Cape Town, South Africa

“Three Days!?”

“That’s an awfully long way for three days?”

“Is it safe?”

“Why?!”

These were the common responses I got after telling my friends and family that I had, spontaneously one December evening, booked a trip to South Africa. These shocked and concerned reactions were interspersed between words of excitement, encouragement and promises being made that I must send them photos and tell them all about it during and after my trip.

Three days - Yes. A long way - I know… my Sporacle World Countries quiz score is impressive. Safe - I believe so. Why - because I can.

With almost fifty countries under my belt, I can confidently say I know myself when I travel and when I solo travel. Three full days was more than enough to tick off the big items on my list, not go mad or bored only talking to myself for days on end, and not long enough to get myself into any mischief.

I took a night flight from Gatwick on Norse airlines. The new budget long-haul airline which compared to its short-haul cousins, was a very pleasant experience. The flight was on time, journey smooth, and for £600 it was hard to resist the spontaneous purchase. Being only three days I only needed cabin luggage which came included as standard in the ticket price. I made all the classic budget selections - random seat selection, check, no food purchased, check, no additional luggage, check.

I am of the fortunate group that can sleep well on planes, trains and automobiles. A long car nap? YES PLEASE, it will likely be the best sleep I’ve had a weeks. So the night flight worked for me and meant I landed at 10am in Cape Town International and ready to hit the group running. One draw back of travelling from London in January to Cape Town, weather. I boarded my flight in full winter attire; jeans, thermal long sleeve top (thank you Uniqlo), jumper, puffy coat, hat, scarf AND gloves. I can assure you I was ready for the -1c weather in London. That same outfit was not ready for the weather in Cape Town.

Upon landing, our delightful captain chirped from the cock pit that it was 31c and clear sunny skies. After 11 hours and this heat, I needed a shower and an outfit change urgently.

Cape Town immigration and airport was short and sweet. Passport stamped and car rental collected in less than 45 minutes. I love when that happens. Traipsing through the airport then through the underpass to get to my car in the almost midday heat was not so loveable but my car air-con was in touching distance. British drivers you may rejoice, in South Africa you drive on the left! Easy. Peasy. Not so easy-peasy was the interior, centre console and driving of my Nissan was giving early 00s or later. More on my car troubles later.

A short 30 minute drive on the M2 to the Waterfront I arrived at my hotel. Actually, apart-hotel. The Exhibition recently opened and interestingly is co-owned by Casper Lee, former Youtuber of the 2010s. Four nights, three day at just over £300 was steal. The interiors are modern and warm, and immaculately clean. The property boasts a large lounge, and eating/working area, pool table and small pool although it’s the size just for cooling off in than laps. If you’re 6 feet or above you’d likely be able to stretch length ways and touch the sides or rest our feet on the edge. My room was spacious with a double bed, two large wardrobes and small but well organised bathroom. The air-con was on at a cool 21 degrees and I immediately dumped my bags and jumped into the shower to wash of the flight. Clean and refreshed, I walked down the road to the V&A Waterfront, stopping off to pick up a gelato from Moro which was conveniently two minutes from the hotel, who could resist?

Two scoops of tiramisu and marchese gelato in hand I strolled towards the water on the hunt for proper food. The waterfront was busy with tourists and locals alike. The entire front was filled with people and music; a jazz competition was going on in the main square and a stage had been erected for the event, there was also a local children’s choir performing outside. You could hear them before you saw them, their grounded harmonising voices carrying through the buildings and it was irresistible not be drawn towards them in an undeniable gravitational pull.

I have a soft spot for choirs. It may be because I grew up in choirs myself or that I just love choral music in it’s many forms. The sound strikes me right in my soul, and often brings me to tears. Cheesy? Yes, but at this point in life it’s involuntary and I don’t mind. It reminds me I’m alive. After a pause to watch them leaving with a feeling as if the spirits of Cape Town had officially greeted me I sought out some much needed food.

