Cape Town Car Hire

Cape Town in winter can be a very wet place, a lot of the outdoor activities tend to take a back seat when the rains hit and people often don’t what to do with themselves when the grey clouds gather and the soft rain falls. Cape town can be as an exciting place indoors as outdoors with many good an fun activities and for those who like a bit of spice then there are also many under the cover activities in Cape Town.

For those animal lovers who need to be indoors for a bit.

Places like the Two Oceans Aquarium at the V&A waterfront, with over 3000 animal species type is the perfect place to visit. Here you can see certain sea bird species, water mammals, many different fish types, a Kelp forest and much, much more. For more information contact the aquarium at +27 (0) 21 418 3823.

There is also the spectacular Butterfly World near Paarl is another land of wonder. It is an enclosed garden wonder world that is abound with beautiful flying color. It also features a restaurant where you can obtain refreshment and you can stay as long as you like learning about the different species and how to distinguish them. For more information contact +27 (0) 21 875 5628.

For the Kids

Do you enjoy playing the casino and worry about the kids, Grand West has a fantastic kid’s area that is called magic village. Here you will find a shooting gallery, go carting, racing, rocking boats, and video arcades. For more information contact +27 (0) 21 534 0244.

The icy temperatures call for some warming activities like ice skating. Grand west has an Olympic sized ice rink and just outside a small ice rink for the younger children. Put those blades on and go and enjoy. Contact +27 (0) 21 535 2260 for times and prices.

For the older kids or adults who are still kids at heart then go and try the Kenilworth Kart racing track in Kenilworth behind Access Park. For times and prices contact +27 (0) 21 682 2670/ 6174.

Want to do a bit of shopping and get the younger ones out of your hair for a bit then go to Jimmy’s jungle in the Tygervalley Shopping centre, Claremont or Summerset West. Which caters for children between 6 and 9, for more information contact the head office at +27 (0) 21 556 5034.

Worried that your kids don’t get the exercise that they need and don’t get out of the house much then go to SSISA Kids Club, it has specific programs that are designed with kids in mind and take place 4 days a week. For more information contact +27 (0) 21 659 5600.

For a bit of fun with those kids parties or outings why not go and try Laser Quest which is a harmless action packed shooting area Laser game. Situated in Claremont, for more information contact +27 (0) 21 683 7296.

For family outings

Enjoy your golf, then go and try out the spectacular indoor put put course at the V&A waterfront. Very economical and challenging, contact +27 (0) 21 419 9429 for more information.

Want to learn more about South Africa’s precious and semi precious stones the come and visit the scratch patch and have a go at starting your collection. Situated in Simons town and the V&A Waterfront, for more information contact +27 (0) 21 786 2020 for Simons Town and +27 (0) 21 419 9429 for the V&A Waterfront.

Enjoy your star Gazing then come and visit the planetariums in Cape Town and surrounds for a very peaceful, relaxing and awe inspiring time. There are 2 worth mentioning, the SAAO in Observatory, contact +27 (0) 21 447 0025 and Iziko planetarium at the top of the Cape Town gardens, contact +27 (0) 21 481 3900.

Ten Pin Bowling is a game traditionally going as far back as the early Egyptians and has spread very fast around the world. A good action packed and challenging game for the whole family. There is one in the Tygervalley shopping complex +27 (0) 21 914 8217, N1 city +27 (0) 21 595 2100, Claremont +27 (0) 21 671 1893, and in Somerset West +27 (0) 21 850 0254.

For the young individuals and older Jollers, Cape Town is alive with vibrancy and has entertainments that would keep you partying late into the early hrs of the morning. Try Long Street for a good pub and club crawl or visit Stellenbosch (a university town) for an incredible party.

Labels: Cape Town - Places, Cape Town Car Rental

ONE TRIP JUST ISN'T ENOUGH TO SOUTH AFRICA'S CAPE - By Mike Hamilton, http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk
We knew we were getting too close to the lions when one of them let out a roar that shook the ground beneath our jeep and echoed to the hills.

Graeme, our safari ranger, stayed relaxed. It was "just a territorial warning", he said. This pride weren't a real threat because they had only just been fed.

Oh really, said one of the girls in our party.

In that case, could she be let out of the jeep to "pet" one of the lion cubs? (I kid you not!).

It was only when Graeme warned that he would use his rifle on her, not an attacking lion, that she thought better of it.

When you arrive at malaria-free Shamwari Game Reserve on South Africa's Eastern Cape - outside Port Elizabeth, a two-hour flight from Cape Town - you can see why it's popular with the likes of Brad and Angelina, John Travolta, Tiger Woods and Nicolas Cage. Set in 50,000 acres of countryside with wide-open plains, bare hills and thickly wooded slopes, you feel you have arrived in the real Africa - one where Ernest Hemingway could be propping up the bar having a chinwag with David Attenborough.

