7 Things to do this week(end)
Travel Cape Town on a bike + 20 more things to do this week(end)
Last updated: Tuesday, 13 July
Restaurants are open in lockdown level 4 (hold the alcohol). Head into town for a midweek sushi dinner date with your partner, enjoy a 10% lunch deal on a gorgeous wine estate or spend your Sunday having a full rotisserie lunch.
Head’s up: due to adjusted level 4 alert restrictions some events may be on hold. You can stay updated on encouraging coronavirus stats and lockdown news.
ENJOY 10% OFF LUNCH ON A STUNNING ESTATE
At Gabriëlskloof Wine Estate everyone is welcome, even dogs. The kids will love the open lawns while parents relax with a gourmet picnic basket to enjoy in private overlooking the vineyards and mountain range. Plus CapeTownmagazine.com readers get 10% off lunch till August at Gabriëlskloof Wine Estate.Date: Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm and Saturday, 11am – 3pm
LOCALS STAY FOR FREE AT CLOUD 9
If a luxurious, boutique hotel offered you a free night’s stay, would you take it? Cloud 9 Boutique Hotel on Kloof Nek Road is running a “local is lekker” special and we’ve got a funny feeling the spot will book out quickly. Here’s what we know: when you and a partner indulge in a dinner on the rooftop Mountain Club restaurant and/or at the Deluxe spa downstairs to the value of R750pp you qualify for a complimentary nights stay at Cloud 9 Boutique Hotel. Date: valid until the end of August
LET THE KIDS BRAVE A GAME OF PAINTBALL
The kids can duck, dive and dodge their way through a friendly game of paintball or laser tag at Imhoff Farm. Parents take that time and share a plate of salmon roses at Umami Sushi or a coffee with a pastry snack at The Free Range Shop and Deli. You could also do more activities from finding hidden treasure at the scratch patch, play in a room made of trampolines or discover 37 more things to do with the kids.
Date: Monday – Sunday, 9am to 5pm You may also like: keeping the kids entertained with heaps of things to do when it rains
EAT A TRADITIONAL SOUTH AFRICAN MEAL
Stay for lunch at Leopard’s Leap Family Vineyards. It’s the type of place where everyone will find just the right type of food to keep them happy. There’s a rotisserie section and a harvest table, perfect for many tastes (and pockets) during lunch at Leopard’s Leap.
Date: Tuesday to Saturday 9am–5pm and Sunday from 11am–5pm You may also like: getting the kids involved in dinner with 7 simple, but tasty recipes to make with the little ones
VISIT TWO OCEANS AQUARIUM BEFORE THE RUSH
Take a trip to Two Oceans Aquarium and visit everyone’s favourite: penguins. It’s hard to resist spending time with these adorable seabirds in tuxedos. This is just one of the aquarium species, which has about 8 000 fantastic sea creatures, including jellyfish and other incredible invertebrates. There are even some creatures that don’t have a brain or heart at the Two Oceans Aquarium.
Date: Daily, 9:30am – 6pm weekdays & 9am – 6pm weekends You may also like: treating the little ones to a friendly alpaca, a visit to the space agency and other free and cheap things you can do with the kids
RIDE A SWISS-DESIGNED MOUNTAIN SCOOTER
Race down the bumpy rollers on top of the Dragons Back or skid under the canopy of trees in the Bush Tunnel in Scootours newest dirt Flow Trail at Middelvlei Wine Farm. Plus, team days and kids’ birthday parties get a complimentary boerebraai with a ride on a Monster Mountain Scooter with Scootours.
Date: Tuesday – Sunday, rides depart between 09:00; 10:00; 11:00; 12:00; 13:00; 14:00; 15:00; 16:00. You can book your spot via scootourscapetown.activitar.com
HAVE A THEATRICAL DINNER TO A LIVE DJ
Zsa Zsa Restaurant is the perfect dinner-party-with-a-vibe experience. Set in the middle of Hout Street, this ultra-glamorous restaurant, inspired by legendary actor and socialite Zsa Zsa Gabor, has a resident DJ and a decadent French-, Italian- and Mediterranean-style menu. There are also surprise performances every night, so you never know what’s going to happen at Zsa Zsa Restaurant.
Date: Tuesday – Saturday, 4pm – 11pm
STOCK UP ON HALF-PRICE FRESH PRODUCE
Visit the Fresh Produce Market in Stellenbosch and save up to 50% on the cost of vegetables and fruit. The produce comes from Greendrop Farms, which uses hydroponic farming methods, and in Stellenbosch the market is held there. If that’s too far away for you, there are two sites closer to Cape Town, in Durbanville and Strand. It happens every Saturday. Plus, in Stellenbosch, you can also go on a free hydroponic tour when you visit Greendrop Farms.
Date: Every Saturday, 8am- 1pm You may also like: trying out a full vegan comfort meal at the Vegan Butcherie in Woodstock
SNACK ON BEAUTIFUL CUPCAKES AT THE WATERFRONT
If you haven’t gone to the new district of the V&A Waterfront for young local foodie talent, you’re missing out. Makers Landing is a food community where the brightest minds in food can hone their skills. Think shisanyama, samosas and a gatsby sandwich – classic, simple South African food with a gourmet twist. The market has also started doing delivery boxes stocked with gourmet burgers, crispy samosas and more. If you’re planning your summer holidays, make sure you don’t miss Makers Landing.
