Holiday In CapeTown - First Timer ....need help

Ocali said:
thanks for the responses thus far,

i have mixed feelings now...about will it be too busy? and everything else that goes with it. hmmmm i dont know know. You guys might be right.

budget wise i was thinking:

Flights(Durban) / accommodation :10k (5/6 nights depending on rates)
Car hire as per lumpyza : 6k
Food and attractions : +-10??

so you guys think i should wait until i can spend more time there...?? if i go in Jan i could possibly do another trip in july/august i dont mind the cold..
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Budgeting around +-26k to visit cape town?
Sorry but that is flippen ridiculous imo. Cheaper to go international and even have a longer stay.
 
if you were to change travel times i would suggest somewhere from end feb to end march or mid october to mid nov.
the weather is good & you are out of high season - everything you want to do will be easier & cheaper.

cape town has a double high season in summer, mid dec to early jan for locals, and the international people flock in from mid january to mid february.

also, the convertible - summer is hell in a convertible. i have had 2, trust me, being stuck in dec/jan traffic on a blazing day with the roof down is not cool, you sweat like a pig & curse like a sailor on crack - you'll have the roof back up & aircon running at full tilt in no time at all.

i suggest you plan your trip & take a convertible for a day or 2 instead of the entire time you're in ct.
doing the coastal drive from ct > simonstown > cape point > noordhoek > chapmans peak > hout bay > camps bay > ct is bliss in a convertible on one day, as is running through the wine route on another.
but for normal dashing about the city, i'd suggest something normal - polo-ish.

if you're planning to go up the mountain, check and see what time the last cable car comes down - then go up about 2 hrs before that time, you'll get to see the city by day, sunset & evening from the top.
 
grantza said:
if you were to change travel times i would suggest somewhere from end feb to end march or mid october to mid nov.
the weather is good & you are out of high season - everything you want to do will be easier & cheaper.

cape town has a double high season in summer, mid dec to early jan for locals, and the international people flock in from mid january to mid february.

also, the convertible - summer is hell in a convertible. i have had 2, trust me, being stuck in dec/jan traffic on a blazing day with the roof down is not cool, you sweat like a pig & curse like a sailor on crack - you'll have the roof back up & aircon running at full tilt in no time at all.

i suggest you plan your trip & take a convertible for a day or 2 instead of the entire time you're in ct.
doing the coastal drive from ct > simonstown > cape point > noordhoek > chapmans peak > hout bay > camps bay > ct is bliss in a convertible on one day, as is running through the wine route on another.
but for normal dashing about the city, i'd suggest something normal - polo-ish.

if you're planning to go up the mountain, check and see what time the last cable car comes down - then go up about 2 hrs before that time, you'll get to see the city by day, sunset & evening from the top.
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thanks alot grant.. some fantastic advice there.
just a lil update. This new Business venture i Joined provides fantastice deals on travel.. so i have just booked my flights(BA) as well as 7nights accommodation inclu Breakfast(CapeTown ritz hotel)-(it was the cheapest option and i dont plan on spending to much time in it) all for R8k. Car rental for a small/medium size car wont me to much either.. so thus far well well below budget.
 
If you are going to be staying fairly close to the cbd and you are planning to check out the nightlife, I would suggest that you use a service like Uber to get around.. doesn't work out that costly for the short trips and you then don't have to worry about drinking and driving. Added benefit is not having to find parking which can be a real pain especially in busy areas like Loop and Long street and in Camps Bay etc.

Shimmy Beach club is great as well as the Grand. A couple of great places in Camps Bay as well... Caprice, La Med (I think they changed the name to the Beach Club or something to that effect)

The wine route is a must.. I'm slightly out of touch, but Spier is always quite popular.. can get extremely busy during tourist season though.

While the CBD is a lot safer than most.. there are things to look out for.. some people have fallen victim to pickpockets especially when pubcrawling and visiting some spots in Long Street. There are a lot of quiet areas and dark corners in the CBD that I would avoid as well.
 
zenmeister said:
With that budget I'd go overseas. Check this out http://www.contiki.com/
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i get what you are saying.. it does make sense.. But i have never been to Capetown before and its right in my back yard(so to speak).. Hell i have been to Las Vegas and i haven been to the Cape... I hear its Beautiful. tourists from around the world come to visit.. so maybe it would be a good idea to at least visit...

thanks for the contiki tours website, but i actually have a Cheaper option to travel overseas..
 
KingBel said:
If you are going to be staying fairly close to the cbd and you are planning to check out the nightlife, I would suggest that you use a service like Uber to get around.. doesn't work out that costly for the short trips and you then don't have to worry about drinking and driving. Added benefit is not having to find parking which can be a real pain especially in busy areas like Loop and Long street and in Camps Bay etc.

Shimmy Beach club is great as well as the Grand. A couple of great places in Camps Bay as well... Caprice, La Med (I think they changed the name to the Beach Club or something to that effect)

The wine route is a must.. I'm slightly out of touch, but Spier is always quite popular.. can get extremely busy during tourist season though.

While the CBD is a lot safer than most.. there are things to look out for.. some people have fallen victim to pickpockets especially when pubcrawling and visiting some spots in Long Street. There are a lot of quiet areas and dark corners in the CBD that I would avoid as well.
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thanks alot i will look into this Uber service. are the any downsides to this uber service? like not being able to get a cab when you need to at odd hours of the night?

thanks alot for your input..


the Wine is a must, no matter what happens i need to visit a few... with regards to this, do you have to like book in advance? or do you just pitch up there? are there like wine tastings and such what 1 can do?

not a big fan of dark corners, so will be well aware.
 
