Latest news with #TableMountain
Mail & Guardian
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Mail & Guardian
What makes a building memorable long after the paint dries?
Imagine 17!: Not all architecture is appealing, such as the Disa Towers in front of Table Mountain. But even these buildings invoke people's memories. Photo: Supplied Everyone remembers the corridors of their school and the distinct smell of specific classrooms. If you've ever been divorced, I am certain you will never forget those cold courtroom walls as you went in to finalise the legal process. It's hard to forget the home where your baby took her very first steps. And one cannot possibly erase the feeling of time spent within hospital walls, where the happiest of hellos and hardest of goodbyes intertwine. Buildings shape us and live inside us as the years go by. Cities with their people and properties evolve through human stories. South Africa, with its rich layers, contradictions, and painfully beautiful potential, is bursting with spaces that people have emotionally connected with for centuries. As I stood inside a heritage building last week at a property launch, I was reminded of just how many of Cape Town's buildings are not just structures but characters in the city's ever-evolving plot. I looked at the 120-year-old solid, bulky wooden beams above me and admired the original sun-dried brick walls —almost two centuries of history right at my very feet. And now, this building will receive a new lease on life as she enters her new chapter. She will become a modern apartment block. The developer will combine the old with the new, transforming this heritage building into something inspiring. They will incorporate modern, contemporary design, all the while maintaining the extraordinary façade with its vintage architectural charm. Have you ever sat and thought about the buildings in our cities and how they came to be? Let's take those three tall towers (known affectionately by Capetonians as the Tampon Towers) perched awkwardly at the base of the Mother City's iconic Table Mountain. I have tweeted a lot about these pepper pots, and the general consensus is that people either really love or really hate the towers. This controversial trio of architecture, officially known as Disa Park, is situated in Vredehoek, Cape Town. Big and brutalist in look and feel, it was designed by the architectural firm Bergamasco, Duncan & James. The towers were cylindrical in shape to withstand the strong Cape Town winds that are experienced in this section of Vredehoek. Some see them as charming reminders of youthful independence: their first-ever student digs, where they shaped the early days of their lives. Even today, those who live there love the towers' close proximity to nature trails and the cosmopolitan vibe of the Mother City. Others view them as visual intrusions on one of the world's natural wonders. Some of my Twitter, now X, followers have said the building sways when gale-force winds blow, and sometimes, a window or two has blown out. Did you know that the original plan was to build 17 of these towers at the base of Table Mountain? And have you ever wondered why three towers of this size were allowed to be built this high and so close to the base of Table Mountain? There is, of course, a fascinating story behind all of my above questions. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, Cape Town was dealing with a 'white housing' shortage under apartheid. More housing needed to be built specifically in areas designated for white residents. In an effort to speed up construction and encourage development, the government suspended many building restrictions and relaxed zoning regulations in white group areas. Developers took full advantage and started building much taller buildings than was previously allowed. Cape Town then experienced a surge in high-rise developments. Murray & Roberts, the company behind the construction of Disa Towers, found a loophole. They built the base of the towers just below the legal development line at the foot of Table Mountain, then went upward. They were able to bypass height restrictions legally, and technically. Thankfully, only three towers were built, namely: Blinkwater, Platteklip and Silverstroom. Construction was completed in 1969. Each one has 18 storeys and is 54.86m high. The diameter of each tower is 24.384m. Amenities include a tennis court, squash court, swimming pool and braai area. With a total of 287 apartments and 340 parking bays, the cost to build this development at the time was R3 million. The third tower took just 63 days to build. If only we could close a pothole in record-breaking times such as this. And what was the monthly rent for an apartment in Disa Towers back then? R55 to R160 a month. This rate included water and electricity. The son of the National Party finance minister at the time — Nico Diederichs — was a junior partner in the company that developed Disa Park. The conspiracists say his involvement could have also contributed to these controversial towers being built at this location. Today, those towers remind us of a complicated era — one where architectural ambition often trumped environmental and social ethics. But they also reflect how policy shapes our skylines, for better or worse. Other notable buildings built during this cowboy period of development include Blouberg