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Stephanie’s Insider Guide to Cape Town

Meet our insider from Cape Town, Stephanie Marthinus-Hans, who is a local South African travel and lifestyle blogger from Cape Town passionate about showcasing small towns, accommodations, local eateries and wineries in the Western Cape and surrounding Provinces. Her blog, Stephanie Marthinus Blog, showcases small towns, accommodations, local activities and travel tips.

5 things I love most about Cape Town

  1. The four seasons in one weather
  2. How passionate people are on the daily
  3. Our unique local products
  4. The many scenic road trip routes
  5. Our world class wineries

A few quirky/cool/fun things only locals know about Cape Town

Cool runnings; the tobogganing track in Bellville is such a cool activity for both the family and couples to enjoy. It’s different, fun and definitely an adrenaline rush.

Best place here to enjoy the…

The water – Kleinmond Beach or Struisbaai

The mountains/countryside – Stanford

The outdoors – Chapmans Peak Drive or a trip along Route 62

The food – There is so many to choose from but the Lourensford market in Paarl has such a wide variety on cuisines, you can’t go wrong.

The general vibe or nightlife – The vibe is surely in Bird and Victoria Streets in Stellenbosch.

Good coffee/tea/wine – Knead bakery and Truth knows how to make a great cup of coffee. When it comes to wines, there’s an array to pick from. I recommend Simonsig in Stellenbosch for their Kaapse Vonkel Rosé as well as Val du Charron in Wellington.

Meet locals – Festivals, food markets and park runs.

What makes a city/town special for you?

The willingness to also support one another’s causes or projects and our constant love to share knowledge and information without a fuss.

What is your favorite small town in South Africa and why?

Seeing that small towns is what I live for, I have many on my list. One in particular is Porterville. It’s relatively unknown and many people I spoke with had no idea where it was or even know what to do there. It’s such an underrated town with plenty of family and couple activities like the Porterville Farm Market, visiting the Mosaic House and taking an interest in the many creative artists that reside there.

If you could do a 10 day road trip through south africa, which stops would you make?

That’s a tricky question because there’s many trips on my list. I’d start off in the Great Karoo of Graaff-Reinet and Nieu-Bethesda, drive through Queenstown and into East London to make a trip in Coffee Bay. I would love to explore Morgans Bay and Port Alfred because the Sunshine coast is just impeccable.

What is the ultimate bush experience anyone can have in SA?

South Africa is blessed with many exquisite game farms but start off with checking out South African National Parks for various accommodation options. I highly recommend exploring Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape. There’s an unlimited amount of activities such as a self-drive, game drives, horse riding, hiking trails and even picnic sites for the whole family to enjoy.

Your best beach/island experience in Southern Africa

I would love to visit Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. It’s honestly blessed with picturesque beaches and anyone who is a beach lover will enjoy the beach experience.

The most magical place in South Africa and why

Prince Albert takes my breath away every time I visit the small, arid town. It’s in the middle of dry barrens yet runs like a big city with vineyards, olive farms and mountain views for days.

The best places to visit in South Africa for…

  1. Solo travellers: Definitely the CBD where there’s tons of fun-filled activities to do and cool places to visit.
  2. Couples: Depending what type of couple you are, stay at Ke Nako Lodges in Wilderness; tacked away on the mountain slopes or De Wilge in Nuy Valley.
  3. Families: Mossel Bay as many activities to keep the family entertained with charming beaches, quirky restaurants and putt-putt. Montagu is also another place to visit with Saturday markets, bike trails and river cruises.
  4. Luxury travellers: Stellenbosch and Paarl come to mind with luxurious accommodations nestled among the vineyards.
  5. Those seeking off-the-grid spots: Die Hel in the Swartberg Nature Reserve and Pampoenfein Farm in Cederberg is spots to truly be off-the-grid

You can find more of Stephanie’s musings about small towns at Stephanie Marthinus Blog. You will always find her with a strong cup of coffee in hand whilst she tackles her full-time job in the Marketing and Communications industry along with her part-time employment at a bespoke textile store. Aside from her blog get more insider tips on small towns in the Western Cape and beyond on Facebook.

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Gaynor’s Insider Guide to Cape Town

Capetonian, Gaynor Van Rooyen, Founder of the Tulips and Phoenixes Blog, has a 9-5 in the EMS industry which keeps her extremely busy. Her local travels are an escape from the daily grind and a way of recharging her batteries. Here she shares some of her Cape Town insider tips and secrets…

5 things I love most about Cape Town

  1. The beautiful Cape Winelands.
  2. Vibrant Cape Town city centre.
  3. Our world class beaches.
  4. Scenic road trip routes like Route 62.
  5. The many fabulous food and wine festivals happening every month.

