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Family Life, the Universe and Everything with a Latte on the Side

Cape Town, South Africa is a Top Holiday Destination

Monday, 10 August 2015

When you finally get there ...!  The Tubblet's extended birth certificate arrived on Saturday morning so we went back to Heathrow.  Luckily we got a space on the 9 pm flight so off we went ...  

We stayed in Camps Bay, one of Cape Town's posher areas, "littered with expensive multi-story penthouses and designer apartments, only accessible via ultra-skinny roads, and all vying for the best sea views".  All the celebs and beautiful people have left as it's Winter.  This leaves the place free for the likes of us and means it's more affordable.  

Camp's Bay

Sitting room


Here's my highlights of our trip:

Cheetah Outreach

Cheetah Outreach works to protect cheetahs by working with farmers and local communities. They provide dogs to farmers to protect their livestock from predators to prevent them from shooting wild animals.  It works as most predators are lazy and won't argue with a dog.

Stroking a cheetah, very carefully, was a real privilege.  We also met Sebastian the meerkat.  Sebastian didn't try and sell us anything or offer us free cinema tickets, but he did hump Rev T's leg. 

Rev T, the Tubblet and me stroking a cheetah


City Sightseeing, Cape Town

The big red tourist bus!  Great way to see lots of the city all at once.  We did two routes - Red and Yellow.  The Red Route goes round the city centre and includes the District 6 Museum, St George's Cathedral and the Natural History Museum. The Yellow Route goes up Table Mountain and round the beach.


St George's Catherdral

District 6 Museum

The Food

We ate like kings!  The food was amazing.  The diet has now started due to snugness of jeans. Calories count, even on holiday.  The Simple Wardrobe won't be much good if what I've got already doesn't fit!

Highlights were various restaurants on or just near Long Street:
  • Tiger's Milk - Have the steak!  It comes with skinny chips with Parmesan grated over them.  It sounds wrong, but was so right!  
  • Addis in Cape - We had the non-vegetarian set menu, followed by pudding and coffee.   This meant we got to try a bit of everything.  Everyone loved it apart from Tubblet who refused to touch it.  The meal was followed by a dash to KFC for emergency chicken nuggets and fries!\
  • Mama Africa - Pan-African restaurant with the loudest - and best - African band we heard all holiday.

The Green Market

The place to go to pick up African crafts - batiks, artwork, bead-work, wooden and stone carvings, clothing - etc.  The market is near other shops, restaurants and cafes.  

Robben Island

The 3.5 hour-long tour starts with a half-hour ferry ride and then you're guided through the maximum security prison, usually by former political prisoners.  

Robben Island entrance

Cell, Robben Island


If you're going to go, it's worth going sooner rather than later as the living history will soon be gone. Much of the tour depends on the guides and our two were excellent.  The first talks you though the Island's history as a mental hospital, military base and leper colony.  The second walks you through the prison itself, talking about the conditions, pointing out their cell and Mandela's.  (Ours was indignant that he couldn't show us his cell as one of the other guides was in it).

Our second guide, whose name sadly I didn't catch, was keen to remind us that it wasn't just the Mandela's and Biko's who fought for freedom.  He named people who'd campaigned quietly for years and friends of his who'd died in detention that he didn't want forgotten.  All had made the tree of freedom grow and flower. Humbling and sobering.

The only frustrating thing was that the timing on the tour was very tight.  Both shops were closed by the time our tour finished.  Poor Rev T, the only thing he wanted was a Mandela t-shirt!

Sabona Wildlife Reserve

Our guide, Alwin, shared the history of the reserve and found as many animals as he could whilst driving the land-rover in a manner that would make Jeremy Clarkson proud!  We saw white lions, giraffes, rhinos, zebras, an ant eater, jackals, various deer and random birds.  Sadly, no hippos or elephants.  Amazing to see the animals in their natural environment.  And sad to think that, due to hunting and loss of habitat, some of them will soon be gone.

Giraffes

Landscape


Tony, our driver

We hired a car and a driver for the trip.  Tony was brilliant.  As well as being an excellent driver, he knew the area really well.  Some of the great restaurants and places to go we only found because of him.  He is excellent and I totally recommend him.