Heights, an extremely tall block that stands out like a sore thumb in the coastal suburb's landscape. Blouberg Heights, built in the 1970s, is 17 storeys high and is on Sir David Baird Drive in Bloubergstrand, Cape Town. It is the only building of its kind in this area, as other structures are much lower. Gardens Centre Tower is on Mill Street and Upper Buitenkant Street, Gardens, Cape Town. It was also built in the 1970s during this era of the 'white housing' crisis. It was completed in 1973, measuring 81m with 22 floors. This erf was once the home of the International Hotel before it was transformed into a residential tower with a shopping centre component. Last, the well-known Twin Towers in Sea Point were also built during this period of relaxed regulation. These two identical towers are right next to each other on Beach Road. All this was done in the name of alleviating the housing shortage for the white people, who were the only ones permitted to live in these areas. It's crazy to think that these developments were all built as a solution to a housing crisis at the time, yet their effect on the Cape Town skyline will be experienced by so many generations to come. They've left a significant imprint on the city's urban history. Perhaps they are a fundamental lesson for us all when it comes to the sustainability and essence of urban planning and design. Not all buildings are pretty. Not all histories are happy. But they all deserve to be heard. The concrete and steel don't just support floors. They support stories. They tell us who we were, how we lived, and if we're paying attention, what we should carry forward. Sometimes in our rush to innovate, we forget to anchor. We want smarter buildings, ROI, the latest tech and green ratings. Buildings shouldn't only help us move forward; they should also help us look back. Urban development should always listen to a place's heartbeat before changing its face. In the end, people don't remember square metres. They remember how a place made them feel. How a room held their joy or sorrow. How a view reminded them of something they'd forgotten. Ask Ash examines South Africa's property, architecture and living spaces. Continue the conversation with her on email (
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Poirot's on his hols, but all we get is a dreary lecture on the evils of empire: CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews last night's TV
Travels With Agatha Christie & Sir David Suchet (More4) Sir David Suchet on a surfboard is quite the mental image. In a striped 1920s bathing costume, the great thespian would be a picture of Hercule Poirot on his holidays. But as the first episode of his Travels With Agatha Christie (More4) took him to Cape Town, the producers fluffed this glorious opportunity. Instead, they obliged him to embark on a dreary circuit of apologies for Britain's heinous imperial past. Sir David, who played the pompous little Belgian detective for 25 years on ITV, was eager to trace Dame Agatha's footsteps around southern Africa. In 1922, she accompanied her husband Archie on a world tour, to champion the forthcoming British Empire Exhibition in London. Her first crime novel, The Mysterious Affair At Styles, had just been published, and Mrs Christie was eagerly soaking up atmosphere for her story The Man In The Brown Suit. On the voyage to the Cape, she took her notebooks and typewriter, and was inspired to send her heroine Anne Beddingfeld on the same sea journey — beset by spies, murderers and jewel thieves, of course. Like Agatha, in Cape Town the actor marvelled at Table Mountain: 'It's as though someone's come along with a big knife and just taken the top right off.' But he ignored the coastline, and with it the chance to inject some real fun into this travelogue. Agatha was fascinated, she wrote, by the 'perfectly entrancing bathing . . . people had short curved boards and came floating in on the waves. 'Surfing looks perfectly easy. It isn't. I got very angry and fairly hurled my plank from me. Nevertheless, I would not be beaten. Quite by mistake I got a good run on my board, and came out delirious with happiness. Surfing is like that. You are either vigorously cursing or else you are idiotically pleased with yourself.' We learned none of this from Sir David, who trundled off instead for a series of lectures on how ghastly the 19th-century diamond tycoon Cecil Rhodes was. Three activists introduced themselves as the founders of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign, which succeeded in getting a statue of the former prime minister of the Cape Colony torn down — sparking a brief fad for statue toppling in Britain, too. Later, he visited Rhodes's home (where he admired a granite bathtub), a diamond workshop (where he admired a hefty sparkler) and Rhodes's grave in Zimbabwe's Matobo National Park (where he admired the view). This trivial tone rather undermined the lectures on injustices inflicted by the British Empire. Anne Beddingfeld, in The Man In The Brown Suit, does actually visit the grave, which means Agatha must also have seen it. Bizarrely, the documentary didn't mention this. By now, the author's travels had been relegated to a footnote in a biography of Rhodes — a man she never met. Sir David did take a moment, though, to buy a wooden giraffe from a stall. Agatha Christie had one just like it, apparently.
