Cape Town Sept 2023

[yorkshire270]

We are due to go on our honeymoon on the 18th Sept to Cape Town. The plan is to drive the garden route, with a hire car being dropped off at the hotel in Cape Town. Going to Franschoek, Wilderness, Plettenberg Bay and then safari.

I am having a meltdown reading the recent articles about increased violence in Cape Town.

Has anyone recently been to the area? If so, did you experience any problems?

We can't cancel the honeymoon as we will lose the total amount. The only other option is to postpone it for 12 months but will incur a £375 fee and any additional costs with hotels/airlines added on!

Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Cross body or rucksack.

Again, without being alarmist, totes are easily taken off a shoulder or from a chair.

And yes, I do know a Capetonian who experienced this. It’s also just nicer to be hands free.

Rucksack usually = tourist! However if you take stuff around and you are out all day without a base (car?) then a rucksack is the only solution. Cross body is better in many ways as you can grab it. Some people like a belt bag.

What a terrible shame for them. We're in SA at the moment coming to the end of a 3 week trip and have had an amazing time. I have never felt unsafe and haven't taken any special precautions. It's been the trip of a lifetime, such a beautiful country. Seville is a nice enough city but there is just no comparison.

We’ve booked our accommodation today for Feb. Need to now book the flights. Following this with interest.

Completely agree - this was our experience too. And Seville is lovely, but nowhere near the same level

You probably are. During the day, just mooching round shops, markets etc I've just used an open canvas tote as it's easy to sling over the shoulder. Weve been going to some beautiful bars and restaurants in the evening and have taken a small designer clutch out. Nothing ostentatious but definitely not out of place . There's a lot of wealth here and as a tourist I presume you won't be going anywhere dodgy. I've never felt remotely threatened. We do have family here though so maybe that gives an added level of security as they are taking us to places they know. Its ironic that pp have changed their honeymoon to Spain as I've travelled all over the world and Spain and Italy are the only places anyone has tried to rob me 🤷

Take a cross body bag for a normal bag for purse, phone etc. A rucksack for every day is making it obvious you are a tourist. But for a whole day out, like walking, hiking etc then a rucksack is perfect. You don't want to be strolling around the V&A for eg, wearing a branded rucksack.

If you choose to just take a normal handbag, make sure it has a proper zip at top. And don't put your phone in an outside pocket of the bag. I think this is just general knowledge safety really, basically just don't have expensive phones on show.

Feel free to ask anything else. What time of the year will you be coming?

Hello, just following this post as we are also travelling to South Africa in January and doing the exact same trip. The more research I have done, the more scared I have become. I would love to hear how your honeymoon went? We have also considered cancelling and losing our money.

Hi! I had the exact same thoughts but I can honestly say, it's the most incredible place I have ever been to in my life (and I have done a lot of travelling).
We saw so much wildlife and even saw the whales in Plettenberg Bay and Wilderness from our hotel balcony.
The food is insane and so so so cheap as the currency is really strong.
You've just got to be sensible and not take any risks eg don't get in a white taxi, use Uber instead. We drove from Cape Town and stopped off at many places, ending up on safari at the Kariega game reserve and had absolutely no problems whatsoever!
The V&A waterfront had security guards on every corner and we even came back from the restaurant to our hotel when the sun had set, without any problems.
Leave the designer bags and dress discreetly is my advice.
We are planning on going back as we had such a fantastic honeymoon, bite the bullet and go! I don't regret it for a moment x

@yorkshire270 So glad you enjoyed SA. Be sensible and you will be fine. We have always had a hire car and haven’t eaten out at the Waterfront in the evening but I do know guest houses have taxi firms they recommend and trust.

@Kayleighs Where are you going? What are you planning to do?

Many people posted good advice on this thread. It’s fairly simple - most travellers are safe. Dress down. Don’t take expensive jewellery or bags. Don’t wander off into a township. Take care over where you go at night. Take advice on safety. Don’t flash anything expensive. Stay in well populated lit areas. Use guarded car parks if they are available. Don’t use a bag that can be snatched and be vigilant when using a cash machine. Make sure you know your route in advance if you are driving. In general, be aware you need to be vigilant but it doesn’t overwhelm you or spoil a holiday. SA is wonderful and don’t worry. You will have a great time.

Hello - I’m also travelling to Cape Town in dec with a 1 year old.

Is load shedding still an issue there? Also, any recommendations for a good spot to stay to see most of the sights? anywhere to avoid also,

on our to do list we have-
Table Mountain
Robben Island
Boulders Beach
Bo Kaap

is seapoint / v&a the best place to stay?

we will hire a car but would be nice to explore on foot where possible. Will be in main Cape Town for 5 days before going to Hermanus for a wedding.