No such luck - but within an hour we were up close to some stunning wildlife. In a threehour evening safari, we saw giraffes, a leopard, wildebeest, rhinos and those lions. Amazing.

Shamwari is so well organised they take your post-safari drinks orders and serve them from a hamper while you are out in the wild.

And it is not just safaris that South Africa has to offer. It's a booming tourist destination with something for everyone. More than 750,000 Brits visit every year, with 80 per cent of them staying in and around Cape Town.

Two days before our safari we were relaxing on a wine farm for a tasting hosted by British businessman Tony Hindhaugh.

Tony, 36, bought the Eaglevlei Wine Estate in Stellenbosch for £1million last year - and his story was told on The Discovery Channel's Grape Escape series. A fomer pub chain manager from Tyneside, Tony had little more than ambition and an amateur passion for wine.

But he was inspired to buy his vineyard after a trip around Africa in a 1996 gap year and, though it took him a decade, he worked hard to make his dream come true.

The turning point came at a dinner hosted by singer Sting when Tony pitched the idea to a businessman. Before long he had the funding he needed and the TV company was keen to chart his progress.

After several hiccups, he got the place up and running within 10 months, and he is now supplying Eaglevlei wine to Sainsbury's and taking part in the supermarket chain's Wine Relief project, in which producers donate profits to Comic Relief.

Tony said: "When I first came here in 1996, its beauty hit me like a thunderbolt. You are sandwiched in between Table Mountain and the sea and there is a real aura around the place. I always knew I would come back.

"With South Africa hosting the World Cup in 2010 there is a real buzz about the place and more and more Brits are coming over."

Tony's wine farm is a working vineyard which also hosts tours and tastings for tourists. It's a great day out, and we learned a thing or two about winemaking too. Some amateur tasters spat their samples out, but the majority made the most of it!

We matched the wines up with superb food from chef Herbie van Schalkwyk in Eaglevlei's five-star restaurant. The estate has a jungle gym play area for kids too.

The Stellenbosch Wine Route is the country's most famous, and the nightlife in this university town is lively too, with excellent inexpensive restaurants.

It's a great base for exploring the Cape, and if you're in a big group it's a good idea to hire a driver too. Ours was Deon, a former teacher who knew everything about the area's colourful history and gave a great running commentary as he ferried us round in a minibus.

One trip worth making is whale-watching from a small boat at Hermanus, about a twohour drive away. We saw several whales - one even swam up close to show off before diving under our boat.

I wish I'd taken it easier on the food and drink before the trip though. I was so seasick my "friends" found this spectacle just as entertaining as the whale-watching.

Cape Town itself has a lot to offer - bars, restaurants, good shopping, markets and entertainment. It's one of those places you enjoy so much you start planning a return visit while you're still there.

And we took a short boat trip to Robben Island to see where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 of his 26 years behind bars.

The island is beautiful. The prison and its history are ugly. You get a tour from a former inmate - ours, Sparks, knew Mandela himself - and the bleakness of the place is unbelievable.

It's like a prisoner of war camp.

The great man's cell has been maintained as it was, and it is hard to imagine how he did not lose his mind being caged there for so long.

It was a valuable insight into the history of this beautiful land - but what a relief it was to then see this beautiful coast during a morning of pure, unfettered freedom enjoying the panoramic views from Table Mountain.

THE DEAL

SAFARI All-inclusive from £209pp per night (two sharing). Call 01483 425465 or see www.shamwari.com.

FLIGHTS South African Airways fly direct to Cape Town and Johannesburg from Heathrow (0870 747 1111, www.flysaa.com).

WINE See www.eaglevlei.com for Tony Hindhaugh's wine farm. His Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot cost £6.99 at Sainsbury's. For more wine options, see www.rozendal.co.za, www.wineroute.co.za and www.spier.co.za INFO No jet lag with a two-hour time difference. Check Foreign Office website www.fco.gov.uk for health and safety tips.

AND Car Hire: www.southafrica-carhire.com

Labels: Cape Town - Places

ONE TRIP JUST ISN'T ENOUGH TO SOUTH AFRICA'S CAPE - By Mike Hamilton, http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk
We knew we were getting too close to the lions when one of them let out a roar that shook the ground beneath our jeep and echoed to the hills.

Graeme, our safari ranger, stayed relaxed. It was "just a territorial warning", he said. This pride weren't a real threat because they had only just been fed.

Oh really, said one of the girls in our party.

