Draft
We travelled to Cape Town as a couple for the first time in 2021 just after the pandemic. This was a big trip as this would be the first time for Jamie to visit Afica, experience the city I spent most of my adult life (at the time of writing this blog), and be the first time he would meet my parents.
Our trip lasted four weeks, of which most of the time was spent in Cape Town as the city has lots to offer, whether you are an adrenaline junkie, a foodie, a wine connoisseur, an art enthusiast, a dancing queen or a beach bum, there is something for everyone. It is a city that is open-minded, welcoming, with an energy that is infectious leaving you coming back for more…!
Upon our arrival in Cape Town, we hired a car as you will need one if you want to see the most of the city. Generally this is quite easy to do with plenty of options to choose from at the airport. Electric is not an option in South Africa mostly due to loadshedding. Most rental cars make use of petrol with only minibusses and pick-up trucks aka ‘bakkies’ being diesel.
We would recommend renting a sedan mostly from a safety point of view as you do not want anything displayed out in the open even when driving.
After we picked up our car, we head to our accommodation at the Grey Hotel where we stayed our the first couple of nights before heading off on our road trip. The Grey Hotel is situated in De Waterkant, Greenpoint, also known as the gay village.
We chose this boutique hotel due to its central location in the pink strip, its rooftop bar (Skybar), and restuarant (Piano Bar) located below. We found the overall atmosphere also very professional, friendly and a willingness to help make our stay as pleasant as possible.
During the day we ventured in and around the city and went to the beach, and would lounge around in the pool upon our return before heading out for the evening. The views from the roof top is breathtaking, and wonderful cocktails to go along with it. It was here were we also got introduced to Six Dogs Blue Gin for the first time…and was enough to convince us to ship 4 bottles home…
Apart from lazing around the pool and frequenting the beach on a regular basis, we ended up dining out quite a lot as well, and Cape Town has lots to offer in this regard, with many of the meals quite reasonably priced, but more on this later.
Generally speaking, Cape Town is known as one of the friendliest gay places in the world, and as a result is known as the gay capital of Africa. It has a series of events for the LGBT community, such as Cape Town Pride (February/March), MCQP which stands for…you guessed it! ‘Mother City Queer Project’ (December), and the Out in Africa Film Festival (September/October). Furthermore same-sex marriage were legalised back in 2006, the 5th country in the world to do so.
Keeping this in mind, it goes without saying that we really had no issues walking around Cape Town as a gay couple, and would often walk hand-in-hand around Seapoint promenade, the Waterfront and around the city or on the beach. However, as with most cities some areas might be less friendly than others.
Gay restaurants in the vicinity of Green Point/De Waterkant include Café Manhattan Restaurant, Beefcakes (restaurant and bar with live entertainment), Skybar (bar with rooftop pool), and Piano bar.
In terms of bars, clubs and cruising venues, Cape Town’s gay scene has suffered as is the case with many gay bars around the world, with many having closed over the last 10 years. Bars such as the infamous Bronx, Crew, Amsterdam XXX and Beulah, are now distant memories. However, that doesn’t mean that the party has come to an end. New clubs have made it onto the scene such as The Pink Candy, whilst Club Stargayzers is still going strong.
From the two, The Pink Candy is walking distance from the Grey Hotel, making it ideal as the final port of call for the evening.
Other dance venues include Zer021 Social Club & Coco Nightclub. Outside of the city you can find the Gat Party and Die Pienk Piesang for those interested in learning some local dance moves. For those wanting a bit more action, the Shaft Cruise Zone might be the place for you.
Other party areas include Bree Street which is filled with bars and more restaurants for you to enjoy, and in summer can get quite busy with street parties which we were fortunate enough to stumble across, and what a party it was…Live performances, good food and good beer, the perfect combination!
Lastly it is worth mentioning the Facebook group, Buddies Night Out Pop-up Party - CPT. This group is specifically aimed at bringing people form the LGBTQ community together, which also tends to happen in Bree Street. Do check them out to get the latest updates of gay parties taking place whilst in Cape Town.
While in Cape Town, we frequented the beach a lot, coming from the UK you do need as much time in the sun as possible to harness as much vitamin D while you can. The good thing about Cape Town is the extent of its beaches and a wide variety to choose from such, with many having their own unique activity/features such as ie. Camps Bay (beach with tidal pools), Clifton (wind protected), Muizenberg (Surfing), Long Beach (horse riding), Boulders Beach (penguins) Clifton 3rd (gay beach), and for those who love to bare it all and get sun all over, then Sandy Bay is the place to go, the beach we certainly enjoyed the most.
