Exploring the Cape’s Peninsula
As so many of our lovely guests set out onto the long, winding roads of the glorious Cape’s Peninsula, exploring what our neighbouring coastal villages have to offer, we wanted to list some of our favourite spots that we love to visit, when we take to the roads ourselves. Our recommendations and little tips on tours and culinary excursions around the Cape are for you to tap into and combine with your own wish lists. We love a road slightly less travelled and a path unbeaten. Here’s some insight into what we love to go out and discover, that we are thrilled to share with you.
There’s no experience in Cape Town quite like exploring the great Cape Peninsula Drive…
Navigating your way to the tip of the peninsula takes you through some of the most beautiful seaside hamlets, where likeminded communities settle amidst the rugged, rural terrain. Of course, there is no need to accomplish the whole route in one day. Depending on how tightly stitched your itineraries are, you can venture out onto the roads one day at a time, cruising to your hearts’ and clocks’ content.
From the villa, head towards Kommetjie and visit Imhoff Farm where a cluster of bakeries, boutiques, a brewery and delicatessen sit around a wild garden of succulents and lush lawns.
Onwards to Misty Cliffs and Scarborough for a snack at the Whole Earth Café. A long walk on the beach or a surf along the waves then back onto the roads meandering your way to the Cape of Good Hope where you’ll soar your way up to the lighthouse and see as far as the eye can see. Remember to take lots of photos, but stay away from the baboons – they love to munch on your snacks!
Back onto the road heading for Simon’s Town for a taste of the Cape’s vintage charm. Brimming with history and an eclectic blend of bungalows, quaint cafés and old hotels, this area takes you back in time. You’ll need to set aside a few hours for lapping up the sights and simple pleasures of the town. Visit Boulders Beach where bathers lay beneath their brollies with sticky ice-lollies as the penguin colonies waddle about the warmer waves. Onto the harbour where great ships sail the tempestuous Atlantic currents in and out of South Africa’s largest naval base and the seagulls flock to the boats, attempting a nibble of your fish ’n chips.
Then onwards to Kalk Bay. Grab some more baked goods from Olympia Café and work it off in one of the tepid tidal pools of St. James or the long stretch of surfer’s haven on Muizenberg Beach. Browse the bookshops and antique stores, ambling your way down cobbled lanes that escort you into art galleries and artisanal stores. There’s a real sense of other-worldliness in this beguiling part of the Cape.
Before you head home in the direction of the sun shifting its way west, you might like an afternoon wander through the sublime Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Not all adventures need to be on the road. Some can be as simple as in one gargantuan garden, where there is more diversity in plant species, than in the entire Amazon Jungle! Put a blanket down and listen to the birds tell you their own stories about the riverbeds and the indigenous fynbos and the forests. Get some botanical inspiration for your next work of art and follow the trail of the tortoise.
When the time comes for you to venture home to NIMANO, the spectacularly scenic Chapman’s Peak Drive and the setting sun awaits you on those bends as you leave the backside of the mountain, wind your way through Hout Bay, and glide with the gulls escorting you with the ocean’s breeze. Stop off at Aegir Brewery in Noordhoek, and settle beneath the milkwood branches for a fine pint and a delicious snack. Our tranquil gardens and soothing views will settle you in with the night.
