I’ve just returned from two dreamy weeks in Bali and while leaving a holiday and an exciting new place behind is always so hard, it’s made easier by the fact that I get to come home to one of the most wonderful cities in the world. A city that thousands of tourists flock to every single summer. A city with white sandy beaches, turquoise waters, gigantic mountains, jaw-dropping views and mad delicious restaurants. A city that I never want to take for granted.
Cape Town in summer is a magical place and this summer, I intend to spend every sunny minute looking at my city through the eyes of a tourist. The same eyes I used to look at Bali. This summer, instead of living like a local (ie. trying to miss the traffic and stay off the busiest beaches), I’m going to live like a tourist. Or like a tourist with an awesome local guide. Cause I’m not going to miss out on the fact that I basically live in a holiday destination. Not this summer.
I’ve put together a list of the top 5 things I want to do in my city this summer. It’s a working list, so please feel free to share your suggestions in the comments. It would be so cool to know what you think makes this city a great place for tourists (and locals) in the summertime.
*Since I’ve never done any of the things on my list, I’ve used some beautiful Instagram posts by other people in this post. Click through to their profiles to give them a follow! I don’t take any credit for any of these pictures – they’re serving as my inspiration. If any of the pictures belong to you and you’d prefer not to have them featured here, please just pop me a mail on [email protected] and I’ll remove them 🙂
My Cape Town Summer Wish List 2016
1. Spend A Weekend On The Kraalbaai Houseboats
Did you know that about 90 minutes from Cape Town you can stay on a houseboat in one of the most beautiful lagoons your eyes will ever see? Probably not, cause it’s basically a secret! I definitely want to spend a weekend chilling, swimming and tanning on one of the Kraalbaai Houseboats in the Langebaan Lagoon. I mean, it literally looks like a different country!
2. Get Away For A Stanford Weekend
The quaint town of Stanford reminds me of what I think The Hamptons look like – based purely on what I’ve seen of the Hamptons on TV and in movies. Whitewashed clapboard holiday houses on a beautiful Coca-Cola coloured river, country hotels and kitchens… I’m definitely planning a summer weekend of braaiing, sitting around the fireplace and floating along the river with my friends.
3. Hike Up To Wally’s Cave
I’ve never been up to this iconic view point and that makes me feel ashamed to call myself Capetonian. This summer I’m taking a wedge of cheese and a bottle of Chardonnay up to take a picture in Cape Town’s most Instagrammed cave.
4. Swim In The Crystal Pools
I’ve only ever heard about these magical pools out past Gordon’s Bay, but the tales are enough to make me want to see them for myself. From what I’ve heard, it’s a bit of a hike, but it only takes about an hour to get there, and then of course you can cool off in one of nature’s swimming pools.
5. Host A Clifton Yacht Party
This is something I’ve been dying to do for a while. Spend the day cruising the coast on a yacht, stopping off at Clifton for icy dips and a braai on the boat. Could I be more “summer in Cape Town” right now?
What do you think? Are you keen to be a tourist in your city this summer? If you’re all fired up to head to Cape Town these holidays, and you’re looking for Gordons Bay, Stanford or Camps Bay accommodation, check out AccommoDirect.com.
I’d love to know what your plans are for living it up in your home town!
*This post was brought to you by Accommodation Direct, a booking website with 20,000 listings in 2,000 locations with 10,000 reviews.
5 comments
Crystal pools and wallys cave are both a must! Love kraalbaai, everyone from Cape Town always wants to know where I went for the pics from there and can’t believe it’s in SA ??☺️ Also you guys need to hike up little lions head with us if you haven’t done it before. The views are beyond amazing!
This looks like a summer of dreams… Can I come?? 😉
Brilliant! I love playing tourist in this town and you’ve pinned down so many amazing things I still need to do.
I recently hiked up to Wally’s cave and was utterly surprised that I missed the path all those times I hiked up Lion’s head!!
Kraalbaai is beautiful indeed!!
Love the way you’ve compiled this post with inspiration from Instagram etc. Have you had a chance to do any of these things yet? xxx