The latter is situated a bit of a drive outside of Cape Town in Llandudno, you can get there by public transport but is a bit of a trek. To get there we recommend having a car. This will allow you to arrive at the beach when you want and leave when you want. Furthermore, as there are no shops at Llandudno, we recommend that you stock up with water in case the little tuck shop is closed at the start of the trail to the beach.
For additional peace of mind, having a car there means you can lock away your most valuable belongings such as your wallet and take only what you need, you don’t want to stress about having things being stolen while you are strolling down the beach in the buff trying to look all calm and sexy…
The beauty of having a car is that it opens up a lot of other routes to you which you may miss by taking public transport. Also, due to the natural beauty of the Cape, many stop areas exists along the roads to get out and view the nature that surrounds you. One of our favourite drives is between Noordhoek and Houtbay called Chapmans Peak. This is a gorgeous section to travel and has featured in many car adverts in the past.
It is also at Houtbay where the annual Dungeons surfing competition is held, about 1km out infront of the Sentinal mountain which is the little mountain sticking out closest to the see above my head (on the left).
In addition to this, having a car made it possible for us to venture to signal hill for the sunset on the one evening, and Lions head for a moonlight hike on another, however, both the latter can easily be reacjed via public transport as well as they are located in Cape Town itself.
Lastly, having a car enables us to go to Cape Point, the tip of the Cape where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. There are two ways to get to the top of the look-out point, the first is to climb all the way to the top along a series of steps, and the other is to use the venacular. We have never done the venacular, and to be honest, the walk makes the whole experience way more rewarding. Once you have reached the top, the reward is phenomenal, with a view that is absolutely spectacular that literally will take your breath away (due to the high winds rushing up from the ocean below). This is definitely a must do for anyone visiting South Africa.
As said before, Cape Town offers a wide variety of activities, including but not limtied to Shark Cage diving (better to do this at Gansbaai), Scuba diving, Kite surfing, Surfing, Hiking, Mountain biking, Backpacking, Paragliding and so much more. Whilst we were there we took on the challenge of sandboarding in Atlantis (a pick up can be arranged but we ha a car).
When it comes to sandboarding, there are a few options to choose from when booking your tickets. These include, Ultimate Sandboarding with rides up the dunes, Quadbiking on the dunes, Extreme 4X4 on the dunes, Classic Sandboarding where you walk up the dunes, and Private 4X4 Sandboarding.
Having done the classic before, we opted for the Ultimate Sandboarding experience, as time is limited and you want to get the most out of your session. Also, the sun is hot out there on the dunes so every bit of energy you have you want to save as there are no shops once you are on the dunes. This is still one of my favourite activities to do due to the speed and adrenaline rush you get when gliding down those slopes.
On our way back we stop at the Blue Peter Hotel in Blouberg which is a must for any pizza lover to catch our breath and a beer or two. The Blue Peter Hotel is situated across the bay overlooking Table Mountain and has been around for years. During summer nights on weekends it offers live enetertainment and is a popular spot with the locals. Do go relatively early as it does get super busy especially during sundowner time. Whilst we were there, we also were fortunate enough to see a number of kite surfers in the waters (something which Blouberg is particularly famous for).
For those interested in this sport, the idea time to travel would be from November to March when winds are most suitable for kite surfing, however during the months of December and January you will have to fight for your spot in the water as it can get pretty crowded during high-season.
We travelled to the Garden Route whilst in South Africa as well, but this will be covered in another post.
Upon our return to Cape Town, and on our last night there, we decided to do a sunset cruise. This was a rally special moment and was the perfect end to a perfect holiday. We got to share the time with one of our dear friends over a couple of glasses of bubbly, before our flight home that evening.
One thing is for sure, Cape Town has left its mark, not only in me back in 2004 when I moved there for the first time, but also in Jamie. It is a city that we are both very fond of, so much so that we have purchased a property there for us for the future. It is a place with so much natural beauty and splendour, with a vibrant and warm community that touches your soul. We will for sure be back, not only because my family still resides in South Africa, but also because those who have been to South Africa knows that you may leave South Africa, but South Africa never leaves you…
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