In that case, could she be let out of the jeep to "pet" one of the lion cubs? (I kid you not!).

It was only when Graeme warned that he would use his rifle on her, not an attacking lion, that she thought better of it.

When you arrive at malaria-free Shamwari Game Reserve on South Africa's Eastern Cape - outside Port Elizabeth, a two-hour flight from Cape Town - you can see why it's popular with the likes of Brad and Angelina, John Travolta, Tiger Woods and Nicolas Cage. Set in 50,000 acres of countryside with wide-open plains, bare hills and thickly wooded slopes, you feel you have arrived in the real Africa - one where Ernest Hemingway could be propping up the bar having a chinwag with David Attenborough.

No such luck - but within an hour we were up close to some stunning wildlife. In a threehour evening safari, we saw giraffes, a leopard, wildebeest, rhinos and those lions. Amazing.

Shamwari is so well organised they take your post-safari drinks orders and serve them from a hamper while you are out in the wild.

And it is not just safaris that South Africa has to offer. It's a booming tourist destination with something for everyone. More than 750,000 Brits visit every year, with 80 per cent of them staying in and around Cape Town.

Two days before our safari we were relaxing on a wine farm for a tasting hosted by British businessman Tony Hindhaugh.

Tony, 36, bought the Eaglevlei Wine Estate in Stellenbosch for £1million last year - and his story was told on The Discovery Channel's Grape Escape series. A fomer pub chain manager from Tyneside, Tony had little more than ambition and an amateur passion for wine.

But he was inspired to buy his vineyard after a trip around Africa in a 1996 gap year and, though it took him a decade, he worked hard to make his dream come true.

The turning point came at a dinner hosted by singer Sting when Tony pitched the idea to a businessman. Before long he had the funding he needed and the TV company was keen to chart his progress.

After several hiccups, he got the place up and running within 10 months, and he is now supplying Eaglevlei wine to Sainsbury's and taking part in the supermarket chain's Wine Relief project, in which producers donate profits to Comic Relief.

Tony said: "When I first came here in 1996, its beauty hit me like a thunderbolt. You are sandwiched in between Table Mountain and the sea and there is a real aura around the place. I always knew I would come back.

"With South Africa hosting the World Cup in 2010 there is a real buzz about the place and more and more Brits are coming over."

Tony's wine farm is a working vineyard which also hosts tours and tastings for tourists. It's a great day out, and we learned a thing or two about winemaking too. Some amateur tasters spat their samples out, but the majority made the most of it!

We matched the wines up with superb food from chef Herbie van Schalkwyk in Eaglevlei's five-star restaurant. The estate has a jungle gym play area for kids too.

The Stellenbosch Wine Route is the country's most famous, and the nightlife in this university town is lively too, with excellent inexpensive restaurants.

It's a great base for exploring the Cape, and if you're in a big group it's a good idea to hire a driver too. Ours was Deon, a former teacher who knew everything about the area's colourful history and gave a great running commentary as he ferried us round in a minibus.

One trip worth making is whale-watching from a small boat at Hermanus, about a twohour drive away. We saw several whales - one even swam up close to show off before diving under our boat.

I wish I'd taken it easier on the food and drink before the trip though. I was so seasick my "friends" found this spectacle just as entertaining as the whale-watching.

Cape Town itself has a lot to offer - bars, restaurants, good shopping, markets and entertainment. It's one of those places you enjoy so much you start planning a return visit while you're still there.

And we took a short boat trip to Robben Island to see where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 of his 26 years behind bars.

The island is beautiful. The prison and its history are ugly. You get a tour from a former inmate - ours, Sparks, knew Mandela himself - and the bleakness of the place is unbelievable.

It's like a prisoner of war camp.

The great man's cell has been maintained as it was, and it is hard to imagine how he did not lose his mind being caged there for so long.

It was a valuable insight into the history of this beautiful land - but what a relief it was to then see this beautiful coast during a morning of pure, unfettered freedom enjoying the panoramic views from Table Mountain.

THE DEAL

SAFARI All-inclusive from £209pp per night (two sharing). Call 01483 425465 or see www.shamwari.com.

FLIGHTS South African Airways fly direct to Cape Town and Johannesburg from Heathrow (0870 747 1111, www.flysaa.com).

WINE See www.eaglevlei.com for Tony Hindhaugh's wine farm. His Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot cost £6.99 at Sainsbury's. For more wine options, see www.rozendal.co.za, www.wineroute.co.za and www.spier.co.za INFO No jet lag with a two-hour time difference. Check Foreign Office website www.fco.gov.uk for health and safety tips.

AND Car Hire: www.southafrica-carhire.com

Labels: Cape Town - Places