Lunch was had at the Time Out Market. I’d come across their markets in various locations while on my travels such as in Lisbon but this was in fact my first time eating at one of them. I may have eaten are large part of my body weight in sushi from Sushiya; one prawn roll, 5 piece sashimi, and two open temaki rolls. At £27 it was rather heafty but I enjoyed every bit. The fish was fresh, the sashimi was so tender it melted away with little effort. The temaki’s were surprisingly large so made for a generous portion that could have fed two but happily fed one hungry Natalie.

I love food markets or just eating in business restaurants. It gives me the opportunity to people watch; a husband dancing his way back to his wife and in-laws while balancing large bowls of ramen and fortunately not spilling them, group of teens searching for food and sauntering around in the way teenagers do when they get to go out sans-parents and feel like adults when they have no clue that they are still just wee babies, a couple arm in arm deciding what wine to order from the bar and enjoying their time together and the odd person looking at me as I shovel a massive amounts of food I’ve ordered. What a joy!

I spent the rest of my afternoon at the tour of Robbens Island. Tours run three times a day and I took the last your of the day with the ferry (included in the ticket price) departing later than usual at 3.40pm. The island is quite a way off from the main land, and took around 30 minutes. We boarded buses which took us around the various prisons; individual and the maximum security block. It was a fascinating and also heartbreaking tour. Some of the former political prisoners that spent time there now live there and act as tour guides which brought their experiences to life. It’s incredibly sad but the strength the human spirit was strong among them. We got to see the jails of the political party leaders including the cell of Nelson Mandela which was incredibly special and humbling to be able to visit. For anyone interested in history and also to better understand South Africa, it’s an essential

I would return to the market later that evening to try a flight of bao from How Now Bao after my excursion to Robbens Island, where I would end up talking to two couples from Eastbourne (of all places). One of the two men was engrossed in the football game being shown and I got talking to one of the couple; what airlines we took, how long we’d been here and for how long we’d be in South Africa etc. Their daughter had visited previously and they had come themselves on her recommendation. They were truly lovely, and after I’d finished my chicken, beef and aubergine mini bao (when ordering choose a full sized chicken bao, it was the best of the bunch) , wished me a good rest of my trip and implored that I took care and got back to my hotel safely. Parent habits die hard it seems. I genuinely appreciated it though. After what felt like the longest day, I returned back to my hotel, in the dark (sorry mum), and put myself to bed.

Monday morning I drove down the road to Sea Point to Jarryd’s. I love brunch. I am an olympic champion, black executive card holding member of the brunch fandom. To any chefs reading this, I’m sorry. I know it’s the worst service of the week but I’m a sucker for french toast, or shakshuka at 10am on a Saturday. Forgive me.

Jarryd’s interior is beautiful; ceiling fans dreamily spin over our heads, leather booths, classic french bistro chairs, windows opened up so the the outside seamlessly flows through to the inside. Summer is truly in full swing here with everyone one in shorts, flowing dresses, caps and airy shirts and sunglasses. Brunch was sugar heavy; a tiramisu iced coffee and an apple pie french toast. Unfortunately, the ice coffee was just that with a piece of coffee cake on top. Visually intriguing but a bit of a mess to enjoy. The french toast was cold and unexpectedly dry. If I’d had more time I’d like to go back and try something else as it may not be their strongest dish and I suspect the food is better than what I experienced on this occasion.

One of the things on the long list of things I love about travelling is the quirks you discover about a new place. I discovered one while finding a parking place on by the sea. In most places in Cape Town and even other neighbouring towns parking is free unless it’s in an actual car park. You do need to tip the car guards but for 50 Rand, it’s nothing to complain about. The quirk I discovered was that when you park you must face your car in the direction of the flow of traffic. Helpfully a man called out to me to say “you’ll get fined!” while pointing at my car. I didn’t understand at first, and he explained my car was facing the wrong way! I thanked him, jumped back into the car and did a swift three point turn/parallel park combo and spun my car the correct way round.

