Kris McIntyre explores cooking tours, chic spas and tented restaurants (with optional tattoos) in Cape Town.

Touted as one of the world’s new hip cities, Cape Town is without doubt one of the most beautiful. Despite it’s tumultuous history and South Africa’s uncertain future, Cape Town knows how to show visitors a good time. Blessed with a spectacular coastline, a Mediterranean-style climate, great restaurants and a vibrant nightlife, the city has become a favourite summer playground for European holidaymakers and the recent onset of international moviemakers. The diverse mix of race, religion and culture, combined with the laid-back nature of Capetonians, make this an exciting place to visit. Here’s a quick guide to the best it has to offer …

Where to Stay

Luxury-seekers should try The 12 Apostles, Victoria Road, Camps www.12apostleshotel.com which offers a stunning location away from the hustle and bustle of town. Rooms from approximately R3120-R4059. Closer to town, the Cape Grace Hotel, West Quay Road, V&A www.capegrace.com offers 5-star luxury with views of the harbour, marina and Table Mountain and a great day spa. Approximately R2952-3652. Marina Residential, V&A www.mountainmarina.co.za offers luxury apartments within walking distance of the V&A Waterfront and CBD from around R1980-R3520. In Constancia Winelands, Cellars-Hohenort, 93 Brommersvlei Road, Constantia (www.cellars-hohenort.com) is a luxury manor with stunning mountain views adjacent to Kirstenbosch gardens. Rooms from R1800.

If you’re on a budget … Try Ashanti Lodge, 11 Hof Street, Gardens www.ashanti.co.za which offers backpacker and guesthouse accommodation in a gorgeous Afro-Victorian mansion close to Tamboerskloof’s trendy Kloof Street. Single rooms from around R220.

Cape Town in Close-Up

An adventure to the top of Cape Town’s famous landmark, Table Mountain, offers stunning views of the city and surrounding Peninsula. Catch the cable car or if you have the time and the energy take one of the many walking trails up the mountain. For those interested in learning about the Mountain’s sacred sites and spiritual significance visit http://www.sunpath.co.za.

Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens (telephone 762 0687) is one of the great garden wonders of the world with 528 hectares of beautiful gardens, indigenous plants and a traditional medicine garden set against the backdrop of Table Mountain. If you visit during summer, get along to the outdoor music concert series.

Andulela Tours at www.andulela.com offers great cultural tours including the Cape Malay Cooking Tour (held every Saturday 10am-2pm) – a fun way to explore the colourful houses and cobbled streets of the Bo-Kaap region whilst learning about the history, food and religion of Cape Malay culture. The Khayleitsha Township Tour is a safe way to explore Cape Town’s informal settlements and see the impact of life before and after apartheid, visits to community projects, the chance meet the locals and buy traditional art and craft.

In Stellenbosch winelands, Spier www.spier.co.za offers a blend of South Africa’s raw cultural diversity mixed with European-style sophistication. The Estate includes Moyo restaurant, a boutique hotel, wine centre, equestrian centre, 18-hole golf course, an exquisite day spa and wildlife encounters through its Cheetah and Eagle Outreach programs.

Drive to Cape Point along the Atlantic Seaboard via Hout Bay and Chapman’s Peak for breathtaking sea views. Return along the Indian Ocean route taking in Simon’s Town (famed for it’s penguin colony), Kalk Bay and Constantia vineyards to complete a circuit of the spectacular Cape Peninsula.

Eating in Cape Town

If you want something unique, consider Moyo at Spier Estate, Stellenbosch.In this spectacular outdoor restaurant, you’ll eat out under Arabian style tents or in treetop platforms whilst being entertained by face painters, henna tattoo artists and African singing and dancing. Open for lunch and dinner daily. Back in town, try the iconic Madame Zingara, 192 Loop Street, Cape Town. It specialises in Italian flavours, but it is the flair for the unusual, such as chocolate chilli beef fillet, that makes the cuisine as memorable as the Moroccan-meets-gypsy-magic atmosphere. Open for dinner, Mon-Sat.

If you want a fancy restaurant, consider Constantia Uitsig, Spaanschemat River Road, Constantia which offers an award-winning dining experience in the Constantia Wine Estate. Open for lunch and dinner daily.

Casual eating can be found at Lola’s, 228 Long Street, Cape Town which offers great vegetarian food, good coffee and intriguing people watching at the hip Tamboerskloof end of Long Street – but hold onto your handbag! Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. At Olympic Café & Deli, 134 Main Road, Kalk Bay the relaxed bohemian ambience and hearty food at this seaside café have patrons queuing on weekends. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

Cape Town Coffee/Bars

Vida e Caffé www.caffe.co.za) Finding a decent coffee in Cape Town can be a challenge, but here you get consistently good coffee served with a funky vibe and a big African smile. Central locations open 7am until 5pm daily.

The Bascule Bar at the Cape Grace Hotel has outdoor tables overlooking the Waterfront Marina against the backdrop of Table Mountain. Inside, there are cosy couches, a great wine list and the largest whiskey collection in the Southern Hemisphere. Open 9am-2am, daily.

The Sundowners are great at Camps Bay. Victoria Parade is brimming with flash spots including Café Caprice, Paranga, Café del Mar and Blues, to sip on a cocktail, ogle at the beautiful people and enjoy the view.

Want some nightlife? Try Rhodes House, 60 Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town.This is a sophisticated nightspot where locals and international visitors (including movie stars) chill out to live music and hip DJs. Open Thursday and Saturday nights from 10pm.

Shopping in Cape Town

The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront has more than 400 retailers including international and local designers (try Sun Goddess and Woolworths for African flair) restaurants, cafes and bars, cinemas, art galleries. Shopping at the V&A Waterfront is a lively buzz of cosmopolitan African culture. It’s also worth visiting the tourist information centre at the Clock Tower. Open from 9am-9pm daily.

Green Market Square’s open-air stalls offer great shopping for clothing, African arts and crafts, drums and carvings. Surrounded by cafes and antique shops, this historic site also marks the abolition of slavery in 1834 and where Nelson Mandela gave his first public address after his release from prison in 1990. Flanked by trendy real estate, cafes and nightclubs, in De Waterkant you’ll discover exclusive art galleries, antiques, furniture and home wares, most with a hefty price tag. For a little more relaxed and rustic shopping scene, the quaint seaside village of Kalk Bay on the Indian Ocean seaboard is lined with cute clothing shops, collectibles and eateries including the famous Brass Bell pub and restaurant.

Traffic light shopping is part of life in Cape Town. You don’t need to get out of your car to buy, as many of the quaint beaded animals and carved wooden sculptures that make great gifts and souvenirs can be picked up from street vendors at the ‘robots’ (traffic lights) for a fraction of the cost you’d pay in a retail shop – and it’s a fun way to interact with the locals.

Fast Facts

Visit www.tourismcapetown.co.za for more information. South African Airways operates flights between Cape Town and Johannesburg International Airport every day. Public transport is limited, so it’s worth hiring a car or booking a driver through your hotel.