The National
19-05-2025
- The National
One&Only Cape Town hotel review: Five-star service and Table Mountain views
Towering over the Mother City's Victoria and Albert Waterfront neighbourhood, One&Only Cape Town is an urban resort that boasts Table Mountain as a backdrop and some of the city's most popular attractions as neighbours. Opened in 2009, this five-star retreat was One&Only's first luxury city resort and has recently undergone a modern makeover with refreshed guest rooms and a renovated island-located spa. The National checks in to see what travellers can expect from the South African outpost of the Dubai-born hotel brand. Arriving at Cape Town airport, I am met by Loveness, a woman whose name fits her friendly persona, and whisked through the terminal to my car. A half-hour ride to One&Only Cape Town offers a first glimpse of the Mother City, my equally friendly driver pointing out all the landmarks to help get my bearings. Upon reaching the Victoria and Albert Waterfront, the car swings into a tree-lined courtyard where One&Only Cape Town is located, right on the marina. Consisting of a crescent-shaped, seven-storey hotel building and a cluster of accommodation and facilities spread across a man-made island, the hotel has been welcoming guests for 16 years. Despite an early arrival, my room is ready and a friendly member of staff escorts me out of the hotel and across the bridge to the island. Many of the hotel's rooms offer fantastic views over the city, but to guarantee such vistas the lower-level island-located accommodation should be avoided. It is better known for easy access to the garden, pool and waterways. Right outside the hotel is one of Cape Town's most popular neighbourhoods, where travellers can visit the Two Oceans Aquarium, spot sea lions lounging under the boardwalk and pick up locally designed crafts in the bustling Watershed. At weekends, the Oranjezicht Market is buzzing and art aficionados will be impressed by the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, just a short walk away. After settling in, I head out to explore and am immediately struck by the dramatic views of Table Mountain from Vista Bar and Lounge, just off the hotel reception. This is the perfect spot for people-watching, high-tea and sundowners, each framed by one of the world's seven natural wonders. The island features a watering-hole-shaped swimming pool with pockets of privacy, stylish sun loungers and safari-printed fabrics billowing from the cabanas. The renovated spa, themed around constellations and guarded by silver springbok sculpture fountains, offers vitality pools, aroma-filled steam rooms and a cosy relaxation area with an impressive spread of treats, including carrot cake, kombucha and macarons. My island superior room impresses with its spaciousness, spreading out over 73 square metres and consisting of an open-plan bedroom, lounge area, dressing room and roomy bathroom. Recently renovated with a natural palette, the rooms subtly incorporate South African elements through bespoke soft furnishings, ostrich-feather crafts and African fertility dolls as do-not-disturb signs. The well-stocked mini bar includes complimentary crunchies or traditional South African oatmeal cookie bars. One&Only standards are maintained with fluffy white towels, a spacious soaking tub, and Charlotte Rhys toiletries which seems to be the South African brand of choice for most upscale hotels in the city. My balcony provides a peaceful retreat overlooking the waterside. A standout feature, the service is faultless. Staff are quick to greet guests with a wide smile and warm heart. Many remember names and faces, adding a personal touch without being overbearing. Dining options include coastal Mediterranean fare at Isola; afternoon tea at Vista' Africa's only Nobu restaurant; and the recently renovated Rooi, serving a South African menu influenced by fire. I experience breakfast, where safari-print carpet and wooden antler-shaped chairs set the scene against white tablecloths and green accents that complement the surrounding foliage. The breakfast menu ($33 for non-residents) includes classic egg dishes, vegan options, a children's menu, and an 'only local' selection. I choose the Bhisto & Avocado on Rye and tuck into feta and creamy avocado on butternut hummus smothered in a spicy tomato and onion relish that hails from the Eastern Cape. There's also an extensive buffet offering everything from gluten-free pastries to freshly