It's quite the time to be in Cape Town. Its V&A Waterfront is emboldened by the stunning new Zeitz MOCAA
that's the largest collection of contemporary African art on the
continent. The museum opening has been a boon for the country's top
galleries like Goodman Gallery and Stevenson Gallery
that note increased demand and interest in African artists represented
in the museum like modern-day greats Wim Botha, William Kentridge and
Kudzanai Chiurai. There's also new glam Silo Hotel,
a 28-room hotel by hotelier Liz Biden that crowns the 1920s grain silo
it shares with the Zeitz, complete with rooftop pool and café as well as
farm-to-table The Granary with its all-day dining and buzzy Sunday
roast.
As the days grow longer near Cape Horn, summerlike afternoons yield to
soggier spring ones and the occasional torrent that conjures illusions
of the real The Flying Dutchman. In terms of hotels, trend seems never
to last long in Cape Town as the once infallible One & Only already proves a relic of another time and the town prepares for the re-debut of The Ritz,
a once iconic South African hotel near Sea Point reopening in December.
Instead, chicer confines lie outside the tourist zones at Ellerman House
outside Bantry Bay. Perhaps one of the best hotels in the world, and
most certainly in Africa, a manorly residence offers all suite
accommodations, breathtaking vistas, in-house snack pantry for midnight
raids and new Bar Roc - a lively new cocktail lounge with terrazzo floor and bar counter “reminiscent of the halcyon days of the Milanese bar scene.”
Making the most out of its seafront location and proximity to
the Franschhoek farmlands, dining in Cape Town benefits from more than a
few geographical perks. Luke Dale Roberts' longtime Test Kitchen continues to receive gourmet accolades as well as newer Villa 47 that proves Michelin-worthy Italian exists in Cape Town via Pierino Penati. Even newer, The Sunnyside Inn
delivers Swiss female chef Emma Hofmans to a former dive-bar that’s now
hollowed gourmet grounds offer a nightly three-course set menu inspired
by the bygone era of formal 1920s hotel eateries. Along the V&A
Waterfront, the owners of The Bungalow and Paranga debut Firefish
(pictured) inside a flashy, supper club space serving charcoal cooking
that allows meat and fish to be grilled without losing any of their
natural flavours. Afterwards, check out still-thriving The Stack and its lavish member's club that's the place to be at 10pm on any given weekend in Cape Town.