Monday was a heavy driving day. On the agenda: Cape of Good Hope, Boulder’s Beach and Chapmans Peak. An approximately three hour round trip without stops for fuel, lunch, trail walks and sight seeing. Frankly, my car was horrendous. It’s argueable the worst car I’ve ever driven in my over a decade of driving. The car I learnt to drive in was far better than my rubbish bag Nissan. It hated every gear, it hated pulling off, breaking, changing gear, going fast, going slow and stalled numerous times. I had to fight the gear shift every time and the wheel was so sensitive I probably could have driven using one finger on each hand - I didn’t. I would have stormed back to Sixt and demanded a different car because how this car was a 2025 registration could not be true. It drove like an old banger by someone who treated the clutch like they ran into their cheating ex-boyfriend. There was no USB port but a cigarette lighter. A radio that couldn’t even pick up the local city radio without some serious static. So, navigating and having some music off my phone was quite the challenge over the three days. The best part? When my wifi connection dropped out in the Cape of Good Hope, my phone got over heated and restarted itself several times. Thankfully at Cape Point, just 10 minutes up the road the restaurant had free wifi, allowing me to load my route back to the city on Google Maps.

The drive down to the Cape of Good Hope is great fun. In addition to the stunning scenery; the mountain backdrop to the Atlantic sea, there is wildlife all around. Baboons were all over the road just after Boulder’s Beach and halted traffic in both directions as they took no notice of us and played and had family time. Noval road signs to a Brit that warned drivers of “Penguin crossing”, and seals lounging stinkingly at the Waterfront. To think I was within an hour of a major city and seeing all this wildlife was astounding and exciting.

The Table Mountain National Park contains Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point and is worth a visit despite the ticket price which for international visitors are charged five times as much as locals in most places in the area but you need to stay long and I don’t many people do. I did two short walks, one to a scenic view point at the Cape of Good Hope, and the walk up to the Lighthouse at Cape Point. Alternatively there is a funicular up to the lighthouse but if you’re able, just walk it. The path is solid (not a dirt trail or rocky) and the views are worth it.

Boulder’s beach is cute. If you’re keen on swimming, and don’t mind paying the fee it’s a lovely family friendly beach and you might get the penguins coming by to say hello. If you’re interested in just viewing the wild African penguins, swing left at the first ticket office and walk along the boardwalk to the penguin viewing entrance. Yes, you have to pay to get in. Honestly, it was worth it to watch the penguins for a while as they mill around, swim or just nap on the beach. They are adorable in every way.

An unexpected surprise was Simon’s Town which sits on the route between Boulder’s Beach and on your way to Chapman’s Peak if you’re driving North away from the Cape. A quaint beach town with Edwardian and Victorian style buildings along the main street. With more time I would have loved to have had a long lunch here and explore the various shops. Another time, I hope.

In another act of South African kindness, a cafe let me use their wifi in order to once again load my map on the promise I’d purchase a coffee. Map reloaded and one delicious hazelnut iced coffee in hand I continued back North and towards to my final hit of the day, Chapman’s Peak. I love road trips. I’ve done a handful now and have been the driver for almost all of them; Iceland, Scotland, West Canada, these stunning countries have treated me to some breathtaking scenery and incredible stretches of road that make your heart soar. Chapman’s Peak was recommended as another of these great drives and it was beautiful. You do have to pay a toll to access it but I’d argue it’s worth it to drive along it as the sun sets on the West side of the peninsula. The only negative, I wish it’d it was longer.

The drive back into Cape Town took me past the Twelve Apostles. One thing that struck me about Cape Town is the vegetation. There are so many trees of different varieties, flowers and flower bushes throwing colour at our from every direction even in the middle of the motorway. It’s vibrant and lush and honestly, a little magical. After parking up back at the hotel, and emptying the contents of my glove box that had become a temporary rubbish bin and another quick change, I marched to the Seven Colour Eatery. I tried their “ Seven Colours Plate” where I was initally presented with a large board where you chose a carb, protein and it all comes with selection of vegetable sides. I chose the Ujeqe, a traditional South African steamed bread, and Isityu Senkomo, a beef stew, and my god was it delicious. The beef tasted like a combination of two dishes from my mum’s home country. It had the earth-ness of the oxtail dish she makes and a dish called Calderata. The beef from the Eatery was deep, with a sauce that was rich and oily (not greasy). If we were in a fancy french place it would likely be described as jus or the yummiest sauce you get from a slow and lovingly made casserole.