I'll put some more photos on Instagram shortly and there will be more Sunday photos.  Just not all of them!  (Took over 300 between just me and Rev T).

We missed Table Mountain, as they'd closed the cable car to do winter repairs by the time we'd got there.  This was a bit of a relief to me as Rev T had spent the last few weeks reminding of various films where cable cars featured, "Do you remember that bit in Where Eagles Dare ...?"  

Others in the group enjoyed the wine tour; the scenic drive around the lighthouses on the Cape, including the Penguin Beach, and a visit to a Township.

Anyone else been to Cape Town?  Got any suggestions for places to got for our return trip?

Thank you to everyone who commented and shared this post about the problems we had getting there.  We haven't heard anything further from Expedia.  Their website is unchanged.

Even on the journey back, the problems kept on coming! Although our departure date changed, the return flights were unaffected.  When we went to check in for the return flight, Rev T showed the paperwork for the amended flights that Expedia had sent and the airline couldn't find us.  Expedia hadn't linked all the flight bookings together.  The reference number we needed to fly was on the very first email.  Fortunately Rev T had kept it.

Back to a big pile of washing, a tube strike and business as usual.  Posts on surviving a large group holiday without ending up on a charge and some advice on what to pack etc to follow.

Hope you're all well and having a great summer!

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32 comments

  1. Anonymous10 August 2015 at 13:16

    Looks like a real adventure. Enjoyed reading.

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    1. Mrs Tubbs11 August 2015 at 19:55

      It was! Thank you for commenting

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  2. Silly Mummy10 August 2015 at 13:34

    Glad you got there in the end! The cheetah is beautiful. Robben Island must be fascinating, if upsetting, to see & hear about. I'm glad that people who suffered there are at least getting to tell their stories, and those of their friends through these tours. My mum would be just like the Rev - she would want a Mandela t shirt too! x

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    1. Mrs Tubbs11 August 2015 at 19:58

      Thank you, so pleased we made it in the end! Robbed Island and all the apartied history was upsetting as well as fascinating. Good too you see you!

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  3. Random Musings10 August 2015 at 14:51

    Welcome back! Great post - this sounds like a fantastic place for a holiday. It's somewhere I'd never really thought of going, but I'm definitely adding it to my travel bucket list now! Robbens Island sounds equally fascinating and devastating. I've just read your other post about Expedia, I can't believe how unhelpful and utterly useless they are. That they still haven't added this information to their website even after all of this is beyond belief! I hope you get some joy out of them!
    Thanks for linking up to #AnythingGoes
    Debbie
    www.myrandommusings.blogspot.com

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    1. Mrs Tubbs11 August 2015 at 20:29

      Thank you! It's good to be back. Pleased to have helped you find a new place for the bucket list! It's a great place to go. (And they are useless!)

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  4. Kristen10 August 2015 at 21:01

    Wow that sounds like a wonderful vacation! I would love to pet a cheetah. #MummyandUs
    Kristen
    http://mustachesandprincessmom.blogspot.com

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    1. Mrs Tubbs11 August 2015 at 20:30

      It was great and seeing a cheetah and a meerkat up close was amazing. Thank you for commenting

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  5. Mama, My Kid Doesn't Poop Rainbows11 August 2015 at 02:15

    Wow, what an adventure. I've never considered Cape Town before but now it's on my radar as a possible future holiday spot- thanks!

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    1. Mrs Tubbs11 August 2015 at 20:32

      It was an adventure! Glad to have added Cape Town to someone else's radar as it was amazing. Hope you had a good few days away

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  6. Natalie Mudd11 August 2015 at 09:36

    Aw this brings so many great memories as we went here for our honeymoon - it's such a fantastic place isn't it?! We were gutted we missed Robben Island as we didn't book in advance and it was fully booked when we got there. It really was the best holiday we've ever been on though - so much to do and see. #TwinklyTuesday

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    1. Mrs Tubbs11 August 2015 at 20:34

      Glad to bought back some great memories. It was fantastic. Want to go back already!

