A Real Treat in False Bay...

On the Cape Point Route you’ll see them from the roads, from the air and even the trains. But the most astounding experience of whale watching by far, is from the water.

I recently went to Cape Point on a high speed boat from Simon’s Town Waterfront on a perfect winter’s day of calm seas & a faultless azure sky. Visiting one of Cape Town’s star attractions from the water is wonderment itself. The dramatic cliffs are spectacular when viewed from below.

As we turned to head north, we saw a steam of spray in the distance and that means one thing – whales blowing! The double stream of spray was 3 – 4 metres high and is a distinctive sign of humpback whales. Lucky us, as they are less common than the Southern Right whales.

The spray was followed by a show of acrobatics – massive heads poking above the surface and a synchronized rehearsal of arched back and fins in the characteristic motion that gave the humpback whales their name. It is impossible not to awed at the sight of an enormous tail appearing out of the water and floating in the air, being swung around and slapped back down onto the surface of the water. I discovered that humpback whales have a patch of white on the underside of their flukes (tails) which are unique to each individual whale- just like a human fingerprint. A humpback whale tail is extremely good looking because of the colour contrast and the wavy shape. It must be said I was gobsmacked and it’s not often that I am speechlees.

Then these glorious creature disappeared - arched backs, tails high and Houdini-like they vanished into the ocean depths, leaving no sign of their presence whatsoever. Devastation for us boat based creatures, until WHOOSH – an extremely loud grunt, a stream of vapour and whale song right next to the boat. The songs were complex and beautiful, almost eerie with their haunting lingering squeaks and groans, clicks and moans. Humpbacks, it seems, are the most vocal of all whales and they should make a best selling CD.

So if you want theatre, a concert, a spectacle and the experience of one of the greatest shows on earth this weekend – book a whale watching extravaganza. You are likely to see Southern Right Whales (more common than humpbacks) or Bryde’s Whales. You will definitely see African penguins and Cape Fur Seals. If you are lucky you may also see bottlenose dolphins for all these creatures have chosen the Cape Point Route as home.

For more information on whale watching or activities in the area, and where to eat or stay, visit www.capepointroute.co.za or call: 021 782 9356

Whale Watching Boat Trips

Other Boat and Water Excursions
Drumbeat Charters – Seal Island, Hout Bay
Hooked on Africa Fishing Charters - Hout Bay
Bugaloo Adventures – Hout Bay
Apex Shark Expeditions –Simon’s Town
Simon’s Town Sea Kayaking

Top Whale viewing spots:
Chapman’s Peak Drive
Scarborough
Cape Point
Boulders Beach – Simon’s Town
Fish Hoek Beach or Jagers Walk
Boyes Drive – Kalk Bay
Top Whale spotting Restaurants: Harbour House – Kalk Bay
Fish Hoek Galley – Fish Hoek
Flukes Restaurant – Glencairn
Boulders Beach Restaurant – Simon’s Town
Two Oceans Restaurant – Cape Point

Watering Holes on the Water along the Cape Point Route

Where in the world can you have drinks with penguins followed by wine on the seashore? Why the Cape Point Route of course, writes Sally Grierson.

The beautiful stretch of the Cape Peninsula from Hout Bay to Cape Point and up the False Bay Coastline to Muizenberg has a generous serving of 6 venues on the waters edge, chilled drinking bars with good beer, fine wine and classic cocktails.

Our selection of watering holes on the seashore – with not a road nor a building between you and the ocean include the long standing Brass Bell in Kalk Bay where waves quite literally can add salt to your tequila. Also in Kalk Bay is the thriving threesome of Harbour House, Live Bait and Polana at the harbour which combine drinking with dining, a bohemian buzz and a chance to mix with some Z-list celebrities. Cape to Cuba around the corner has some of the finest cocktails on the peninsula and all the décor is for sale! Klipkantien is a secret gem for those elusive cocktails. For a more sophisticated wine experience try Winesense on the Main Rd or for stunning Kalk Bay views try Acanthus, which is also popular for functions.