The beef was pefectly tender with the odd potato and carrot tucked between the meat in the bowl. I loved the buns, thank god there were two. Soft with a perfect chew that hinted at spongey but this was perfect for absorbing the beef sauce. Now, as a vegetable over fruit fan, the sides were rather exciting. Colour by name, colour by the plate, It was a mini rainbow of food. Greens, a curry-type spiced bean dish, beetroot and what I think may have been a kolrabi and apple slaw. As we’d say in my family, I gobbled it up. If you’re in Cape Town, go here. GO. HERE. No negotiations on this.

I enjoyed the last of the evening sunshine strolling from the restaurant westward back into the waterfront and enjoying a view of Table Top mountain with a tablecloth on it i.e. a flat cloud formation on the top that makes it looks like a cloth is draped over it. It was.beautiful sight to end my penultimate day.

On my final full day, the order of the day was taking it slow and easy. The hatred for the Nissan had not subsided and the rev counter felt my growing impatience. Anyway, I nipped into Woodstock to check out the Old Biscuit Mill. The Mill has a market larger market on the weekend but as it was a Tuesday it was the permeant shops that were open. I got there early hoping to find a good spot for some breakfast. I parked on the road, and ran into the courier shop and asked one of the lady’s one, if it was free to park (it was and she’d make sure to keep an eye on my car, what a sweetie) and two, where she would recommend for good coffee. One word, Espresso. The lady was right on the money with this one. Their menu has some unique combinations that I’ve not seen before. They have the trendy, of the moment, flavours like turmeric and pistachio but there were two that I was keen to try; one with green tahini and one with sesame oil. They were out of stock of tahini but recommended the latter which was called “Sim Sim”. It’s likely the most unique coffee I’ve ever had. First, the coffee itself was excellent. The addition of the sesame oil added, an admittedly strong, savoury flavour of sesame. As someone who likes sesame it was an incredibly enjoyable experience. I paired my sesame coffee with one of their chocolate covered madeleines which has pansies inlaid on the top. So beautiful and adorable!

It was about 10.30am when I sat down to have my grown-up breakfast of coffee and a madeline (it’s on of those moments where you know you’re an adult and have free will when you have cake for breakfast).

It was another day of a clear blue sky, the day was just warming up and it was me, the sounds of a practically empty Mill and the shop owners opening up their shop fronts, starting their day and greeting their neighbours. I had a few voice notes from my friends which I caught up on and I slowly nibbled away at my cake and sipped my coffee in the morning sunshine. It was a perfect moment. Everything in my world just so. Everyone happy, no stress, nothing to worry about except what I would do after the last dregs of my coffee were put away.

There is a quote from a film I like that goes like this, “in a week, or a lifetime…you may only get one moment. One moment, when you're not tied up in a relationship with anyone. A parent, a pet, a sibling, a friend. One moment, when you stand on your own. Really, truly single. And then it's gone." It’s said in the context of relationships, romantic or other, but for me the sentiment applies to life generally. As an adult we have so many plates to spin; our various relationships, career, hobbies, health, money, responsibilities, which all demand something from us. Sometimes one time demands more than the others, and the other times it seems like everything and everyone needs you. At one point in December I felt like I needed to split myself into four. I was being torn in different directions that all required the same amount of focus and attention. Frankly, at moments during that period if felt crushing. You’re desperately trying to keep a hold of the reins, while the horses charge off at full speed and are threatening to pull off in opposite directions. I got through it, however, the peace and pleasure of that moment at the Mill is one I will try to remember to revisit from time to time, and hope to have more of, where, for an all too ever short a moment in time, everything in the world is good.

Boschendal, Franschoek. One of the most beautiful places in the world. An hour drive East of Cape Town, you hit the wine regions. You pass numerous wineries and I chose to spend the rest of my day at Boschendal. Established in 1685, the ethos and vision of the estate focuses on a regenerative way of farming and implementing sustainable practises. The entrance is breathtaking with a long driveway lined with purple aliums and then trees and hydrangea bushes everywhere. It was lush and green and with the summer African breeze rushing through it was a truly stunning setting for the afternoon. T he estate boasts several tasting rooms, a bar, three restaurants, a farm shop, horse riding, picnic lunches and more. I started with a wine tasting overlooking the vegetable gardens and with a stunning view of the mountains.

