David Pauline visits Cape Town and the Western Cape
I must ask you, first, to put aside for the moment any preconceptions you may have of South Africa – leastwise the Western Cape region.
If you’re looking to find poverty, you will surely find it in some of the townships around Cape Town. If you’re expecting to look out of your hotel window and see herds of Wildebeest galloping across the plain, you’ll be disappointed. (The serious game reserves are way up north.) And if you’re concerned about unfettered lawlessness, with a mugger lurking on every street corner, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
And from here on in it just gets better and better.
There’s only one place to start. We’ve all seen the pictures, but nothing could quite prepare me for the grandeur of Table Mountain – or the great sweep of the city below me when the cable car reached the top. And out in Table Bay, Robben Island, a brooding reminder of less happy times.
I could have spent a week in Cape Town, but it would have to wait. My destination was the award-winning Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa (www.pezularesorthotel.com) outside Knysna — a 300 mile plus drive east along the N2 and ‘Garden Route’. (Knysna itself — www.knysna.org — has twice been voted South Africa’s favourite holiday destination and is particularly famous for oysters.)
Standing high on the Eastern Head, Pezula is bounded by rugged cliffs, ancient forests and sheltered beaches, with glorious views of the Indian Ocean and Knysna lagoon.
As well as a Championship golf course, the estate is home to the ‘Field of Dreams’ sports facility – and, hidden away in a natural hollow, an absolutely delightful little cricket ground.
The hotel boasts 78 sumptuous suites set in beautifully landscaped gardens. Each has everything you could wish for – right down to deli snacks in a pantry kitchen and a real log fireplace! No detail has been overlooked. Or you can stay at one of two romantic, miniature castles on the nearby secluded and pristine Noetzie Beach. It would be worth getting married just to honeymoon there. Almost!
If you can’t relax at Pezula, you can’t relax anywhere!
But if you really cannot relax, there’s a 24-hour business centre and a gym — and the list of outdoor activities on offer is extensive to say the least. What about archery? Or horse riding? Or mountain biking? And, of course, there’s tennis and a pool. I settled for a fascinating guided walk down through the forest, then canoed the last half-mile along the lazily flowing Noetzie river to the beach. Idyllic.
There are several eating options, by the way. The stylish Zachary’s restaurant was recently named one of the top ten in South Africa — or you could dine down at the beach. (Don’t worry, transport’s provided!)
After the R & R, it’s on the road again. But instead of heading back the way I’d come, I struck north for the stunning Outeniqua Pass and thence west on the ‘Scenic Route’ (as if the ‘Garden Route’ wasn’t scenic enough!) across the Little Karoo on Route 62 towards Montagu – the gateway to The Winelands. And to joy unconfined!
Here I was to discover Mimosa Lodge ‘guesthouse’. Dating back to 1859, the main double-storey building is a national monument. In the tranquil gardens, among more than 200 indigenous Little Karoo plants, you’ll find a swimming pool, a croquet lawn, a boules pitch, seven tastefully furnished modern suites and the secluded Orchard Suite with its own private garden and pool.
Better yet is the multi-award-winning food. No choice, just a set dinner: that night it was Crayfish Tail with Avocado Salsa and Truffle Soured Cream, followed by chilled Butternut Soup infused with Curry and Orange garnished with crispy bacon, Escalopes of Veal on a bed of Swiss Chard with Seasonal Vegetables (from their own gardens) and a Calvados Cream. To round things off, a trio of Mousses – Picasso Fudge, Tiramisu and Chocolate. All exquisite and beautifully presented. The bill? £16. And that included an aperitif! (As I was dining alone, I opted to have a glass of a different wine with each course. That bumped up the price — to £23.)
Forgive me for banging on, but Mimosa Lodge is somewhere rather special. (www.mimosa.co.za)
I could write pages on the wines of the Western Cape. Names like Stellenbosch, Robertson and Worcester are well-known here, but that’s not the half of it: there are no less than 23 wine-growing districts. The quality is rarely less than excellent and there are some truly world-class vintages. The beauty is that a bottle of decent wine can be had for a couple of pounds in a store. Even in a top restaurant like Constantia Uitsig outside Cape Town you’re still only talking around £10, with the really good stuff seldom costing more than £30. (For details of the various Wine Routes go to www.wineroute.co.za)
As an alternative to DIY, what about a guided tour? Wine enthusiast Sue Bevan of North West-based Winter Hill Wines arranges tailor-made itineraries for small groups. Having lived in South Africa for some 25 years, she really knows the country and its wines/winemakers. (suebevan@winterhillwines.com)
Just time left to explore The Waterfront at Cape Town with its incredible array of shops, bars, restaurants and strolling players, then off to the airport.
