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Edgy boutiques. Independent galleries. Forward-thinking restaurants, each more innovative than the last. There’s never been a better time to visit the South African city. More: http://tandl.me/18epond
West Quay Ro. Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, iKapa, Western Cape
Hotel · Cape Town CBD - Foreshore · 18 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Located on a private quay, Cape Grace is a magnet for Hollywood royalty. Rooms are done up with botanical prints, iron lamps, and whimsical chandeliers made from dangling delft saucers.
Travel + Leisure: You’ll find plenty of discreet charm at this Edwardian, mountainside retreat overlooking the Atlantic, whose patios look out onto terraced gardens. Tour the hotel’s art gallery, built into the bluff.
38 Kensington Crescent Higgovale, iKapa, Western Cape
Hotel · Gardens · 3 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Interiors at this eight-room town house in the foothills of Table Mountain are ultracontemporary (slick leather sofas; hot-pink pillows), with tasteful accents such as original South African artwork.
76 Orange St, Gardens, Gardens, Gardens, Western Cape
Hotel · 61 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Updated Oasis wing rooms, decked out in plush red sofas and paintings by local artists, have given the storied hotel new life. Chef-led tours bring guests to the coast to forage for the night’s meal.
Hotel · Cape Town CBD - Foreshore · 38 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: The postcard-perfect views of Table Mountain and Adam Tihany–designed rooms (bright geometric textiles; parquet flooring; freestanding soaking tubs) have made this V&A Waterfront hotel a new favorite.
cnr Wale & St George Mall (Adderley St), iKapa, Western Cape
Hotel · Cape Town CBD - Foreshore · 30 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Old meets new at the Taj: elegant Heritage rooms—tufted headboards; original mullioned windows—in two restored landmark buildings offset the more modern Tower wing, with its private balconies.
Travel + Leisure: At this 1970's-inspired hotel in leafy Green Point, vintage Polaroid cameras and Panasonic Toot-a-Loop radios line the hallways while rooms are decorated in mod egg chairs and shag rugs.
Café · Cape Town CBD - Foreshore · 44 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Equal parts men’s outfitter, motorcycle shop, café, and bar, House of Machines caters to various whims (and tastes). Try one of the small-batch bourbons, then shop for a pair of house-brand jeans.
Uncategorized · Cape Town CBD - Foreshore · 2 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Come here for a carefully chosen selection of feminine-yet-sophisticated women’s wear and accessories by emerging South Africa–based designers including Coppelia, Margot Molyneux, and Selfi.
Travel + Leisure: The rustic-chic local housewares shop is an aspiring decorator’s dream. You can find everything from textured ceramics to ribbons, natural soaps, and vintage porcelain tea sets.
Travel + Leisure: You’re unlikely to leave this jewelry boutique empty-handed. Philippa Green and Ida Elsje turn out avant-garde treasures—embellished cuffs; rings with diamonds floating in resin—that make a statement.
Travel + Leisure: Woodstock’s first art space showcases the city’s newest generation of contemporary artists. The highlights: exhibitions by local painters and global talents including renowned illustrator Olaf Hajek.
Travel + Leisure: The former Methodist church was a shelter for anti-apartheid protesters during the Sixth Municipal District’s 1960’s fallout. Today, the museum hosts a range of works, from photos to living documents.
Table Mountain Rd (Kloof Nek Rd), iKapa, Western Cape
National Park · Table Mountain · 118 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Cape Town’s landmark Table Mountain, a 10-minute ride from downtown, is named for its distinctive flat top. An aerial cableway whisks sightseers to unbeatable views of Cape Peninsula and beyond.
Steakhouse · Cape Town CBD - Foreshore · 42 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: No one braais (grills) better than this locavore steak house (the meats are sourced from owner Giorgio Nava’s ranch in the Karoo). Try the free-range lamb or the 24-month-aged, grass-fed sirloin.
Travel + Leisure: The ocean-facing tables and outdoor cabanas at this beachside hangout are perennially packed with stylish Capetonians. What to order: café classics such as smoked-trout salad and flatbread pizzas.
Travel + Leisure: On Saturday mornings, pick up pastries, coffee, and crêpes at this collection of high-end artisanal food stalls in Woodstock, then grab a seat at one of the communal wooden tables.
Tapas Restaurant · Woodstock · 83 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: An airy dining room filled with contemporary art sets the backdrop for chef-owner Luke Dale-Robert's creative dishes, prepared in an open kitchen. Get the pork belly with red cabbage and apple slaw.
Round House Road (Kloof Road), iKapa, Western Cape
African Restaurant · 35 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: The draw of this onetime Dutch East India Company guardhouse? An artful six-course tasting menu (rib eye topped with onion petals; beet carpaccio served with pickled eggplant and shimeji mushrooms).
The Old Biscuit Mill, 375 Albert Road, iKapa, Western Cape
Restaurant · Woodstock · 55 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: At Pot Luck Club & Gallery’s older sister, ingredients are pickled and poached to intensify their essence, while dishes are presented in unexpected ways—like biltong topped with plum-cured foie gras.
Travel + Leisure: Twenty minutes south of the city, the 450-acre Groot Constantia is one of the country’s oldest wine estates, known for its high-quality red blends.
Travel + Leisure: Find this farm just outside the historic town of Paarl; book a private tasting of the winery’s single-vineyard bottlings paired with Fairview’s own goat-milk cheeses.
Nature Preserve · Cape of Good Hope · 47 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: You’ll pass Boulders Beach, home to a colony of African penguins, before reaching the Cape of Good Hope nature reserve. The view from one of the peninsula’s highest points is unparalleled.
Travel + Leisure: A scenic, cliff-hugging drive leads to this picturesque harborside town. Stop by the late-19th-century Chapmans Peak Hotel for lunch and order the fried calamari.
Travel + Leisure: This seaside village outside central Cape Town draws urbanites seeking a quiet weekend escape. Stroll the boardwalk that runs along the beach—if it’s windy, you’ll have only kitesurfers for company.
Café · Cape Town CBD - Foreshore · 58 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Head here for a weekday brunch, where chef Jacques Erasmus combines seasonal and classic ingredients like salmon with daikon radish. The freshly squeezed fruit juices served in tall jars are a must.