The Appelation Series with Cheese Pairing offered tasting of four wines; Elgin Savuignon Blanc, Elgin Chardonney, Elgin Pinot Noir and Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon. The cheese board included some mild cheese, blueberries, stawberries, and preserved melon, mixed nuts and honey which all paired beautifully with all four wines. The Chardonney was my favorite, with the two white wines being my preferred over the reds which was surprising as I’m of a red wine girl. The Elgin bottles are grapes in the cooler sections of the estate, giving them that lighter and fresher taste compared to the Stellenbosch where the vines are exposed to more intense sun and heat giving it that richer colour and deeper colour.

After stroll around the grounds, where I came across their event space call the Olive Press which would be beautiful for a reception or party, I headed to the picnic collection area. I had booked this ahead and you can choose a table or blanket option. The blanket picnic does have these floor seat things that have backs which looked very comfortable actually but I wanted a table since I was dining solo.

The picnic was huge for one person, and I have no complaints about the generous amount of food. There were four courses. A starter of trout pattie and butter to have with the thyme crisps, blueberry focaccia and/or the small baguette. Next was a small “charcuterie” course with biltong, some dried sausage and South African cheese that I’d had earlier. Main course was roasted chicken with a watermelon salad and potatoes. Now the salad said ti had cucumber but I think this was missing which was rather sad. There was a lot of chicken so again a generation portion. I was surprised by how good the combination of chicken and melon was (mix of watermelon, cantelope and honey dew). Dessert was a homemade pasteis de nata, a favourite of mine so that was thrilling, and some home made marshmallows. I was stuffed! Well worth the money and a gorgeous setting to enjoy it in. You can stay at the property and I’m totally jealous of anyone who does as it must be the dreamiest of experiences staying there. I visited the farm shop to buy some treats to take back to the UK for loved ones. If I had checked luggage I would have bought a lot more but liquid restrictions meant dry good only. Enter that shop at your peril, your bank account will take a, worthwhile, hit. Sun-kissed, wine buzzy and full of food I got a car back to the city and prepared for my flight home early the next morning. A final trip into Woolworths for some more treats for friends and a stop at How's Your Oni? for my dinner. It was a panko prawn onigri and a side of edamame since I know you’re asking!

By 7pm GMT on Wednesday evening I was back in cold and grey UK. I felt like Cinderella at midnight I had poofed back to reality; my sunny streamed carriage was now the Tube, and my sandals were back to trainers and the days before felt like a dream. What a dreamy dream it was though!

Cape Town is stunning. Capetonian’s are extraordinarily kind and warm - I don’t think I’ve met more openly nice and welcoming people as I have than in Cape Town. South Africa, and Cape Town specifically has catapulted itself into my top five.

Safety-wise, I felt no different to any other place even as a solo female traveller. I didn’t take any risk and I stayed in tourist hot spots. I have felt far more unsafe elsewhere like Morocco, so I don’t have any reservations from the trip. I’d go back in a heart-beat and love to stay longer next time. You could easily spend two weeks here or longer and not be bored.

There are some final and serious observations I would like to make. Beyond the sheen of the city it is true that security and safety is a concern. Barded wire atop gates and properties are fenced off, this was true of my hotel too. There are cctv cameras and security systems every where, including on homes. There are shanty town between the city and the airport and poverty is prevalent with people begging between cars at traffic lights. Also, all service workers are black. I don’t think I saw one waiter or cleaner that was white. It gave me pause for sure. I’m not educated on the subject enough to comment and I’m aware of and have seen similar happen in wealthier countries and cities like Singapore and Dubai, but I would feel guilty for not mentioning it since I had noticed it, and to acknowledge my privilege to be able to fly across the World on a whim.

That said, Cape Town, you took my breath away, and also put breath back into my soul. Cape Town, thank you. I will be back.