Julie

The African penguins that can be found on Boulders Beach near Simon’s Town, are a popular attraction for visitors to South Africa. The Boulders Penguin Colony was founded when a pair of African penguins were spotted on Boulders Beach in 1983, today there are around 1000 breeding pairs in residence at this sanctuary. These penguins were commonly referred to as “jackass penguins” due to the braying noise they make. The African Penguin has been registered as an endangered species since…

For our first dinner in Cape Town we both wanted to eat early and fancied seafood. After getting wet exploring the V&A Waterfront in the rain, we took shelter inside the Belgian speciality restaurant, Den Anker, which was conveniently on the quayside only a stone’s throw from our hotel. We didn’t have a reservation and the restaurant had a busy evening ahead of them, thankfully they took pity on us and offered us a table next to the fireplace. Having…

The Bay Hotel enjoys an unrivalled position directly on a beachfront promenade. This stylish hotel is at home in the affluent suburb of Camps Bay, 9,5km away from the V&A Waterfront and Cape Town city centre. The hotel’s 78 rooms have a selection of sea view, pool view and mountain view rooms, which every way you look it’s impressive. The Twelve Apostles rise majestically behind the hotel for mountain views, pool view rooms on the side of the hotel also…

The 4* picturesque thatched Le Franschhoek Hotel was perfect for our two night stay in the Cape Winelands. Situated 5km outside the village, this wasn’t a problem for us with a hire car, if you’re not driving, the hotel run a courtesy transfer to the village a few times a day, or their concierge offers a private return transfer for R120 per couple. We booked a standard room and was allocated number 16, which was nestled under the thatch. Our…

We drove through the spectacular Franschhoek pass to drop down to the Indian Ocean coast and town of Hermanus. Walker Bay is one of the top 12 places in the world to observe whales, this huge bay has been declared as a whale sanctuary and stretches from Hermanus to Gansbaai. We parked on the cliffs and wandered along the footpath, searching the surface of the sea for any sign of whale activity. June is early in the season and sadly…

We had originally set out to find a good meat restaurant within walking distance of our hotel for our second evening in Cape Town. However, when we spotted Bukhara with their Indian and Asian menu combination, we decided the chance of a good curry was too good to ignore. Bukhara’s concept was to set a new standard for Indian cuisine in South Africa, their large restaurant at the V&A Waterfront oozes opulence with three large dining rooms overlooking the harbour.…

We wanted to stay in the V&A Waterfront area of Cape Town for our first 2 nights in South Africa and chose the Victoria & Alfred Hotel for our accommodation. This hotel has 94 bedrooms and is right on the waterfront, situated next to the food market, a shopping mall on the doorstep and within a stroll of 80 restaurants, a perfect location for us. We booked a loft room and was allocated no 305, which would have had a…