If you only knew Cape Town, then the rest of Africa would come as a shock. If you only know the rest of Africa, then Cape Town will be a big, unnerving surprise. Nothing about it feels African. It is the most gracefully European of Southern Hemisphere cities.
Historically, this was the most important southern port of the British Empire—the refueling stop on the way to India and the gateway to African gold and diamonds. The site of the great flat-top mountain and the Lion’s Head were familiar icons of the colonial imagination. And still, the first thing any visitor will notice about Cape Town—even if arriving by air rather than by sea—is its astonishing position under Table Mountain, which will be, more often than not, covered in a cloth of white cloud.
Cape Town is one of a handful of great cities built on bays, along with Sydney, San Francisco, and Vancouver. But Cape Town is the most dramatically spectacular. This is the final tip of the Old World. Farther south there’s nothing but water and ice and the meeting point of two immense oceans—the Atlantic and the Indian. The best beaches, by the way—Clifton and Llandudno—are on the Atlantic side.
Out in the distant flats and suburbs and squatter camps that ribbon the motorway, there are the shantytowns of economic migrants from all over Africa. But the graceful center of Cape Town vibrates with restaurants, boutiques, nightclubs, theaters, cafés, bougainvillea, jacaranda, and brilliant views.
Still, Cape Town is easy to visit and has one of the kindest climates in the continent. There are a number of boutique and country-house hotels that have opened to challenge the stuffy old Mount Nelson Hotel. The best of them is Ellerman House, with 11 rooms in a private mansion set in a pristine colonial garden on Bantry Bay. Depending on how central you want to be, you might opt to stay outside the city in the rolling, manicured wine district. South Africa has many wonderful New World wines, and prices are so good you can always drink the best. Try the Constantia Uitsig Hotel, in the Constantia Valley. A drive through the wine district is easy and beautiful.
The food in Cape Town is exceptional. The climate here means that the Cape has always been a market garden of fruit and vegetables. The cold ocean produces some of the best fish in the wet world. You can eat sushi and simply cooked line fish almost anywhere. There is also the delicious Karoo lamb and marvelous African beef. Most important, there are a lot of people on the Cape who eat out, so restaurants are busy and the atmosphere is lively. Try La Colombe (possibly the best restaurant in Africa), the Savoy Cabbage, and the Restaurant on Somerset Road.
Cape Town is also home to Cape Malay food—an extraordinary fusion of Asian soul food and African ingredients. It’s surprisingly difficult to find, but the Noon Gun Café, on Signal Hill, is well worth seeking out for lunch. And try Melissa’s for breakfast or just eating cake.
Shopping is good in Cape Town. It’s one of the few cities where you’ll be able to afford everything and there’s actually something you want to buy. Particularly look for exciting interior-design shops with furniture made from hardwood—shipping is easy and safe. Visit Long and Church Streets for antiques and curiosities, and the Waterkant area off Somerset Road for interior design; and check out African Curiosity, full of wonderful authentic tribal art, in the Victoria Wharf— a large new shopping mall made out of the colonial docks. If you fancy an indigenous diamond or some gold, Charles Greig is only a few doors down.
Cape Town is a city of contradictions and dichotomies—but then find somewhere in this brilliant and benighted continent that isn’t. Everyone you meet here, whatever their color or origin, will be unfailingly kind, helpful, and astoundingly friendly.
A.A. Gill is a V.F. contributing editor.