Fish Hoek Galley, although more of a restaurant than a watering hole, is on Fish Hoek Beach and well worth a stop in the day or evening especially if you love long walks on the beach followed by a place to rest your feet and get a drink. They have a fabulous wine list and some less common liqueurs to investigate.

For good ol’ fashioned pubs that serve a fine pint – try the Boer and Brit in Kommetjie, Victorian Times in Fish Hoek, the Lord Nelson’s Inn or the “2 & 6” in Simon’s Town. The Southern Right Hotel in Glencairn has a warm friendly pub- aptly named the Blowhole Bar. Right next door is the sports bar Embargos which features regular live music, pool tables and all the big screen sporting action. This is the late night dance venue of the Cape Peninsula.

Seaforth Restaurant and Boulders Beach Restaurant in Simon’s Town give you the chance to sip cocktails whilst being amused by the antics of the African penguins that chose this stretch of coastline as home. Check the latest events calendars for the Seaforth Saturday Social with live music and a dinner dance.

If you are looking for sensational sunsets and a beach view with a rustic atmosphere, when investing in social lubricants then look no further than the quaint treetop pub at Monkey Valley Resort in Noordhoek. Another popular and rustic Noordhoek watering hole is the Red Herring – refreshingly laid back and you’ll hang with the hippies and the surfers of the ‘hood.

The Lookout Deck at Hout Bay Harbour is another chilled drinking bar and restaurant, amid some buzzing evenings with live music on the open deck. It’s definitely worth getting there in time for sundowners. Hout Bay also features Dunes at the Beach, a fabulous barefoot beach bar where you can bring the kids, and the Workshop which claims to be the smallest pub in Africa until proven otherwise!

So if you need a drink away from the city centre crowds then get down to the Cape Point Route. There’s a chance to meet individuals with characters as big as the Cullinan diamond, and the stories are cocktails of people and places – past, present and future. Meander south for the most beautiful and natural social gathering oases, drinks and a whole lot of atmosphere and fun.

For more information on bars, nightclubs, restaurants, things to do and places to stay please visit www.capepointroute.co.za or call 021 782 9346.

A Family Affair on the Cape Point Route....

Finding sand and sea is not normally a difficult task for vacationers. However finding the right beach can be a little trickier so here are some insider tips for your family beach holiday on the Cape Point Route.

With 18 accessible beaches along the coastline of the Cape Point Route, what better way is there to relax?

Where shall we start now? What about Boulders Beach, voted best family beach in the world by the UK Telegraph in March 2007, hardly surprising considering the safe swimming, beautiful setting amongst granite boulders and of course the opportunity to swim with penguins.

Fish Hoek beach is the ultimate family friendly beach with a wide swathe of sand for frisbee, beach bats or kite flying with a gentle swell for the kids to body board and swim, a playground and the Fish Hoek Galley restaurant right on the beach for ice creams, kid friendly meals and plenty of choices for the adults.

Hout Bay beach is a real family favourite. The waves break quite far out so there is a gentle current and the beach is perfect for paddling, strolling or building sandcastles. Drive over Chapman’s Peak Drive to Noordhoek’s Long Beach which stretches for eight kilometers. It’s the longest widest stretch of pure white sand on the whole Cape Point Route and wonderful for long walks, horse rides and sundowner drinks.

Turn a trip to Cape Point into a family day out with swimming in the tidal pools at Bordjiesdrif or Buffels Bay tidal pools before or after a ride in the Flying Dutchman funicular and lunch at the Two Oceans Restaurant.

The beach at Kalk Bay is sandy, but it is the fishing harbour here that will enthrall the kids. It is fun to stroll along the Main Street of Kalk Bay, with its long row of fun shops and restaurants and end up at St James- a family beach characterized with brightly coloured bathing houses and a safe tidal pool with interesting rock pools on either side.


Muizenberg Beach has warm swimming water with hard flat sand and moderately sized waves, hence its fame as a surfing hotspot for beginners. There is lots of parking, entertainment on the pavilion, refreshment kiosks along the elevated promenade and change rooms, toilets and showers. The beach goes on forever and a great spot for kids.

