Under the mountain.
Five days between two oceans: wine farms, the V&A waterfront, and Table Mountain at first light. By Constance Royer · photographs by the desk.
Cape Town is the only major city in the world where the geography simply refuses to be ignored. Table Mountain sits behind everything like a parenthetical remark that contains the whole sentence. You learn to orient yourself by its flat top and its shadows — when the tablecloth cloud rolls in from the south-east, you are about to get rained on; when it clears, the mountain turns a particular shade of amber that people photograph but never adequately describe.
Stay in De Waterkant or the City Bowl. De Waterkant is smaller, quieter, and has the better restaurants. The City Bowl has everything else. A car for day trips to the Winelands — Stellenbosch is 45 minutes — is essential.
Where to sleep
The Kove Collection
Six serviced apartments, rooftop views. fr. $228/nt.
Gorgeous George
Heritage building, top-floor pool. fr. $186/nt.
Where to eat
- 09:30 · Truth Coffee Roasting — steampunk interior, benchmark flat white. Buitenkant St.
- 13:00 · The Test Kitchen — seven-course menu, one of Africa's best. Biscuit Mill, Woodstock.
- 19:30 · La Colombe — Constantia vineyards, slow-roasted duck, Chenin Blanc. Silvermist Estate.