Loadshedding is here to stay. Although it is not so bad as the moment, but we can't predict what the situation will be in December. But most places have alternate power arrangements, ie hotels and restaurants. But traffic lights do not have back up power, so they turn into 4 way stops. I am not sure if 4 way stops are used in UK, basically who ever gets there first, goes first.

Accommodation wise will depend on your budget and type of accommodation you will be needing. Having a baby with you, I am thinking that some form of self catering or B&B may be easier over a hotel for e.g.

BUT, if you are travelling this December (2023) you are leaving it very late to book, I would go onto Booking.com and have a look for what you can find.

V&A is mostly hotels, and more on the pricey side. Seapoint is quite a bustling area, perhaps also look to Bloubergstrand as well. Muizemberg is great too but a bit further out. You can't stay there but Kirstenbosch Gardens is a good stop to make as well. You might even get to watch a concert there too.

While in CT, and you would rather be out and about without the car, there is a very good bus system (MyCiti) where you can just hop on and off where you like. You can get a week unlimited pass, its a nice way to get around to see the city.

Thank you so much @yorkshire270, I am so glad you had an incredible time, this has really put me at ease hearing from someone that has travelled there very recently.

@TizerorFizz we are pretty much doing the same identical trip as @yorkshire270 also for our honeymoon. We are driving from Cape Town to the wine regions and then along the garden route. My biggest concern was taking a wrong turn on those drives and ending up somewhere we wouldn’t want to be, the thought that just taking an incorrect turn could end up in a bad situation is pretty scary but as long as we plan the routes I guess we should be fine? We of course know to keep doors locked and valuables out of sight. Thank you everyone! We really appreciate it

You will have a great time, and the Garden Route is such an amazing trip. Will you be stopping off at some places on the way? A not that well known, but most amazing little place is Natures Valley. It is not too far from Plett, and if you were going to make a stop around there, this is where I would stop. It is so tranquil there, a real sleepy, but stunning little place.

The area is well signposted, and most people here use the Waze app, and it is great for letting you know of any traffic, detours etc. You can't go too wrong on the garden route though.

I would bring sunscreen with you. As crazy as that sounds, it is really expensive here for the branded ones.

@Kayleighs We have visited both those areas. The routes you are taking are very easy to follow. Cape Town does have areas you won’t want to visit (check the route from the airport to your hotel and don’t turn off - you will see what I mean) but overall it’s safe for tourists. The places we stayed at on the Garden Route were the most laid back of anywhere we’ve been in SA. Knysna, for example, is well heeled and, as long as you keep your wits about you, you will be safe.

@Dream1990 We didn’t like the V&A area that much. It’s just like any other waterfront. Not having a car means travelling around the Cape is limited. Driving was so easy and you do see more of the area. It is brilliant so you would want to. Parking is easy and you go at your own pace.

I highly recommend guest houses but, for a baby self catering is a good idea. Quite a bit of availability on Booking.com.

@Dream1990 it is true that V&A may be like other waterfronts, but imo if you are in CT, you should go, even just for some of a day. There is a good chance of watching the Cape Minstrels in action which you are not going to see everywhere. Plus there are some really good restaurants there. Also a shopping center if you are into shopping.

Opposite the Sevruga restaurant at V&A (sister restaurant to Beluga which is worth a visit) is where you can go on a commercial boat charter, it goes out for a few hours without the huge price tag of a private boat trip. If nothing else, you will see plenty of seals, but chances are good of spotting some dolphins too. You won't see whales there though, but as you are going to Hermanus, no doubt you will there. You can book for the Robben Island trip there too. If you really like seals 😀there is a boat trip to Duiker Island from Hout Bay, I can almost promise you, that you have never seen so many seals in one place before.

Penguins aplenty at Boulders, and you can stop off at Cape Point too while you are that side.

There really is a lot of things to do. Also try to get to one of the markets if you are in town over a weekend.

Thanks all, we booked a guesthouse in seapoint but I was wondering if we should move somewhere else. I know the places we want to visit are all pretty spread out and we will need the car but was also hoping to do some walking because when I’ve visited other places in Africa I find it frustrating driving everywhere and miss being able to go for nice walks on the pavement!

What are the main differences between Camps bay and seapoint?

Imo they are two different vibes.

Camps Bay is more exclusive, and I dare I say, more of a touristy area. Obviously not just tourists as it's a suburb, but it's a generally a wealthier area. Lots of upmarket restaurants, but further away from many parts you want to visit.

Seapoint has a promenade, always some hustle and bustle, people running, cycling and it's more middle class vibe. Closer to v&a and more to see if walking around.

Maybe you could stay a few nights in each of the areas so you get to experience both?

There could still be whales around off Cape Town in December. Hermanus is very close in whale terms so if they are still around, both offer possibilities. Whale watching from the shore was amazing in Hermanus but we were there earlier when we saw them. Late September. Check the whale watching operators as they often log sightings.