Cape Point Route invites you to come and play and stay. Visit www.capepointroute.co.za for more activities, restaurants and places to stay in the Cape Peninsula. And please remember your sunscreen!

Best Family Beach Restaurants:
Fish Hoek Galley – Fish Hoek
Flukes – Glencairn
Boulders Beach Restaurant – Simon’s Town
Camel Rock Restaurant - Scarborough
Dunes – Hout Bay
Mariners Wharf – Hout Bay

Best Family Beach Activities:
Surfing at Muizenberg Beach
Sea kayaking in Simon’s Town
Cape Point Boat trip from Simon’s Town
Horse riding on Noordhoek Beach
Seal Island Boat trips from Hout Bay

A bike made for 2...

Why hire a car when you can reminisce about the good old days of travel by enjoying the Cape Point Route in a vintage sidecar?

The saying goes “it’s the journey that counts, not the destination”. To this we can add “it’s the transport that makes the journey”.

And one of the best modes of transport is by vintage motorbike and sidecar. This sedate form of transport will give you celebrity status and the drives around the Cape Point Route are best experienced by the sights, sounds and smells of traveling in an open vehicle.

If ever there is a reason to take the long route, Boyes Drive is it. The road cuts a path on the mountainside above the towns of Muizenberg, St. James and Kalk Bay, with most of the drive above human settlement. By sidecar the route is best enjoyed if traveling from the Muizenberg side as the sidecar is on the left and the passenger is lower than the motorcycle rider. There are spectacular views of False Bay you won’t want to miss with numerous places to stop. Look out for the shark spotters on the road and the hardy surfers balancing on the waves below you.

As you descend into Kalk Bay you will be sure to get a friendly thumbs-up and countless waves from the passing traffic as they marvel at this old-style form of transport. The traditional route to Cape Point travels through Fish Hoek and Simon’s Town towards the the gate at Cape Point and although the journey is mind blowingly beautiful with mountains on your right and ocean to your left, we recommend trying the Red Hill Route.

Turn right up Red Hill just before Simon’s Town. It’s quite a steep climb but there is a fabulous look out spot which is well worth the stop if only to enjoy the spectacular view of Simon’s Town and the naval dockyard. About 1 km further on is a sign indicating the grave of Just Nuisance (a famous Great Dane dog in the SA Navy). Once you cross over the ridge you’ll have some hairpin bends on the descent to the Atlantic seaboard. Look out for the curio menagerie at the road junction where the road forks – left to the Cape Point Nature Reserve and right to Scarborough, Kommetjie and Noordhoek.

Both directions have their own variations of breathtaking ocean scenery and each village has a pearly beach with its own pocket of solitude and unique character. If you stop for lunch rest assured that your “Victorian lady” sidecar will bring the locals out to talk.

Natural beauty is reason enough to journey on the Cape Point Route, with a mountaineous national park framed by the Atlantic and Indian Oceans in a picture perfect image.

For more information on attractions, activities, restaurants and places to stay on the Cape Point Route please visit: www.capepointroute.co.za

More Romance on the Cape Point Route....

If a destination wedding is on your agenda, then look no further than Villa St James for an elegant, intimate wedding. This gracious historical national monument offers comfort and style with the option of an outdoor ceremony and indoor dinner/dance reception. Hovering over False Bay and surrounded by the healing union of mountain and sea, Villa St James is a perfect location for your marriage rites. Villa St James has an in-house wedding co-ordinator to ensure all your needs are met, taking the stress out of planning and leaving you free to enjoy your special day with family and loved ones. The wedding party can easily be accommodated on-site in the 10luxury rooms.

Penguins have often been associated with love and with the largest land based colony of African Penguins in the world, there is hardly a more romantic spot on the Cape Point Route than Boulders Beach. Penguins are monogamous and a pair will mate for life usually returning to the same nesting site each year. It is hardly surprising that this fact is very popular with the wedding guests at Boulders Beach Lodge. Romance seems to be permanently in the water and the Lodge boasts more than 50 weddings and engagements on the premises. They also claim the birth of 2 babies but they aren’t revealing how many conceptions. Boulders Beach Lodge offers beach-style rooms and a superb restaurant on-site; much loved for its open deck. In addition to the delectable Pacific Rim cuisine produced by their Australian chef, it is a wonderful place to sip cocktails and we think it is the best place to watch the moonrise!

