Cape Town - stay for a month?

[ingala]

Has anyone done an extended stay in Cape Town and enjoyed it? It’s almost perfect for working remotely - easy visa, not much time difference, warm, very high standard of living vs cost

We've had several holidays in south Africa. Accommodation and eating out is cheap, the flights to get there are not unless you go indirect.
Maybe split your time between Cape Town and somewhere in the winelands, less than 90 minutes away

We visit SA often as have family there and have done extended stays. Cape Town is beautiful, in particular the winelands. If you stay more in the "city" research on nicer areas to stay such as Camps Bay, Sea Point, Green Point, De Waterkant (where the shopping centre is and close by the stadium used for the 2010 World Cup). Like anywhere, there are really areas and really bad areas. a couple of things that might be worth noting:

1. Proximity to nature - CPT is surrounded by beautiful and varied landscapes - coastal, mountains, winelands. Within a couple of hours you can pretty much fly to anywhere in the country where you will be met with anything from safaris to a city like Joburg which IMO is more metropolitan than CPT.
2. Highly recommend Cape Winelands (in and around Stellenbosch up to Franschhoek) if you enjoy good food and wine
3. Weather - whilst better than say the UK, it can get cold and CPT in particular is known to have 4 seasons in one day. As you know it is in the southern hemisphere so plan your trip accordingly.
4. Load-shedding -although it is not as prevalent as recent years it still happens. Most properties have back-up generators (hotels almost definitely) so you will not necessarily "feel" it too much but would suggest you check with wherever you plan to stay.
5. Cost of living - if earning EUR/USD/GBP but spending ZAR it is generally cheaper relative to the other country. That being said, inflation is high and across the years that I have been visiting the gap between what you would pay in SA vs UK has closed. Some things will be close if not more than UK cost (such as clothing, electronics and imported brands), eating out and groceries I would say is cheaper, but in my experience not 50-75% cheaper anymore (referring to good well established restaurants and stores).
6. Transport - public transport is not the same as Europe so would suggest looking into your own mode of transport depending on what your situation will be. Ride-sharing does exist there but again, a quick research would help you decide whether it will be something you are comfortable taking or not.
7. Crime - I hate to mention it as South Africa is beautiful and should not be shied away from as there are many safe areas, but it is sensible to consider safety and security. Gated communities, bars over windows, being cautious of hi-jackers/ being followed home and hesitation to stop at red lights when dark are some of the unfortunate behaviours that come natural to our family there.

Needless to say, there is a lot to consider and many things I haven't touched on. Depending on your personal situation, experience living in different countries, knowledge of the country some points may apply to you more than others. As with anything make sure you research and if you can, talk to South Africans to get a true feel of things/ where best to stay.

Good luck!

This was many years ago but we stayed in a place called Oranjezicht which is a suburb of Cape Town. It had a bit of a Californian vibe, nice restaurants and coffee shops. Also like Hout Bay.

Went to Cape Town this year 7 nights and loved it, did the whole touristy thing, V&A area, cape point, wine regions, flew to J'burg, went up to Dinokeng etc. 3 nights, also loved it. But yeah, long stay, absolutely not, sorry, loads of reasons, load shedding is irritating, but just from a safety pov, even "nice places" are not that easy to cope with from a safety pov. @Sweetpea63 has a great and measured post on it, and other have also given great advice. I have travelled extensively, and have close family that live overseas, and with a couple of exceptions, I'd live almost anywhere but in SA. Realise I have only been to two or three places, and not for long, but it was enough, maybe someone will come along and give a better view who has lived there longer and knows how you can make it work. x

This is a brilliant idea. There’s huge variety of activities. Crime is not an issue for the most part - don’t let it put you off.