth, if you have the time, exploring it by foot. Start down the International Convention Centre end, and just take a leisurely stroll up, through St. George's Mall and into Company Gardens. Lots of vibey little coffee bars, pubs and cafes to pop into, and lots of informal markets selling little trinkets. Don't get bullied into buying something you don't want, for too much! Always haggle, but remember, at the end of the day, in local currency what you eventually pay is probably very little when converted to US$, pounds or Euros, so don't be too stingy! ;-) You can also take a stroll along the World Cup fan walk, which starts from the CBD and takes you to the Cape Town stadium in Greenpoint, which is worth a look. Continue past it, and you end up in the lovely surrounding gardens and park, and ultimately in Sea Point. Take a stroll along the Seapoint promenade next to the water in the afternoon, really nice walk, and the locals come down to walk their dogs, do pilates, or go for a jog.

- Franschhoek Motor Museum - really lovely private car collection, with various makes from over a century, in a fantastic setting on L'Ormarin's Estate. A must see if you are even slightly interested in anything automotive, and it even tends to fascinate those who aren't!

Places to Eat

Much like wine estates, Cape Town is blessed with a wide variety of excellent, world-class restaurants. Some of my favourite, in no particular order:

- The Test Kitchen - make sure you book months in advance, and prepare to spend a few hours there marvelling at the art that arrives on a plate. And that is before you taste it!

- La Mouette - lovely little place in Greenpoint/Seapoint area.

- La Colombe - excellent, deserves its stellar reputation

- Bizerca Bistro - more informal than the above, but probably a contender for my number 1 favourite. Menu changes daily, always fresh ingredients.

- Bombay Brasserie - for a "fancy" curry.

- Eastern Food Bazaar - for a "basic" curry, but just as tasty, and dead cheap!

- And Union - great craft beer and wine bar, favourite of locals after work, also serve rustic but very tasty German and Portuguese fare

- The Crypt Jazz Restaurant - in the crypt underneath Cape Town's St. Georges Cathedral. Enjoy the unique surroundings and great live jazz music every night whilst having a bite to eat.

- Azure Restaurant - at the 12 Apostle's Hotel, absolutely stunning views over the ocean whilst sitting on the deck, and really good food is a bonus!

- Den Anker - my favourite place to eat at the V&A Waterfront. Good food, excellent beer and wine, nice location.

These are but a sample, you need to spend several years in Cape Town to experience everything! :D