My Top Tips & Recommendations from Nine Days in Cape Town

Everywhere I stayed, what I did, where I ate, and my advice for planning your own trip

The view from Dorp Hotel

Pretty much every photographer, writer and influencer I follow on Instagram seems to have been to Cape Town over the past six months. Perhaps because its such a convenient destination for winter sun (a 12 hour flight directly south = no jet lag), but also its just such a magnetic city, surrounded by beautiful landscapes. Its unlike anywhere I’ve been before (my closest comparison is perhaps California for its coastline, winelands and laidback cities) and there’s so, so much to see and do. I barely touched the surface, and would love to return to visit Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, take a tour of Robben Island, hike up Lion’s Head, swim in tidal pools, and take to the water to spot marine mammals.

This started off as a work opportunity. I pitched an idea to a magazine a while ago and at the beginning of the year it was commissioned. With a three-day stay at a dream hotel to shoot and write for a print feature, I tried my luck at pitching more work to make the trip affordable (and hopefully turn a profit). To my delight, I managed to secure seven commissions overall, while also creating an exciting nine day holiday for my boyfriend and I. As I was predominantly there for work, all of our accommodation was covered (I was reviewing all four hotels we stayed in) but we paid for our own flights and most of our meals.

This is going to be a long read, which will be best read in your browser or the Substack app (I imagine some newsletter providers may cut this off). I’ve included everywhere we stayed, all the restaurants we ate at, every activity we did and place we visited, and more general tips for first-time visitors to South Africa’s Western Cape. The first couple of tips are for everyone, but there’s much more behind the paywall. If you want to see more photographs, head over to my Instagram.

Visit during shoulder season

If I hadn’t been travelling for work, I would’ve planned our trip for October/November when Southern Right whales arrive on Cape Town’s coast to mate and calf. December to February is the city’s peak tourist season, when prices rise, temperatures soar and crowds are everywhere. If you want to guarantee the best weather, this is when to visit, but it would’ve been too hot for my heat-phobic boyfriend and I prefer to visit destinations outside of their peak season. March or early April would be perfect. We had amazing weather (sunshine, mid-twenties) for the first five days of our trip, but the final four days felt very autumnal with gale-force winds and constant rain. July and August are the wettest, coldest months, and many places close during this time.

Dorp Hotel offers unbeatable views of Table Mountain

If you want dramatic views of Table Mountain from your hotel balcony, I can’t recommend Dorp Hotel more. Perched atop Signal Hill, above the colourful Bo Kaap neighbourhood, a high percentage of their rooms and suites offer mountain views. Sadly, the weather wasn’t behaving during our stay, and the infamous ‘tablecloth’ was shrouding the mountain’s peak — but that didn’t hinder our stay. The hotel is comprised of a scattering of individual buildings (only the building housing the restaurant and reception is original — the others were constructed less than a decade ago when the late Gail Behr took over the property). We stayed in Arcadia 5, a mid-range suite with a large bath tub and mountain-view balcony. If you’re looking for an extra special stay, Rose Cottage is their top room boasting his-and-hers bathrooms (hers complete with a claw-foot tub beside a wood-burning stove), huge lounge, private sauna, rooftop terrace and plunge pool.

Rose Cottage at Dorp Hotel