Where to stay in Cape Town: V&A Waterfront or City Bowl?

Today we are in the third part of our three part series on where to stay, a kind of deeper dive into six key areas to look at. And today couldn't be more different because we are exploring the VA waterfront and why you might stay there and where to stay. And also looking at the City bowl area as well, which is a really big contrast from a Disneyland, almost Florida feel, V and A to the more gritty real City bowl area. In the first episode we compared Camps Bay with Greenpoint. Camps Bay kind of giving you that Miami feel, close to the sea and Greenpoint that was practical and walkable and full of lots of cafes and restaurants. Then in episode two, we compared Sea Point, which is my hometown, with Devoreticant. Two contrasting areas to help you decide which you might stay in. So go back and watch those two if you haven't seen them. And today, as I said, we are looking at the V and A and.

Also the City bowl area.

So I'm headed to the VA waterfront and I'm walking here from the Vorticat, so I can show you this harbour area, which I think a lot of.

People don't look at.

And basically you have sort of two choices for accommodation when you stay here.

You're going to get beautiful apartments here that you can rent on Airbnb that give you lovely water views but probably.

Are not too cheap. And then at the VA waterfront itself.

You'Re going to find lots of very swanky hotels.

This is a really lovely walk and.

Like I say, a lot of people.

Stay at the V and A, but I never come down here.

So come out here if you want a kind of Fort Lauderdale feel and.

Just to kind of explore the area and take in some of the life that's going on here.

You can come down here and fantasize.

About which yacht you would like to own.

And I believe Cape Town is a really big yacht building place. They build these leopard catamarans here. And obviously Cape Town has a great sailing community as well. As you can see, the V and A is just over there. And we have walked, I don't know, maybe five minutes to get there from this harbour area. So I'll show you where this comes.

Out at the V and A.

So if you do want to go.

And have a walk around here, which.

I highly recommend, you'll know where it starts from. So it brings you out to this swing bridge here.

And here's the first of a number.

Of hotels that you can stay at.

And this is the Cape Grace Hotel.

Which I suspect it's very expensive.

I'll put some pricing beneath.

Cross over this bridge and you find yourself at the V and A. So as a point of reference, if you look out for the Time out marketplace, come out the side entrance and then cross over these bridges here. That will take you to the waterfront area that I've just been walking in. And then we are basically kind of in the center or the back of the VA waterfront and all the great stuff that it has to offer.

This harbour area grew after a royal visit in 1860 when Prince Alfred began the breakwater for his mother Queen Victoria. Warehouses rose, the red clock tower watched the ships and the old breakwater prison became a campus. In the 1990s, the working dock turned into today's mix of harbour hotels, shops and museums. You also have the Silo district and the Silo is this hotel over here that is very, very nice and possibly the most expensive hotel here, which is built in the old Grain Solo. You've also got the two oceans, aquarium and the ferry to Robin Island. It's flat, busy and easy to walk. And if you like everything in one place, then the VA is definitely it.

Another one of the hotels that you might stay in is in the Alfred Alfred Mall and that is the V. And a hotel again, a lovely hotel and probably quite expensive.

Here's a map.

You can pause if you want to.

Have a look at what's around in here. And if you are taking a day cruise, then this is where you're going to pick up your boat. And you can do everything from Robben island trip to Sunset Booth cruises. And of course you're not going to come down to the waterfront and leave without getting your iconic photo.

Of you.

With table bouncing in the background. If you want some authentic African knickknacks, then come down to the bar end part where we've come in basically and you'll find some souvenir shops here.

James often comes in here and buys his elephant hair ankle bracelets. Perfect place to come for your Christmas gift shopping.

Now, in the VA you're going to stay mostly in a hotel, but there are some residential areas here as well where you may well be able to get an Airbnb, but the majority of.

People who stay here will stay in.

A hotel.

And expect them to be.

On the pricier end because at the.

End of the day this is a bit of a tourist trap here. So I just escaped the wind inside the Alfred Mall. But let's wrap this section up by sharing three reasons why you might want to stay in the VA Waterfront areas and three reasons why it might not be for you. So, first of all, it's really compact. It's very safe and waterproof, walkable. You've got shops, you've got hotels, you've got the port for boat trips to Robben island and other locations, sunset cruises, very fancy restaurants, and all within walking distance. Second of all, it's really easy to get around, so there's a big taxi area where you can get an Uber. This is also the starting location for many organized tours as well. And lastly, it is flat, so it's good for families and it's good for push chairs and wheelchairs as well. Okay, three reasons why it might not be the best place for you to stay. So, first of all, it definitely is a crowded place and it gets really busy, especially when there's a cruise ship.

In at the port.

And it's also pretty pricey here as well. So think about European prices, especially for hotels and for some of the restaurants. Now, if you choose to stay here, you are in a tourist bubble. It's definitely going to feel safe, but it does feel a little bit disconnected from the real Cape Town. So if you want the real Cape Town experience, go think about staying in De Vorticant, Green Points or Sea Point, because that will be a better location for you. And lastly, as with some of the other areas, there's no beach close by. And as you've already seen today, it can get really windy here as well, like many other locations. So if you want long walks or swims, then consider Sea Point or Green Point. But do explore the harbour area here that I showed you walking in as well. Okay, so that is the V and A. Now let's really contrast this by going and exploring the City bowl area.

