Hands down one of the world’s most beautiful cities; Cape Town has an abundance of spectacular stays within the city, alongside the coast, beside the mountain and in the suburbs. Not to mention the wine lands only 45 minutes away and the spectacular Western Cape at large. But for those looking to have a chunk of the city but still be seaside, we found the answer in our Stay in Greenpoint at 40 Winks Guesthouse.
This is the first of many monthly Afristay excursions we will be doing in the Western Cape and South Africa at large to find the best positioned, quirkiest, most luxurious and top stays listed on afristay.com
With various options of rooms, suites and self-catering apartments ( five minutes away), 40 winks guesthouse has something for everyone. One of the best things about our self-catering apartment was the close proximity to Somerset road which has an abundance shops, coffee shops, restaurants. A two minute drive ( or a longer walk for those who are keen) and you’re at Sea Point beach, promenade and the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.
In no drive time at all, we found ourselves at the epic Mouille Point Park beside the lighthouse- perfect for families with little kids. There’s a reason it’s one of our favorite parts in the city as it has a full swing set, small jungle gym for younger toddlers and bigger one for older kids plus ( and best of all) as scooter/bike track. Our toddler can stay here for hours while we ( and he) eats ice-cream, gaze at the ocean and then enjoy a walk along the promenade.
Parents: there’s good take-away coffee at Cafe Neo just across the road from the Mouille Point park. Greenpoint urban park is also just a road away. More playgrounds away ( parents know that there can never be enough), a lovely coffee shop and endless lawns for picnics.
When it comes to sunsets, Greenpoint and Sea Point and Atlantic Seaboard is where you want to find yourself in Cape Town. This area grabs the last rays of light and one of the best ways to spend a late afternoon is to rent a bicycle from Up Cycle near the public swimming pool and peddle along the promenade; stopping only for pics, ice-cream or a pitstop at the park. On a beautiful, hot day as we experienced, paragliders, parents, dog-walkers, cyclists, runners and picnic-goers were all out to play.
One evening we took advantage of the short distance to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront and went there for supper. By day kids can ride on the Hamley’s Thomas the Tank Engine train and by night the outdoor park is still open to all. For live music, visit Quayside restaurant, for a kid-friendly space with playground there’s Spur and of course many restaurants cater for a romantic night out not the town.
The self-catering apartment is best suited to: Couples, Families with older kids. Those who would like to be able to walk to the Sea point promenade and the Waterfront.
It’s not suitable for: Families with young kids under 3 ( there are stairs and on street parking so we couldn’t leave our pram in the car and had to cart everything up-baby, car seat, pram etc and down stairs)
We would’ve loved to be closer to the actual guesthouse and bought breakfast there, but the self-catering apartment was a few roads down and very separate. This apartment had no sunlight and not the trendiest but did the trick in terms of being central and close to the ocean.
Any guesses where our October stop will be with Afristay? Keep a lookout on the blog where we bring you some of the top places to enjoy on afristay.com