shucked oysters. My excellent Espa massage is delivered by a therapist who has magical hands. Followed by a dip in the vitality plunge pool and some post-treatment indulgence, it is a delight. Being able to step out of the resort right into one of Cape Town's best neighbourhoods is also fantastic. While some guests will appreciate the privacy of the man-made island, others might prefer a room in the main hotel building, where bars and restaurants are located directly downstairs to avoid feeling far away from the action. The Cape Town Canal Cruise has a stop on the waterways at One&Only Cape Town. It's the ideal way to enjoy a spot of sightseeing, with a 20-minute journey that winds down towards the central business district and allows guests to hop on and hop off at will. While this hotel might not overtly showcase South African design, it offers a luxury haven on Cape Town's waterfront with impeccable service and an enviable setting within walking distance of the Mother City's most popular landmarks. Rooms start from $913 per night, excluding taxes. Check-in from 2pm; checkout is at 11am, which is standard across the city. This review was conducted at the invitation of the resort and reflects standards during this time. Services may change in the future
The Sun
16-05-2025
- The Sun
World's cheapest long haul holiday is perfect for families – with no jet lag, jaw-dropping animals and perfect beaches
HEADING back along the dusty track towards our cottage, we gaze at the darkening sky, so clear it's littered with twinkling stars. Suddenly, a rustle in the bushes ahead makes us stop still. 7 7 7 Two beady eyes emerge, followed by a set of stripey legs slowly plodding on to the trail in front of us. 'There are some zebras on the path,' my partner whispers. Not your usual walk home, but that's South Africa for you. This is a country so packed with wildlife that it is not uncommon to see exotic creatures such as baboons and ostriches feeding at the side of the road, or taking an evening stroll in front of your hotel room. Luckily, zebras are a gentle breed and the ones we encountered seemed entirely disinterested as we weaved around them to our cottage. It was a typical evening on our two-week road trip through Cape Town this Easter, a first proper bucket-list holiday with our six-year-old. We flew on Norse Atlantic Airways, the affordable airline whose budget prices meant we could fly Premium Economy on our overnight flight and stand a decent chance of getting some sleep. Everything in Cape Town is so accessible that we landed at 8.30am, got our hire car, checked into the hotel and were on the glorious Camps Bay beach in swimsuits by 11.30am. Camps Bay suburb feels like a cross between Cannes and a fancy California town, with its white sandy beach, backdrop of Table Mountain and smart restaurants lining the beachfront. Seals swimming Better still, the one-hour time difference meant we had no jet lag, so we could get stuck in straight away without the need to sleep it off. The famous mountain was the first adventure spot on our list. And it made for a great family day out thanks to the rotating gondolas that slowly spin to offer panoramic views on the ascent to the top. Best Value Winter Sun Long Haul Destinations You will also see plenty of cute dassies (a type of large rabbit, native to these parts) that can be spotted scurrying across the rocky landscapes or munching on plants. Once there, the flatness of the peak meant there was a vast area to explore, with circular two-hour hikes across the top. Easter is a great time to visit, because that's Cape Town's autumn, meaning it is relatively crowd-free at this time, with 20C to 29C temperatures. The next stop on our road adventure was Kalk Bay, a cute little boho town where ramshackle restaurants and hippy boutiques line the seafront. At the town's upmarket Harbour House restaurant, we dined on seafood and good wine for the price of a Pizza Hut meal in the UK — all while watching seals swimming in the harbour. Our accommodation was the charming Chartfield Guesthouse, staying in a huge two-bedroom apartment. It was bigger than my house back home, and cost only £94 a night. Kalk Bay is a prime spot for visiting the endangered African penguins of neighbouring Simonstown. There must have been around 100 on the town's shoreline, Boulders Beach, when we visited, swimming in the sea, waddling about or protecting their nests. That wasn't our only wildlife encounter in the