Date: Thursday to Saturday: 10am-7pm, Sunday: 10am – 5pm You may also like: exploring the beauty of little towns through outstanding and out of town markets around Cape Town
SERVE UP A SUCCULENT ROTISSERIE LUNCH
When you get a hankering for a roast chicken and a table filled with plates of vegetables and salads, then Leopard’s Leap Family Vineyards is the answer. Every Wednesday to Sunday chef Christiaan Visser puts together a meal that is served at your table, designed for sharing between family and friends. There are other options besides chicken, including pork and lamb, and plenty of vegetable choices, too, at the Leopard’s Leap Rotisserie.
Date: Every Wednesday to Sunday, 9am-4pm
RIDE ON THE BACK OF A HARLEY DAVIDSON
Driving the roads of a town or country on a bike is one of the most exciting ways to sightsee. You’re entirely engaged with the scenery, nature and elements. And in the Western Cape we have no shortage of gorgeous landscapes. Here are four routes to take and the bikes to do them on, by Jörg Vogel owner of Cape Bike Travel.
Date: Monday – Friday, 8:00 – 6pm; Saturday, 9am – 12pm and Sunday, 9am – 10am You may also like: exploring everything the Western Cape has to offer a stunning day trip
PLAY TENNIS IN A STUNNING VILLA
Samadhi in Hout Bay is the dream house for the holidays: a pool that stretches along the deck with views of the bay beyond, mountains and greenery surrounding it, a cottage with a tennis court for the best of days playing long rallies. This dream villa also has a dream winter special; it costs R20 000 less than the usual rate, so you can stay at Samadhi over winter.
Date: Special on 1 May – 30 September 2021
IMMERSE YOURSELF IN NATURAL BEAUTY
You won’t find a better escape or deal, than at Wolfkop Camping Villages and Nature Reserve in Citrusdal in the Cederberg right now. On this special, you can stay at the camping villages for only R250 per person mid-week (minimum booking of 2 people), on the weekends it costs R350 per person (minimum booking of 6 people for 2 nights). The deal also applies to the Wolfkop Nature Reserve cottages Mid-week you can stay there for only R300 per person (minimum of 4 people). Activities are also discounted at Wolfkop Camping Villages and Nature Reserve.
Date: Monday – Sunday. Mid-week nights are Sunday to Thursday You may also like: finding more awesome adventures at some of Cape Town’s top camping sites
TAKE IN LIVE ENTERTAINMENT + BANTING SPECIALS
A Low Carb A-Fair, hosted by Banting Baker Gigi and We Love Low Carb, welcomes all foodies. Together with other traders, it brings top-quality food and loads of flavour to this market which has anything from boerie rolls to cake, ice cream and cheese. There will also be specials and lots of tasters available, as well as live entertainment. You might find banting and keto aren’t boring when you visit A Low Carb A-Fair.
Date: The first Saturday of every month in Helderberg, Strand from 9am – 2 pm and again on the last Saturday of every month from 9 am – 3 pm in Paarden Eiland.
LOCK EYES WITH A GREAT WHITE SHARK
Whether you are an adrenaline junkie or a nature lover, seeing a shark in its natural habitat is an exciting experience. It’s why people come from all over the world to see the great white sharks in Gansbaai, aka the great white shark capital of the world. White Shark Diving Company is running spectacular specials for shark-cage diving. Prices are up to R700 less than usual .
Date: Every day You may also like: petting an animal that’s a bit safer, and friendlier looking, than the toothy great white shark at vredenheim-animal-farm
ENJOY A WINE TASTING THAT’S IDEAL FOR WINTER
Winter’s coming, as the famous phrase now goes, and one of the best destinations to earmark for a winter outing is La Motte wine estate. Not only does it have a state-of-the-art wine-tasting facility attached to the impressive cellar (which you can tour), but it also has a fabulous fireplace where you can settle in to taste and savour the range of wines, from current vintages to more rare and limited edition wines.
Date: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10.30am. Tastings are by reservation, so call ahead
MAKE YOUR UNIQUE BRAND OF GIN
Gin lovers, listen up! Try your hand at crafting the perfect gin. Distillers & Union offer a gin-making course where you can personalise everything from your favourite fragrant botanical spices to the alcohol level and even the logo. The co-founders Simon Von Witt and Warren Harries-Jones have some award-winning vodkas, rums and a spicy, fiery ginger-beer range ready for you to sample at Distillers & Union.
Date: Monday to Saturday, 10am – 6pm You may also like: finding out what other spectacular selection of gin tastings Cape Town has to offer
SIP AND SWIRL LIMITED-EDITION WINES
The Vinoteque Tasting at La Motte is special because the wines you’ll taste are limited and have been reserved for tasting only for that reason. This tasting is the only way you’ll get to drink the Millennium, a Bordeaux-inspired blend of Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon of vintages from 2003, 2004, 2008 and 2009. Taste rate, limited, premium vintages at La Motte Wine Estate.
Date: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30am. Tastings are by reservation, so call ahead
SAMPLE TOP CAP CLASSIQUE SPARKLING WINES
It’s not only one of the country’s most eco-progressive wine estates, it also has a reasonably priced wine tasting (R40 for 6 different wines), which happens to include some of the best Cap Classiques in the country. Villiera is the Stellenbosch family-run wine farm with award-winning Cap Classiques, premium red and white wines and a wildlife sanctuary. See game such as kudu, even giraffes at Villiera Wines.
Date: Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm and Saturday, 9am – 3pm You may also like: witnessing a golden wildebeest at Vredenheim animal park or relaxing on more safari game drives around Cape Town.
Article Originally appeared in Cape Town Magazine