For me, the Western Cape has everything. The climate is wonderful, the scenery ranges from soft bucolic beauty, through dramatic to absolutely spectacular, the people are genuinely friendly and it’s one of the cleanest, most tidy places I’ve ever seen!
Add to that eating out for about half what we pay here, decent wine for even less, petrol at under 50p a litre and genuinely friendly people, and you begin to see the appeal of this amazing country. I’ve bored my friends rigid since I got back!
FACTS
Getting there:
None of the airlines fly direct to Cape Town from UK regional airports, but there’s plenty of choice from London: I went with Virgin Atlantic. Prices vary greatly from £500-£700, so shop around.
When to go:
Our winter is their summer. Dec-April is best, with August/September for the Spring flowers.
Where to stay:
No need to go to the expense of big hotels. B&Bs in the Western Cape are generally superior to the UK – many have swimming pools! – and even the ‘expensive’ ones cost only about £60 per night for a double room. I stayed at –
Dongola House (Constantia, Cape Town) - www.dongolahouse.com A peaceful suburb, pleasant vistas, comfortable garden suites round a pool and terrific breakfasts. Du Plessis lookalike/soundalike Peter Eckstein as host is a bonus.
Kleinvaterfal Riverside Lodge (nr Franschhoek) - www.kleinvaterfal.co.za Babbling brook, vineyards, citrus groves, superb pool and a mountain backdrop. Idyllic.
Woodlands Guest House (Wilderness) – 082 823 5223 Not as modern as some, but spacious and welcoming. Tiny infinity pool is a nice touch. Wonderful view over the lagoon, but at the price of rather a lot of steps!
Eating out is inexpensive and, for the most part, quality is high.
Middle-of-the-Road, in no particular order -
Cape Town Fish Market (Almost everywhere!) – www.ctfm.co.za
San Marco (V & A Waterfront, Cape Town)
Pastis (Great Constantia, Cape Town)
The Barn (Riebeek Kasteel)
Wilderness Grill (Wilderness)
Harbour House (Kalk Bay)
At the top end, I can recommend –
Constantia Uitsig (Cape Town) – www.constantia-uitsig.com
Dieu Donne (Franschhoek) – info@dieudonnerestaurant.com
Tokara (Helshoogte, Stellenbosch) – eat@tokararestaurant.co.za
Baia Seafood (Waterfront, Cape Town)
The Winery (Backsberg) – www.backsberg.co.za
And Mimosa you know about already!
What to see:
So much, and so little time. But not to be missed are –
Cape Town Waterfront
Table Mountain
The Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point (Once in the nature reserve, take care not to confuse the two. Cape Point’s the one with the lighthouse!)
Cape Agulhas – The real southernmost point in Africa!
Whale-watching off Hermanus – about 70 miles south-east of Cape Town. Summer’s best and there’s a Whale Festival every September (www.whalefestival.co.za )
The Penguins at Boulders Reserve – south of Simonstown on the Cape peninsula.
The Cape-Dutch towns of Franschhoek, Stellenbosch, Kirstenbosch and Paarl.
Useful addresses:
Robben Island – www.robben-island.org.za
Table Mountain – www.tablemountain.net
Garden Route – www.gardenroute.co.za
Winelands – www.winelands.co.za
National Parks – www.sanparks.org
Cape Town Tourism – www.tourismcapetown.co.za
South African Tourism Office – www.tourismsouthafrica.net or
6 Alt Grove, London SW19 4DZ. Tel: 0870 1550044
Final notes:
Only the very large petrol stations take plastic and then not all.
Don’t pick up hitch-hikers.
Don’t flash your cash or belongings.
Don’t get paranoid!
(Pictures also by David Pauline.)