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  7. K's Mum11 August 2015 at 09:38

    What a great vacation! Must've been amazing to pet a cheetah and very weird to be humped by a meerkat! lol! #twinklytuesday

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    1. Mrs Tubbs11 August 2015 at 20:34

      The cheetah was incredible! Such a joy ... Thank you for commenting

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  8. Bethan Sian11 August 2015 at 10:17

    Looks like a fantastic place xx

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    1. Mrs Tubbs11 August 2015 at 20:35

      It was. Thank you for commenting

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  9. Helen Gandy - Beautiful Things11 August 2015 at 11:04

    Wow! What a trip, those safari pictures are fab. Oh those little meerkats are cheeky little things!

    #twinklytuesday

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    1. Mrs Tubbs11 August 2015 at 20:36

      It was a brilliant adventure and seeing animals close up was amazing. Thank you for commenting

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  10. Mackenzie Glanville12 August 2015 at 02:26

    I have always been in awe of Mendela but you are so right to mention that he was not the only one to fight, really touching post. And Sebastian is so cute even if he did some humping #mummyandus

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    1. Mrs Tubbs15 August 2015 at 21:11

      Listening to our guide, you really felt he didn't want his friends to be forgotten. It was humbling. Thank you for the lovely comment and for hosting

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  11. LittleOandme12 August 2015 at 18:53

    Wow, what an amazing trip. I love Sebastian, but awkward about the humping but he's cute! I have always wanted to go on a safari and your's looks amazing, it's heartbreaking that some of those animals won't be around in years to come. I hadn't seen that you had trouble with your flights, I will go and have a read!
    Becky xx

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    1. Mrs Tubbs15 August 2015 at 21:14

      It was hilarious! He was very sweet. The safari was amazing, but knowing that some of them won't be around for Little O and the Tubblet to share with their children is so sad. It was amazing and worth doing if you can. Thank you for commenting

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  12. Morna Piper13 August 2015 at 07:34

    I'm so pleased I spotted this! It's good to hear you had a great holiday despite the initial trauma. I'm so jealous of the cheetah experience- South Africa is very much on my wish list! #anythinggoes

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    1. Mrs Tubbs15 August 2015 at 21:16

      We did! Thank you! South Africa is worth doing if you can. I want to go back already. Thank you so much for the comment and good wishes!

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  13. The Stylopedia14 August 2015 at 10:55

    Lovely post, and great photos! I used to live in Capetown, so I enjoyed seeing what you think of it. It is such a special place.

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    1. Mrs Tubbs15 August 2015 at 21:16

      Thank you. We loved it and want to go back already

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  14. Anonymous14 August 2015 at 10:59

    Ooooh, beautiful Cape Town!! I lived there for 10+ years and my parents and some siblings are still there. It is the most wonderful place for a holiday and I am so glad you were able to soak up all of the culture, the food and the ambience. If you do get to go again I always suggest to go between the end of February and April ... the season is practically over, so more affordable and a lot quieter, it's still incredibly warm (enough to swim). but the annoying summer winds (strong and quite constant) have disappeared. Also more places to eat: The Chapmans Peak Hotel in HoutBay, The StrandLoper in Kommetjie, Blues in Camps Bay, Hussars Grill (there are a few, closest to Camps bay would be their Green Point one) ... my mouth is watering now. And if you are looking for a little luxury, cocktails at The 12 Apostles Spa at sundown is the way to do it :)
    Thanks for your post... going to look at ticket prices now!
    #AnythingGoes

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    1. Mrs Tubbs15 August 2015 at 21:18

      Happy to enable! We're tied to the school holidays at the moment, but April and February sound wonderful. Thank you for sharing your experiences. We loved it and want to go back already

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  15. Mummascribbles16 August 2015 at 20:52

    What a wonderful trip this looks, I love the photo of you stroking the cheetah...amazing! Shame about the troubles and coming back to the tube strike! Thanks so much for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday

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    1. Mrs Tubbs17 August 2015 at 21:20

      It was! The cheetah was so special. Thank you for hosting

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  16. Zena Goldman18 August 2015 at 20:35

    You had me at stroking a cheetah, what an amazing experience. Sounds like a fab holiday

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    1. Mrs Tubbs19 August 2015 at 21:33

      It was an amazing holiday. Seeing a cheetah that close up, let alone getting to touch one, was such a joy! Thank you for the lovely comment and for hosting each week. Have a good one!

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