12 Apostles Hotel and SpaCape Town, South Africa

CAMPS BAY BEACH

Camps Bay beach offers spectacular views of Lion’s Head and the Twelve Apostles and its fine white sand is packed with beautiful people, especially over weekends and during holidays. Camps Bay’s long stretch of beach is perfect for sunbathing and its open flatness means that team activities like Frisbee and social beach volleyball can also be enjoyed by the more active visitors. The sea is, due to Camps Bay’s protected position in the bay, quite calm and good for swimming but the Atlantic Ocean temperature is cold. At the southern end, you will find a tidal pool which is fun, while the northern part is great for surfing.

There is a stretch of lawn in front of the beach where picnics are often enjoyed. Camps Bay beach is clean and family friendly.

CLIFTON BEACH

Home to Millionaire’s Row, fashionable Clifton is known as Cape Town’s St Tropez, and its four beautiful beaches attract holidaymakers in their droves. Yachts floating on a turquoise ocean, white, sandy beaches and beautiful bodies all make up Clifton’s reputation as the French Riviera of South Africa. The gorgeous sea-facing apartments of Clifton are said to be some of the most sought-after real estate in the world. This snazzy little suburb offers spectacular ocean views and is close to not one, but four spectacular swimming beaches.

LLANDUDNO BEACH

Llandudno Beach is one of those beautiful beaches that seem to have it all. The white crescent shaped beach lies at the base of the steep slopes of the Twelve Apostles and is flanked by massive granite boulders. One of the most popular chill-out and romantic sundown picnic spots in Cape Town, Llandudno Beach is also the haunt of photographers, surfers, surf skiers and an active lifesaving crowd. The boulders at the northern side offer some great walking with awesome views.

HOUT BAY - Hout Bay is often called the Heart of the Cape, a mere 10 minute drive from the hotel. ‘Houtbaai’, as it was named by Dutch explorers, literally translated means Wood Bay. The Hout Bay harbour is the 9th most visited tourist attraction in Cape Town and includes a yacht and boat marina, a working fishing fleet, a wonderful local craft market, daily boat trips to nearby Seal Island and wonderful local restaurants.

SEAL ISLAND - Also known as Duiker Island, is situated about 15 minutes by boat from Hout Bay. The island has a breeding colony of approximately 6,000 Cape Fur Seals, foraging far and wide throughout the peninsula in search of food. Several operators such as Nauticat, Drumbeat and Cape Town Boat Charters offer daily one-hour trips.

HOUTBAY VINEYARDS - Located high on rocky mountain slopes, this boutique wine cellar was established in 2001. The winemaker’s dedication ensures that each bottle is individually nurtured to produce the type of lasting quality one can only achieve with a personal touch. Although bubbly is what started the adventure, Hout Bay Vineyards also produces a range of other wines, including a Sauvignon Blanc, a full-bodied red as well as a delicate light rosé.

THE WORLD OF BIRDS PARK - The World of Birds Park is one of the few large bird parks in the world. Over 3 000 birds (and small animals) of 400 different species are uniquely presented in more than 100 spacious landscaped walk-through aviaries, allowing you the most intimate closeness with nature. A tropical garden setting in the Hout Bay Valley is the environment in which the aviaries are spaced over 4 ha of land, framed by the back of Table Mountain.

CONSTANTIA VALLEY WINE ROUTE - The oldest wine-making region in the southern hemisphere, dating back to 1685, Constantia Valley is today the Cape’s most intimate wine route consisting of nine wine farms, each with their own distinctive heritage and premium wines. Enjoyed by Napoleon Bonaparte and royalty in the 18th century, Constantia Valley’s unique combination of terraine and climate produces some of the world’s finest wines that to this day continue to win accolades and international awards for consistently high standard and quality.

• Groot Constantia
• Klein Constantia
• Buitenverwachting
• Steenberg
• Constantia Glen
• Eagles Nest
• Silvermist

ORIGINAL T-BAG DESIGNS - Original T-Bag Designs creates ‘Functional Art’ out of recycled tea bags. Used tea bags are dried, emptied, ironed then painted, with each artist showing their own individual styles and patterns.

These miniature works of art are then applied to stationary, wooden items like boxes, trays and coasters and even fabric items! For a group of previously disadvantaged people in Hout Bay, one cup of tea can indeed provide community, love, excitement and financial security.

BAY HARBOUR MARKET - Bay Harbour Market in Hout Bay is a celebration of the vibrancy, spirit and diversity that make South Africa such a unique country. It provides a uniquely social shopping, dining and entertainment experience in an atmosphere that is friendly, vibrant and distinctly South African. The market also serves as a platform for community building and up liftment by providing opportunities for the development of creative skills towards the creation of sustainable business. Open weekends only.

NOORDHOEK : THE FOODBARN RESTAURANT AND DELI - The Noordhoek valley remains one of Cape Town’s treasured destinations, featuring a rural atmosphere, rustic surroundings, a world-famous beach and vast wetlands. At the Foodbarn Restaurant, diners are treated to delicious and decadent ‘fine-dining’ style food in a characterful old barn, while at the Deli you are invited into a ‘home-from-home’ with tantalizing aromas of fresh bread and the best coffee in the valley, super friendly and caring service and chef Lana’s delicious creations.

HORSE RIDING ON NOORDHOEK BEACH AT ‘THE DUNES’ - Heaven on horseback is cantering through the surf at The Dunes in Noordhoek on a fine thoroughbred horse, with whales and dolphins leaping in the bay. The stables are built right on the sand of Noordhoek Beach – the longest, whitest and most spectacular beach in Cape Town. Enjoy daily rides at 10:00 and 16:00, each session lasting 1.5 hours over a 14km stretch.

KOMMETJIE “SLANGKOP” LIGHTHOUSE - The only metal lighthouse in Africa, Slangkop (meaning Snake Head) Lighthouse has been burning brightly since 1914, becoming fully automated in 1979. The tower’s light shimmers 33 nautical miles out to sea from its 33 M circular construction and is the tallest cast iron tower in South Africa. Initially manned by 3 Lighthouse Keepers it is now maintained by one Senior Lighthouse Keeper who still washes the lighthouse windows.

“No request is too large, no detail too small”