area, though. Kalk Bay is also close to the 17,300-acre Cape Point Nature Reserve, with its sweeping ocean views and 200ft cliffs, where we spotted ostriches and baboons, among other creatures. Aside from its excellent wildlife, Cape Town is known for one thing: Wine. To sample some of its finest bottles, we headed to the historic town of Stellenbosch, set among the vineyards of the Cape Winelands. Here, we checked into the Evergreen Manor and Spa, a quaint property that felt like the home from the Anne Of Green Gables novel, and an outdoor pool to relax in after a day's wine tasting. Stellenbosch is the perfect base for exploring the region's family- friendly vineyards. We saw whales, sharks, dolphins, penguins and seals on our morning at sea, with our favourites being the bronze whaler shark and colony of Cape fur seals. At the Warwick Wine Estate, we relaxed on the lawn with a gourmet picnic, while my boy was more than content in the playground and water fountain. Another brilliant spot for the whole family was Soetmelksvlei, an immersive farming experience that recreates an 1800s farm, on the grounds of the Babylonstoren wine estate. We sat at the kitchen table of the manor house while the cook rustled up snacks, and learned how the staff churned milk. From here, we made our way to the coastal town of Gansbaai, aka 'great white shark capital of the world', to go on Marine Dynamics' Big 5 Marine Safari. We saw whales, sharks, dolphins, penguins and seals on our morning at sea, with our favourites being the bronze whaler shark and colony of Cape fur seals. The team on board were outstanding, too. I've been on plenty of marine-life spotting trips and never experienced that level of care. 7 7 Our hunt for Africa's animals continued afterwards, with a stay at the De Hoop Nature Reserve, an 84,000-acre area that is home to free-roaming zebras, baboons, ostriches, mongoose and eland. Because of the non-predatory nature of the animals, guests are free to walk among them. Which is how we found ourselves bumping into a dazzle of zebras on our way back from dinner. It was an eventful night. Apparently the baboons also snuck into the restaurant kitchen to steal some bread that evening. Pride of lions We'd already been warned about keeping the windows of our cottage closed when out, as the cheeky primates liked to break in for snacks. I could hardly blame them for wanting to have a nose around. The De Hoop Collection cottage we stayed in was gorgeous — spacious and designed in a country-chic style, all chintz curtains and huge squishy sofas. It was the perfect warm-up for our penultimate destination, where we splurged on a three-night safari at Sanbona Wildlife Reserve. It is one of South Africa's largest privately owned nature reserves, with around 150,000 acres of land and a handful of 5* lodges, as well as the all-important 'big five' — lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino, among others. A whirlwind 14 days with so many memories made, that it felt like five holidays wrapped into one. My favourite wildlife spots had to be a herd of elephants and pride of lions, and both came within a few metres of our safari truck. But we had so many encounters, from giraffes and hippos to Cape buffalo, zebras, springboks and hyenas, that we felt truly spoilt. As we did by the hospitality at Sanbona, where we stayed in the 12-suite Gondwana family lodge. The hours between the morning and evening game drives were spent eating delicious food, sunbathing, swimming in the pool and playing one of the many board games, which are free for guests. Given we had packed so much in, it felt only right to spend our last 36 hours in Cape Town chilling. And there was no better place to do just that than the Radisson Collection Hotel, Waterfront Cape Town, a 5* hotel in a prime coastal spot with far more reasonable rates than most of Europe. Last year, South Africa's tourism minister touted the region as such great value that 'British visitors can afford our 5* hotels'. 7 7 And the city was crowned the world's best-value long-haul destination in the Post Office Travel Money Report. Pitched up on sun loungers, we drank delicious wine — fancy stuff at just £4 a glass — while our son played with the other kids in the infinity pool, as dolphins played in the ocean 20 metres away. If it sounds like the trip was a dream from start to finish, it really was. A whirlwind 14 days with so many memories made, that it felt like five holidays wrapped into one.