A few quirky/cool/fun things only locals know about Cape Town

The cool street art and vintage pop-ups in Woodstock are the best quirky spots in Cape Town in my opinion. Both are different from your usual everyday activities but still interesting and fun.

The least touristy thing to do in Cape Town

Go to a local hip hop show. Check Facebook events as they’re held at various venues.

Best place in Cape Town to enjoy…

The water: Bloubergstrand beach – both for kitesurfing and frolicking in the water!

The mountains/countryside: The Overberg – start with Marloth Nature Reserve in Swellendam and Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve just outside Swellendam.

Swellendam

The outdoors: Zip lining with Cape Canopy Tours in the Hottentots Holland Reserve offers unparalleled views of the mountains and waterfalls.

The food: Definitely at one of the many great markets. My personal favourites are the Root 44 Market in Stellenbosch and the Bay Harbour Market in Hout Bay.

The general vibe or nightlife: Bree and Kloof street in the CBD.

Good coffee/tea/wine: For coffee, you can take your pick between Truth, Bootleggers and Origin Coffee in the CBD ( central business district). And for the white wine lovers (like myself), the Durbanville Wine Valley is well-known for its award winning Sauvignon Blanc – visit Diemersdal and Nitida wine estates.

Meet locals: At any of our local concerts, sports matches and music festivals.

Hout Bay

What makes a city/town special for me

It’s all about the people. Their willingness to help, their enthusiasm when they chat about their businesses and the effort put into making your stay special.

My favorite small town in South Africa and why

The area that made the biggest impact on my family is definitely Tsitsikamma and Storms River. The area is known for attracting adventure junkies and yet we visited with our 4 month old baby and parents during winter and there were so many family-friendly activities to do. We visited the famous suspension bridge, Big Tree, the Marilyn’s Retro Diner, did zip lining and one of us even went bungee jumping. To top it all off, everyone was helpful and friendly and we are already making plans to return – which says a lot because I don’t believe in visiting the same place twice.

If I could do a 10 day road trip through South Africa, these are the stop I’d make:

I’d definitely explore the East Coast. Kenton-on-sea, Coffee Bay, Hole in the Wall, Isimangaliso Wetland Park – the whole works. It’s the perfect area to be explored by car and there are many overnight stops one can make.

The ultimate bush experience anyone can have in SA

All of the South African National Parks offer self-drive options with incredible accommodation in the parks. The Bontebok National Park and West Coast National Park are firm favourites during Spring and Summer seasons.

But if you’re not up for roughing it alone, you can visit one of our many five star game reserves. Our personal favourites for full-board stays (all activities included) are Madi-Madi Karoo Safari Lodge near Oudtshoorn and Botlierskop Private Game Reserve near Mossel Bay. We’ve visited both for guided game drives, scenic river cruises and outdoor massages.

My best beach/island experience in Southern Africa

A stay on the Kraalbaai houseboats in the West Coast National Park and a trip to Mozambique is on my bucket list.

The most magical place in South Africa and why

Cape Point has the ability to make one feel incredibly small and awe inspired at the same time. Diaz beach is also one of Cape Town’s best kept secrets.

The best places to visit in South Africa for…

  1. Solo travelers: Stay at one of the many backpackers lodges in the CBD and work your way through exploring all the major attractions in the surrounds. There’ll be more than enough local visitors to keep you company and offer additional info if needed.
  2. Couples: A treehouse stay at the beautiful Vindoux Guest Farm in Tulbagh. All meals are served on your private treehouse balcony overlooking the mountains, orchards and zebra. You can also have a couples’ massage on site.
  3. Families: Robertson and surrounds. Wine estates, mountain biking, hiking, tractor rides and farm accommodation – there’s literally something to keep every member of the family happy.
  4. Luxury travelers: Franschhoek – five star accommodations in the culinary capital of South Africa.
  5. Those seeking off-the-grid spots: The Kamiesberg area of the Northern Cape. Best to visit during Spring when it’s flower season. Take the gravel road turn off in the town of Kamieskroon and travel south-east to Leliefontein. You won’t have any signal so it’s the perfect digital detox getaway.

Kamiesberg, Northern Cape.

Gaynor van Rooyen is the Founder of  www.tulipsandphoenixes.co.za, a proudly South African blog focusing solely on highlighting local attractions and hidden gems. We aim to inspire South Africans to get out and explore their own beautiful country. Aside from her blog get more insider tips fro Cape Town and beyond on Twitter 

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