3 Days in Cape Town

The Mother City of South Africa does not disappoint.

As we drive from the airport to our extremely cosy AirBnB apartment, we spot something unique. On multiple traffic signs are small red hearts. More so, in multiple, random but in plain sight locations in the city is the same symbol: a red heart.

From the moment we spotted the first one to our last drive back to the airport, we felt an intense sense of endearment and love for the city. This ‘feel-good’ experience is all thanks to a little unambiguous symbol that represents love.

Cape Town is all of that!

In this post, we are going to tell you about the places we love, the best eateries you will fall in-love with and things to do that’ll make you feel good in the Mother City.

Photo by Nicole Honeywill on Unsplash

Where to Stay:
Atlanticview Cape Town Boutique Hotel
A five Star Hotel and if you can splurge, splurge here! The view is well worth it – especially for whale watchers and the service, second to none. There are two infinity pools. Wait! What? TWO?! That’s right.
The Granddaddy Hotel:
Price range: €80 – €200 season dependent.
Cape Town’s most unique and fun hotel to stay. Don’t worry – Grandpa will have fun too 😊. Stay on the Rooftop in your own unique trailer with Table Mountain in the background – it’s a trailer park on the roof! Say no more! AirBnB: Unwind in this rustic apartment
AirBnB: Absorb the sea view from this luxury Mediterranean style villa

The Secret Love Project

The secret love project was created (2014) by Michael Elion, a South African artist. It was designed to spread love all over the word. A social experiment exploring how symbols like a heart activate our shared consciousness and influence our behavior.

Well, it works! Driving through Cape Town, feeling love all around with the one you love boosts our mood and makes us happy. Every person we encountered was kindhearted and friendly.

The project is completely non-profit and underprivileged people are given free heart stickers to sell and keep the all proceeds. Not only is love spread all over, but a whole community of people are supported through love. This constant collaborative exchange over the city is heart warming and Cape Town definitely stole our hearts.

Photo by Arno Smit
Photo by Ken Treloar
Photo by Arno Smit

Feel good – What to do:
Look out for the heart symbol and buy a sticker for your car, fridge or laptop,
Great White Cage Diving – something for wild hearts and daredevils. We can highly recommend Gansbaai or Mosselbay for this experience,
Climb Table mountain hand-in-hand to watch the sun go down with a glass of fizz – the perfect date. Alternatively, go up the mountain by Cable car – we say; do both.
Visit Robben Island and learn about life behind bars for former President Nelson Mandela,
Shop and experience the V&A Waterfront markets: there are two markets, the V&A Waterfront market, popular for street food stalls and the Orangezicht Farmers market (Saturdays in Granger bay).

Three Days in the Mother City

After getting settled in the apartment, we grabbed our swim gear and head straight to Camps bay beach. We have never felt the Atlantic so cold – not even in Ireland.

Nevertheless, nothing was going to stop us from plunging in getting our swimwear filled with sand with every wave break. It was refreshingly wonderful! We played in the sea, bought an African painting from a painter and savoured cocktails at Chinchilla Rooftop bar.

Tired of swimming, we decide to explore Table Mountain. We are avid hikers and the obvious choice is to hike up. The 2.5 hour Platteklip Gorge trail got us up just in time to watch the sunset. This is the easiest, most direct and popular route based on the amount of hikers we met along the way. Everyone is extremely friendly – especially the locals.

**Tip: It does not cost anything to climb Table Mountain. The cable car is an excellent and fun alternative way to get up. We paid approximately €20 pp for tickets, down.

Photo by Agnieszka Kowalczyk

Alternative Hiking Routes:
Skeleton Gorge to Table Mountain Summit – Unbelievable beautiful through an indigenous jungle.
12 Apostles to Table mountain Summit
India Venster (Window) – the best city and sea views of all the trails.

After a pace-y climb and ease coming down by cable car, we realised our mouths were a little dry. So we hit the closest cocktail bar on Camps bay beach.

Eateries you will fall in love with:
Bilboa: Mediterranean inspired with uninterrupted views of the Atlantic ocean. Absolutely delicious food options for both veggie and meat lovers.
Chinchilla: Superb rooftop cocktail bar, perfect for sundowners. This place is highly recommended and very popular. So, book in advance.
Fire Fish: Located in the V&A Waterfront. Exceptionally fresh seafood. Pricey.
Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel: The best afternoon tea Cape Town has to offer.