Stellenbosch, Elgin, Constantia & Noordhoek

Notes from our trip to South Africa in 2011

Itinerary, Dinner and Accommodation

Itinerary

This year’s tour of South Africa took in

Stellenbosch - 1 day
Elgin - ½ day
Constantia & Noordhoek - ½ day

Accommodation

We again stayed at The Inn at Castle Hill Guesthouse, 37 Gatesville Road, Kalk Bay, +27 21 788 2554, www.castlehill.co.za.  A great B&B on the hillside with a superb veranda with direct views of the sea and within walking distance of several local beaches and seawater pools and about five good restaurants in the village.

Dinner

Olympia Restaurant, Main Road, Kalk Bay; really good gastro-pub style food in the middle of the village.  Always busy so get there late-ish, after 8.30 pm for a table.

Theresa’s, Boyes Drive, Kalk Bay, +27 21 788 8051; a number of traditional South African dishes; laid-back atmosphere.

The Annex, behind the Library bookstore on Main Road, Kalk Bay similar food to the previous 2 restaurants but a little less frantic.

Satori, Main Road, Kalk Bay.  A pizzeria; if you like thin crust pizza, this is one of the best.

 

The Greenhouse restaurant at the Cellars-Hohenort Hotel, 93 Brommerslvlei, Constantia (+27 21 794 2137); has deservedly been a ‘top 10’ SA restaurant for years.  Try to get their during daylight hours as it is a great suburban area.  We had their Menu Gourmand (R575) which was probably 2, maybe 3 star Michelin quality.  The pick of the menu was definately the 'Shellfish on 'The Beach''.  To go with the meal we had a 2006 Oak Valley Sauvignon Blanc (see Elgin 2011) and a 1995 Overgaauw Tria Corda (see Stellenbosch 2011).

Taste Restaurant just off the R44 from Somerset West towards Stellenbosch ; really good French bistro style within 30 minutes of the airport.  Get there for sunset for a great view of Table Mountain in the west.

Sign of the times

Beware of Sharks

Thought that you might smile at the above sign in Muizenberg taken from the Sha-Bean Cafe at Surfers' Corner.  There seems to be a culture of litigation in SA if signs are anything to go by.  I particularly like this warning ‘Use of Ocean at Own Risk’.  As far as the shark warning is concerned, False Bay has a large seal island and consequently a large population of great white sharks.  Don’t see how the warning can ever be less than a red flag, so what is the use? Having said that one day they did sound the alarm and get all the surfers out of the sea.