There is something about the interaction of food, romance and travel that shows all three to their best advantage. The local Italian may be fine to commemorate a significant event but it does not hold the allure of a flickering candle at a luxuriously decadent private table with an ocean view. Add a personal chef, a master wine collection and sommelier over a time zone or two and the combination gives you an occasion never to be forgotten. Rodwell House is shameless in its’ extravagance with exceptional attention to detail from linen, table and glassware to ambience, music, flowers, lighting, wine, food, rooms, amenities and service. And need we mention location? Rodwell House is pure poetry for lovers.

If Rodwell House is poetry then Afton Grove Country Retreat in Noordhoek is literature. Afton Grove is not a fictitious tale of mysterious events set in a distant time or place. Afton is an artistic work of class and style with no need for speculation. The tale is set in a peaceful two acre garden surrounding a sparkling swimming pool. The magnificent honeymoon suite is indeed private, providing a cocoon for you and your loved one. In one worry-free night the hero and heroine of this story are restored to the days when dating was romantic and courting was exciting. Intimacy flows easily through Afton Grove’s pages and spontaneous gestures of love are demonstrated at every turn. This is an epic story of reconnecting with a loved one in an extended voyage of romance.

For more info, contact Cape Point Route on 021 782 9356 or visit our website www.capepointroute.co.za

Romance on the Cape Point Route....

It’s time to fall in love again! There are defining moments in any couples’ shared history that are deposited into the memory banks of the duo to be withdrawn, transferred or recounted over the years. Often those defining moments are heightened by a travel experience. A romantic destination can leave you with the sense of freedom, joy and adventure and leave all your senses intoxicated with just being alive. Love can create the same sensation. We invite you to fall in love with the Cape Point Route and fall in love with your partner.

The Cape Point Route is an idyllic distance from central Cape Town. It starts in Hout Bay on the Atlantic Coast, meanders down to Cape Point and gently ascends up the western coastline of False Bay to Muizenberg, through quaint seaside villages. Two coastlines frame the mountain range situated within a national park. If your version of a romantic tryst is a secluded beach with a cozy lodging or an indulgent spa followed by a candlelit dinner or even a picnic in the mountains with a glass of bubbly, then the Cape Point Route will have something for you.

The Cape Point Route offers couples the opportunity to escape from the mundane reality of daily living. With wide open spaces, ocean views and an abundance of beaches, this is the stuff of romantic dreams. Whether you are new lovers or married with kids in desperate need to squeeze in a romantic rendezvous, there are options of luxury accommodation to small self catering beach shacks. And while booking a night at a local establishment may not seem as exotic as a trip to a Caribbean Island, heading around the corner for a break is hard to beat. It doesn’t take as long to get there, it’s less expensive and all you need is an overnight bag. Once you have arrived everything is taken care of for you.

Take 4 star Tranquility Guest house in Fish Hoek for example. Tell Ron and Gill about your getaway and you will be indulged with rose petals and candles, candle-lit bubble baths and twinkling lights across the valley from your en-suite luxury room with private deck. The rooms are set high in the sky and a Jacuzzi under the stars is a perfect ingredient for romance. The garden roses in cut glass vases will catch first light as the sun rises across False Bay. Fruit platters and home cooked breakfasts are part of their speciality as food is a passion at Tranquility and attention to detail their gift. The tranquility is addictive and special occasions their delight. Ask about their honeymoon packages, anniversary or birthday celebrations, high teas or the exclusivity of a small wedding venue.

For more romance ideas on the Cape Point Route, contact us on 021 782 9356 or visit our website www.capepointroute.co.za

More top attractions on the Cape Point Route....

What attracts many visitors to the Cape Point Route is the relaxed country feel where children play outdoors, dogs bound along the beaches and residents adhere to a wholesome organic lifestyle. Amazingly this area is only 20 minutes from Cape Town city centre and half an hour from Cape Town International Airport – yet it seems worlds away from the cosmopolitan city buzz.