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With wine tastings, some places like JC le Roux want you to book in advance. If you are lucky, you can just pitch up. A lot of the other farms, you can just pitch up and there is more than just wine. Fairview has cheese and wine, Spice Route (next to Fairview) has biltong, chocoloate, coffee, ice cream, beer). All depends what wine you're into.
 
Ocali said:
thanks alot i will look into this Uber service. are the any downsides to this uber service? like not being able to get a cab when you need to at odd hours of the night?

thanks alot for your input..


the Wine is a must, no matter what happens i need to visit a few... with regards to this, do you have to like book in advance? or do you just pitch up there? are there like wine tastings and such what 1 can do?

not a big fan of dark corners, so will be well aware.
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I haven't heard much complaints about Uber.. you should download the app on your phone.. you basically scan in your credit card.. and just request a taxi via the app. It picks up your location, and send the closest driver to you. You can also track their progress on your phone and view details about the driver. As far as I know no money exchanges hands, coz they just debit your card.
Even if you can't get a hold of an Uber taxi, there are many taxi cabs available in the CBD. Most of the venues that you visit will have the numbers for taxi services, and will order a cab for you.

On the wine tasting side, I would phone ahead just to make sure of times. Most of them, as Bighit mentioned, you can just pitch up and partake.
 
Bighit said:
With wine tastings, some places like JC le Roux want you to book in advance. If you are lucky, you can just pitch up. A lot of the other farms, you can just pitch up and there is more than just wine. Fairview has cheese and wine, Spice Route (next to Fairview) has biltong, chocoloate, coffee, ice cream, beer). All depends what wine you're into.
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Awesome thank for that... im a Major Foodie so anything i can get my hands on that different ahahahah.
 
KingBel said:
I haven't heard much complaints about Uber.. you should download the app on your phone.. you basically scan in your credit card.. and just request a taxi via the app. It picks up your location, and send the closest driver to you. You can also track their progress on your phone and view details about the driver. As far as I know no money exchanges hands, coz they just debit your card.
Even if you can't get a hold of an Uber taxi, there are many taxi cabs available in the CBD. Most of the venues that you visit will have the numbers for taxi services, and will order a cab for you.

On the wine tasting side, I would phone ahead just to make sure of times. Most of them, as Bighit mentioned, you can just pitch up and partake.
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i have just been doing some reading on them seems legit and organized. I should maybe then just hire a car for the days i will be driving out to meet friends or visit Farms...
 
scudsucker said:
Delft, Lavender Hill and Manenburg are very nice.

Also check out places in Dunoon - nice and close to Century City
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You left out one of the best areas dude... Bonteheuwel. This is quite a beautiful and picturesque area for you and your family to just "cool off". Most definitely worth checking out.
 
Ocali said:
Awesome thank for that... im a Major Foodie so anything i can get my hands on that different ahahahah.
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If you are a foodie, also worth checking out the "Old Biscuit Mill" on a Saturday morning. One of the restaurants there, the Tasting Kitchen, has been rated as one of the top restaurants in the world. You will definitely have to book for that place though.

And i you are looking to try some of the tastes of Cape Town, look for Mariam's in the CBD, and try out a masala steak gatsby.
 
KingBel said:
If you are a foodie, also worth checking out the "Old Biscuit Mill" on a Saturday morning. One of the restaurants there, the Tasting Kitchen, has been rated as one of the top restaurants in the world. You will definitely have to book for that place though.

And i you are looking to try some of the tastes of Cape Town, look for Mariam's in the CBD, and try out a masala steak gatsby.
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Just googled the Old Biscuit Mill, the Restaurant is The Test Kitchen.. the website looks great i will definitely be making a booking.

I will tastes of CapeTown is also on my list... 3 meals a day for 8 days.. i sure il be getting some good grub..
 
CamiKaze said:
You left out one of the best areas dude... Bonteheuwel. This is quite a beautiful and picturesque area for you and your family to just "cool off". Most definitely worth checking out.
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Thank you Camikaze sounds wonderful.

Closer to my Trip i will need to go over this whole thread again.. take down all the points of Interest.
 
uhm.. scudsucker and Camikaze are pulling your leg bru... you do not want to go into those areas unless you have an armed escort :p (I'm exaggerating a bit though)
 
Ocali said:
Just googled the Old Biscuit Mill, the Restaurant is The Test Kitchen.. the website looks great i will definitely be making a booking.

I will tastes of CapeTown is also on my list... 3 meals a day for 8 days.. i sure il be getting some good grub..
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If you haven't booked now then you wont get a booking in December.
 
KingBel said:
uhm.. scudsucker and Camikaze are pulling your leg bru... you do not want to go into those areas unless you have an armed escort :p (I'm exaggerating a bit though)
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LMAO bastids! hahahahahah its *** funny though......
 
Nerfherder said:
If you haven't booked now then you wont get a booking in December.
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its actually for January.. i will be making a booking Tomorrow. A lunch and a Dinner. besides its a table of 1, so hopefully i can arrange that tomorrow.
 
wow,

okay then, so i emailed the test kitchen to make a reservation for 2 days, a lunch an a dinner... to my surprise, they are full booked.
they are currently fully booked for dinner until the 1st of April and Lunch until the 14th of January..

*sigh so much for that..
 
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