The coast · Cape Town and the winelands
Seven in the evening, still light.
High summer on the Atlantic seaboard, a day in the winelands, and the penguins at Boulders.
December is Cape Town's high summer. The light lasts until around eight in the evening, the Atlantic seaboard is full of life, and the winelands are about an hour away.
The seaboard
Most families base themselves on the Atlantic side: a villa above Camps Bay or Clifton, with the Twelve Apostles behind and the sea in front. Clifton's four beaches are sheltered by granite boulders from the summer wind, and the water is cold enough to make a swim feel earned.
The winelands
An hour inland, the Cape winelands keep a different pace. A day at an estate such as Delaire Graff above Stellenbosch, with lunch looking out over the vines to the mountains beyond, is the kind of day that tends to get repeated.
For the children
South of the city, the African penguins at Boulders Beach in Simon's Town walk past at knee height, and there is a sheltered beach to swim from beside them. It is a morning children talk about for days.
Home for the holidays
For families staying in South Africa this year, we arrange the parts that make it feel like a holiday: the villa, the chef, the table at the right restaurant and a day in the winelands with a driver.
For family flying in from London or further, we arrange the transfers, a second villa nearby, and a plan for the days everyone wants to spend together.