Getting out of the comfort zone at Noordhoek Farm Village does not lead to distress though. One of the regions attractions is the plethora of artistic types, many of whom have shops and galleries scattered around the peninsula. Hunting for unique arts and crafts will require a full day of exploration and your shopping bags will be as full as the memory stick on your camera. Kalk Bay on the False Bay coastline is a trendy little fishing village where fishermen mingle with savvy shoppers. Bohemian artists have coffee with sun-kissed surfers. The main street is like finding a pirates treasure cargo, without having to plunder and pillage the high seas. Much of the action in this attractive town is centred around the harbour, particularly when the brightly coloured fishing boats bring in their haul. Local fisherman auction off their catch of the day as if they were the leading stars of a Broadway Musical. Mind you it is worth investigating the latest stage production at the intimate and interactive Kalk Bay Theatre whilst you are in the neighbourhood.

Rising up from Kalk Bay and each town on the Cape Point Route are mountains.
With two coastlines sweeping the edges of a national park, the Cape Point Route is a hiker’s paradise with adventure at every turn. The Cape Peninsula region has hiking options to suit all tastes and fitness levels. The range of trails takes you through a botanical treasure trove of unspoilt views. Set out on coastal walks, beach strolls, wetland wanderings, boulder scrambles, river rambles, bumpy mountains, secret caves, lofty peaks and even steep cliffside ascents. You’re sure to get maximum return for minimum effort and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why hiking is one of the major attractions of the area.

But one of the main reasons that people are attracted to the Cape Point Route are the 18 accessible beaches. White sandy beaches with crystal blue waters set against a backdrop of mountains. From secluded romantic coves to long expanses of seemingly endless sand- there is a beach for every visitor. Around every mountain curve another beach comes into view and what is a holiday without good beach access! Lazy beaches with time to work on your tan and read a book; beaches for building sandcastles and flying kites; beaches for snorkeling and body boarding; beaches to play Frisbee; beaches to kayak and surf from; beaches to dive off; beaches to horse ride on…the list is infinite.

If you are the type of person with an open mind, a desire to explore, have the ability to laugh out loud and the capacity to be rendered speechless by beauty then the Cape Point Route is a holiday destination that was created for you. The major attractions are easily accessible, yet provide encounters that are exceptional in their uniqueness. What’s more any visitor will discover some extraordinary surprises along the way. Taking the road less traveled and a little longer to smell the proverbial roses will be a priceless discovery. With a vast array of restaurants and accommodation establishments on the Cape Point Route it is well worth planning a longer visit.

Noordhoek Farm Village epitomizes the way of life on the Cape Point Route - children are welcomed and provisions made for their entertainment with a secure playground and regular children’s activities. Scarecrows at the entrance may keep the birds away from the organic nursery but they invite everyone else in with a warm welcome. The village nestles under grand old oak trees, and friends commonly meet for stimulating conversation under the shady boughs. Shoppers browse for gifts and clothing and buy candy the old-fashioned way. Don’t be fooled by the laid back atmosphere though – the artists and galleries are cutting edge and all three restaurants are ranked in the top 800 in South Africa. The Foodbarn has gained particular attention due to the culinary skills of Chef Franck Dangeraux. He gave up the world of Haute Cuisine to bring fine dining back to the streets and you’ll be hard pressed to find better quality at better value. Café Roux and The Toad are equally renowned, the former for its South African dishes with a twist and the latter for its eisbein & Sunday roasts! Guests who stay at De Noordhoek hotel in the village grounds are spoilt for choice and have a tendency to linger longer.

Chapmans Peak Drive is more than an iconic Cape Town road. It has gained global status as one of the great drives on the planet. Although it is only 9 kilometres long, it manages to pack in 114 curves as it cuts through an almost vertical cliff. To get the most out of your trip pull over frequently and marvel how the jagged mountains plunge down into the pounding surf. The rocks have been shaped by the elements and are richly coloured for spectacular photography particularly in the glow of an evening sunset.

Call the local area experts on 021 782 9356 for more information or assistance with bookings. Or visit the website: www.capepointroute.co.za