The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
The greatest city? It has to be Cape Town
From sophisticated new hotels and revamped Wineland spas to cutting-edge restaurants serving up culinary surprises, there is much to tempt visitors – and now is the perfect time to go, says Simon Parker
Autumn has arrived in Cape Town, but forget the wind and drizzle of home. This feels more like Summer 2.0. The days are warm but not too hot, the nights are cool but not too cold. After two years of local lockdowns and international red listing, the city of wine and waves is back with a pop and a fizz.
Since January, inbound tourists have increased by more than 20 per cent. British Airways (ba.com) has reinstated its direct flight from Heathrow, and United Airlines (united.com) has resumed its route from New York after a 20-month hiatus.
Bree Street’s bars and restaurants now echo with chatter and clinking champagne flutes. The hubbub in Camps Bay has returned to 2019 levels. Even the infamous Cape Doctor – the city’s south-easterly summer hooley – has now, mercifully, dropped to a few intermittent squalls.
Head out to Muizenberg Beach, and the March swell is perfect for beginner and pro surfers alike. You’ll always need a wetsuit, but the Atlantic has just hit its 19C annual high. Go a little further, to the Winelands, and the region’s sun-kissed fruit farms and vineyards are now plump and ripe for the picking. You can practically taste the sugar on the breeze.
Dozens of bars, hotels and restaurants closed their doors for good in 2020-21, and as recently as December, a lack of international visitors was costing the city’s tourism industry £10 million a day in lost revenue.
But while some businesses folded, others have come back stronger. Tourists heading down for a shoulder-season sojourn will find a city abuzz with new restaurants, menus, hotel refurbs, spas and experiences – despite South Africa’s current mask-wearing mandate. In fact, life in Cape Town doesn’t just feel pre-pandemic normal, it feels positively revamped and recharged.
Covid rules Negative PCR test no more than 72 hours before travel. Children under five do not require a PCR test
STAY
THE WINCHESTER HOTEL
Back open after an extensive £4.6 million renovation, this 76-room 1920s former apartment block has been modernised throughout. The centrepiece, however, remains the lively flower-filled courtyard. At the hotel’s new restaurant, Shoreditch, almost everything is cooked over hot charcoal, leaving shellfish, tuna and red meat with the unmistakable aroma of a South African braai. The “dirty rib” with chimichurri will appeal to carnivores, but the most delicious thing on the menu is – without doubt – the pit-roasted cauliflower, served with a coconut and tandoori oil (00 27 2142 75900; newmarkhotels.com).
THE MARLY
At the heart of Camps Bay’s “Golden Mile”, this boutique hotel added 27 suites just before the pandemic, taking the total number to 38. Most rooms look out across a palmfringed beach and have balconies ideal for sundowners. The hotel strikes a perfect balance between the buzz of the strip and a place in which to escape; the double-glazed windows are mercifully good at keeping out the sound of music. Downstairs, you will find several restaurants, including the recently opened Surfshack, which is always busy, has panoramic ocean views and does some of the best seafood in Cape Town. The buckets of prawns and langoustines, served with lemon butter, are delicious (00 27 2143 71287; themarly.co.za).
12 APOSTLES
Clinging to the south-facing slopes of Table Mountain National Park, just 20ft from the Atlantic, this hotel and spa has recently launched the new Apostles Braai – an outdoor dining area built within the surrounding bush. The most exciting new development, however, is the hotel’s renovated and reopened helipad, allowing guests to fly in and out, over one of the greatest cities on earth. In collaboration with NAC Helicopters, it is now possible to touch down at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront for a spot of lunch or shopping before being returned home in time for sundowners. Prices for helicopter tours start at £86 per person (00 27 2143 79000; 12apostleshotel.com).
LABOTESSA
This seven-suite city hotel opened in 2019 and enjoyed a few busy months just before the pandemic hit. Arguably, it’s like nothing else in Cape Town, with a garden terrace that wouldn’t look out of place in Paris or Milan. It’s unsurprising, really, because South African owner Johan Du Plessis cut his teeth in Europe before buying and renovating the property in 2010. The city centre isn’t as lively as it was before the pandemic, but Labotessa feels like an integral part of the bounceback. Sophisticated, immaculate and elegant, this boutique hotel is right in the heart of the action. FYN Restaurant – recently named among the 50 best on the planet – is a 30-second walk away (00 27 2101 06600; labotessa.com).
EAT AND DRINK
PIER
No doubt soon to be award-winning, this fine-dining restaurant at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront opened last Christmas and is already the talk of the town. Service is slick, with plates flying to tables in plumes of dry ice. Fun and theatrical throughout, this is time travel through food; three hours will whizz by in the blink of an eye. The menu changes regularly to suit the passing seasons, but pin your hopes on trying the phenomenal crayfish tortellini, with pork jowl and spiced coconut. It costs £83, plus an extra £63 for the wine pairing. A bargain by European standards (00 27 2187 96328; pier.restaurant).
TOMSON
Opened in February last year, on Bree Street next to Leo’s Wine Bar, Tomson is the latest venture of Chinese-South African chef and owner Andrew Kai. His Cantonese-style street food is a delectable balance of spicy, sweet and savoury, including umami-rich pork and shrimp wonton dumplings, sliced pork with kimchi, and vegetarian dishes such as pickled mushrooms and “lo bak go” turnip cakes. New for 2022 is the Mongolian chicken – slices of tender breast in a silky Sichuan sauce. There’s an informal and energetic vibe to the place, but it’s a small space, and reservations are hard to come by, so book (via Google or Instagram) in advance (@tomson_cpt).
CABO BEACH CLUB
This Ibiza-style bar and club opened last November and occupies a sunwashed sandy outcrop at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, less than half a mile from the helicopter terminal. The club’s previous incarnation – Shimmy Beach – had more of a party feel, but the rebrand is now familyfriendly (in the daytime, at least), with a new and improved menu. The pizzas are exceptional, as are the fresh fish and sushi. The venue can seat 300 during the day, but high-profile DJs can play to 2,000 on Friday and Saturday nights, once or twice a month. These nights are ticketed, and Instagram is the best place to find out what’s on. It’s essential to book a visit ahead of time and the dress code is smart-casual (00 27 2113 75401; cabobeachclub.co.za).
THE ROYAL OYSTER BAR
A totally new concept for Cape Town, this seafood, wine and cocktail bar opened last September on Bree Street. Its cocktail and Knysna oyster varieties come from the warmer waters of South Africa’s east coast, while the Saldanha, Namibian and giant oysters are sourced from the cooler west. Every Friday night, the bar hosts a saxophonist, and there’s a fun blind wine tasting to have a go at – guess all four wines and you receive a £50 voucher. Don’t like oysters? Other options include Norwegian salmon, lamb shank, and fish and chips with caper aioli (00 27 7149 02834; the-royal-oyster.com).
HOMESPUN AT THE ANDROS
Six years after setting up his first Homespun restaurant in Blouberg, chef Matt Schreuder opened a second at the Andros Deluxe Boutique Hotel in Claremont last June. The tasting menu often feels like a science experiment, with cocktails and dishes that sizzle, steam and fizz. The humble bread course, for example, is accompanied by an “edible candle” that tastes just like smoky South African boerewors. Every plate is an event for the senses; expect desiccated logs with smoking cinnamon, dry ice that will leave you breathing fire like a dragon, and tuna flakes that magically move like swimming fish. At £30 for the tasting menu and £19 for the wine pairing, this feels like very good value (00 27 2176 14520; homespunbymatt.co.za).