Times
10-05-2025
- Times
Yoga, hikes — and wine? This retreat embodies the Cape Town spirit
Outside, the sun is setting behind the silhouette of Cape Town's Table Mountain. I peep from my child's pose on a yoga mat and see my sound bath leader floating around the room, humming in monotone while wafting aromatic oils — made from the local fynbos plant, the Afrikaans word for the type of flora endemic to the Western Cape — and winding a mallet around different-sized metal bowls to make the relaxing sounds. This is not the Cape Town I am used to. Years of visiting South African relatives (my dad grew up here) revolved around braais (barbecues), beers, biltong and body-boarding at the beautiful beaches on the peninsula. But this two-hour after-dinner ritual at my hotel, a sound, breath and meditation 'journey', turns out to be a revelation, setting me up nicely for a fantastic night's sleep — after my turmeric shot, which is waiting for me on my bedside table. I'm staying at Future Found Sanctuary, a wellness-focused escape by the African luxury hotel group Newmark, where the agenda is all about hikes, yoga and good food. It's on a seven-acre estate in Constantia Nek, a low pass in the Table Mountain range, which is contiguous with the nature reserve of the mountain. Future Found is a mile from Hout Bay beach, close to Cape Town's oldest wine estate, Groot Constantia, which dates from 1685, and a short drive from Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. The hotel — with gabled-roof suites on stilts protruding from a main building — blends in with its mountainside location. It feels like a rural retreat, surrounded by trees, but it is also close to the Cape's beaches, cultural activities and a bustling food scene. The hotel, which opened in 2021, started out as the home of Jim Brett, the founder and former CEO of J Crew and Anthropologie. The American businessman stumbled on this haven in 2014 while in search of an escape from a hectic working life, before making it his own and eventually opening it up to the public. As a result the boutiquey accommodation doesn't feel like a typical hotel, and is split into two main villas — Villa Verte (four bedrooms) and Maison Noir (five bedrooms) — as well as two mountain villas, all of which you can book out exclusively or just as individual rooms. Snazzy one-bedroom forest pods are the most recent addition. All are set within luxuriant gardens bursting with succulents and native protea flowers. Brett can occasionally be spotted around the property or chatting to one of the villa's chefs at breakfast. The bold architectural exterior, with its sharp-edged modernist structures, is imposing but somehow has a calming influence — it really shouldn't work but it does. It stands in stark contrast to the surrounding organic gardens, which are filled with vegetables, fruits and granadillas curated by the ex-Kirstenbosch horticulturist Cherise Viljoen. The interiors are just as exquisite, beautifully designed by the Cape Town art gallery Southern Guild. The rooms are flooded with natural light and colourful decorative touches inspired by local artists as well as the Cape's history and diverse culture. Walls and floors are adorned with Brett's impressive collection of modern African art and chandeliers. I am staying in a soothing forest-green double room in Villa Verte, with the gym, yoga studio and spa conveniently beneath. It's homely. Shared living spaces and my own large walk-in wardrobe and in-room study room help, but the fact that there are friendly and attentive staff always on hand makes me feel like a pampered hotel guest. Maison Noir is grander, with a larger pool area, wine cellar, cinema and the main dining room, making for a cosy getaway in the cooler months. Guests can flit between the two shared villas to use the different facilities as and when they like. • Best wildlife to see in South Africa The chef Malika van Reenen and her team prepare breakfasts, lunch and snacks, such as the most divine banana bread, which you could happily munch all afternoon. If you need something to eat to soak up all the South African wine (yes, it's a wellness retreat where wine is not only allowed but encouraged) there are always such favourite local snacks as biltong and Malay-spiced nuts. Lunch is farm-to-fork Ottolenghi-style sharing plates and the freshest fish. More formal three-course dinners or a low-key braai beneath the stars are also possible, and you can ask the chef to prepare a sundowner picnic to take to nearby Llandudno beach. Every part of the hotel is well thought out: activities are tailored by a wellness guru and there are drivers on hand to take you to nearby attractions or further afield, to make the most of the city's buzzy culinary