Starting from our base in Seaporn, I drove towards the City bowl area, passing the stadium and going through Greenpoint and then Signal Hill, past the foreshore and the port. And then we arrive in the City bowl, which is a place of offices, markets, cafes, restaurants and museums.

This perhaps isn't the place that everyone.

Considers to stay, but actually you can find some really effective accommodation here. And as you'll see, there's lots of shops, restaurants and cafes around as well. So let's first of all take a quick stroll around Company Gardens.

Company Gardens sits in the middle of the City bowl, and the Dutch East India Company laid it out in 1652 to grow food for passing ships. You can walk Government Avenue under the oaks. The South African Museum is here as I'll show you a Minute. And the National Gallery is next door.

Great views of Table Mountain. The tablecloth is just starting to appear. And then straight ahead of us you can see the Cecil Rhodes Monument.

Now you'll see this bronze statue of Cecil John Rhodes. He points north and the base reads, your hinterland is there. The city placed it here in 1910. Rhodes was a mining magnate and a Cape Town colony politician. And his legacy is definitely contested. With protests in 2015 pushing fresh debate about his status across Cape Town. This is a great place to start, take stock and then plan out your next route.

One of the places you may well want to visit is the Slave lodge where you can learn all about slavery from the 1600s to the 1800s. And there are quite a few museums in this area as well as hotels. So the Taj Hotel is just up here.

So the next place we are going.

To is St. George's Mall. And you probably get a sense of this area is a little bit more gritty. But I think as long as you're walking around here during the day, not putting all your valuables everywhere, you'll be perfectly safe. Lots of market stalls here selling all sorts of stuff and also a food lovers market if you're interested in really good quality foods. So we're now in the Green Market Square area. Lots of life going on. Lots of market stalls here to buy your authentic African knickknacks. Mid price hotels here. There are lots of hotels of choice here, from the very expensive like the Atage to lower cost places and also so lots of Airbnbs as well.

And you're going to find that the.

Prices here are somewhat cheaper than in the other areas that we have looked at, especially places like Camps Bay. Okay. And after about a five minute walk, we've made it to Bree Street. So much construction going on here, which is very symptomatic of Cape Town generally. But you'll find lots of really nice restaurants. So burger and lobster here. It's one of the first restaurants James and I ate in when we came to Cape Town and we've eaten in grub and vine as well. Well, which is expensive and a bit not so great. But there's some really lovely places like Hacienda over there. Excuse me. So you can see once you get to this area that the atmosphere and the environment really starts to change. Small hotels here and lots of restaurants. And as I said, on the first Thursday of the month, all of the art galleries and restaurants open up their doors and it becomes, I think they shut the road off to tourists and it becomes a superbuzzing atmosphere. That's the first, first Thursday of every month. So if you happen to be here, then do come along.

So, blimey, it's so windy outside that I've decided to record the last part of this video in the car because you just wouldn't hear a word I was saying otherwise. So I want to share with you three reasons why you might want to stay in the CBD city area and three reasons why you might not. And first of all, you'll have seen you're really close to lots of different things, such as the museums, company gardens, Green Market Square and so on. And so you don't, you can, you don't even need a car once you get here, to be honest, because it's not that easy to park. Second reason is the proximity to Bree street and as you saw, there are lots of fantastic restaurants and coffee shops and it's a really vibrant area, especially on that first Thursday that I mentioned. And because of its proximity right in the centre of town, obviously it's really easy to get around. I suggest, like, you don't necessarily need a car, but you can use my city bus or you can use Uber to get to Table Mountain to get to VA and other areas that I've shown you throughout this video. So that's three reasons why you might want to stay here. Now, let's look at three reasons why you might not want to stay. And one of them is fairly obvious. Compared to the other areas that I've shown you today, the city area, the CBD area is pretty gritty and real. And you've seen that there's more homeless people. I think I just got propositioned on video as well. And certainly at night you want to be careful. I wouldn't walk around at night. I would get a cab to wherever I was going. So that is definitely a concern of safety. Secondly, it can be really noisy. I mean, it's been pretty noisy just walking around during the day, but it can get noisy at night as well. So if you want somewhere quiet and peaceful, then this area probably isn't for you. And thirdly, like I said, in the other places as well, we are not close to the sea here. So if you want a beach holiday chore, you can easily get to Camps Bay or Clifton really quickly. But you're going to have to get an Uber or driver. This area is definitely not a beach area. So that might be another reason why you don't want to stay here.

So that's a wrap on two really different locations. Which would you pick, the VA or the City bowl area? In fact, this is a wrap on this series of videos where we've looked at Camps Bay, Green Point, Sea Point, De Vorticant, the V and A and the City Bow area.

Now, a few of you have requested.

That I do some videos on other areas. So if you'd like me to shoot another video on a different area that we haven't covered in this series, then do leave a comment and let us know. And of course, if you found today's video useful, then please do hit the like button and hit the subscribe button so you're alerted when a new video goes live. It doesn't cost you anything, but it really helps us and the algorithm show our video to more people just like you. But other than that, this is James and Rob, and we will see you next Sunday.

Safety.