scene. Those activities include forest bathing on the estate beneath the acacia trees, yoga and breathwork. On my first full day I'm up at sunrise. I've purposely left the curtains and doors wide open. I sip my 'rise' tea — made with fynbos from the garden and chosen by the property's tea sommelier (you read that correctly) — and look out of the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors, which open out onto a private balcony. All I can see are trees, valleys and mountains in the distance, and the only sounds to accompany my shower are the calls of the hadeda ibis bird, the cooing of Cape doves and the tranquil trickling of the natural plunge pool beneath my room. • South Africa's best safaris The property keeper Dave Jonker greets me and a few other sleepy guests for a 7am waterfall hike in the mountain nature reserve. 'We should really call it a water-wall,' Jonker says as he shows me the waterfall, which is more of a trickle due to the lack of rain. He points out the many types of fynbos — there are more than 8,500 in the Western Cape. Jonker reels off fascinating details of the varying species of plant life that make hiking in the area so invigorating. Not only does the fynbos have one of the most biodiverse ecosystems, but wildfires are actually part of its germination process. We branch off onto a short 45-minute loop around the mountain. It's a steep and sweaty climb but is easy enough for us to enjoy the crisp morning air. As the Cape sun starts to beat down I'm relieved that we are sheltered by a forest of pines and clusters of fynbos proteas. The hike, as well as the vinyasa yoga I enjoy later on the lawn outside the spa, are included as part of every stay. And the breakfast in between, laid out at the villa for our return, consists of fresh restorative juices, homemade granola and eggs any style. I soon tuck into a good book (some excellent titles, from Nelson Mandela's A Long Walk to Freedom to An Encyclopaedia of Birds of the Western Cape, are provided in my room's own library) and melt into an oversized bean bag bed by the pool under a bright blue sky. A welcome cool breeze makes it possible to sit outside in the 30C summer heat. • What to do in Cape Town Unwilling to tear myself away from this tranquillity (the other guests are nowhere to be seen and are most likely to be climbing Table Mountain, sunbathing on Clifton beach or exploring the many wine estates) I'm lured down to the sensorium spa for a signature 'whole-being energy therapy' massage, where a large proportion of my allotted hour consists of being taken through different scented oils and matching teas concocted from garden produce. Once the treatment is under way — a full-body traditional massage, lymphatic drainage and facial gua sha — my next thought is already on the delicious organic spread from the garden the chef is rustling up. Two nights are barely enough time to engage fully in the restorative charm of Future Found, but even a short stay is the perfect relaxing tonic after a safari or road trip around the country. I may be new to the wellness wave that's taking over Cape Town, away from the busy Sea Point neighbourhood or days spent glugging through the charming Constantia winelands, but I'm certainly getting used to Wilson was a guest of Future Found Sanctuary, which has B&B doubles from £368 ( Fly to Cape Town This article contains affiliate links, which can earn us revenue O'Two is just off the main waterfront promenade, so its location is the selling point: close to the V&A waterfront on one side, and the Clifton beaches and Camps Bay on the other. It's not rustic Cape style, more modern and high rise; but there is a great rooftop pool, bar, spa and gym. Details B&B doubles from £167 ( • More great places to stay in Cape Town Set in the city's central business district, this hip hotel is small but it's a great choice for location and value for money. It's design-led, with a gorgeous rooftop pool and lounge bar. There are great options at the restaurant Gigi and there is a grocers downstairs called Food Lovers Eatery. It's short walk to the colourful Bo Kaap neighbourhood. The one and two-bedroom apartments are ideal for longer stays. Details B&B doubles from £91 ( An oldie, but a goodie. The Winchester, which reopened at the end of 2021 after a renovation, has a prime location parallel to the promenade at Sea Point and is close to the waterfront (to which it offers regular complimentary shuttles). The 1958 hotel is classic, yet full of nostalgic style with its three-storey columned façade, and the Winchester's bougainvillea-draped terrace is a popular lunch spot for guests and locals alike. It has a central courtyard with pool, spa and wellness offerings such as yoga on the B&B doubles from £169 (
