Lunchtime on the second Sunday of November, the temperature is nudging 27°C, and every outside table is accounted for at the restaurants and cafés that line one of the world’s most spectacular promenades. Those in the best seats can see the waves breaking on a palm-lined beach; those facing the opposite direction have to settle for a mile-long sweep of mountains, a crisp Chardonnay and some very fresh seafood.
The atmosphere at Camps Bay, Cape Town’s most fashionable beach resort, has something of the laid-back, low-rise glamour of Los Angeles about it, a feeling only heightened when the waiter mentions that Tiger Woods dined here the previous night, Vinnie Jones was a frequent visitor the week before and Jean-Claude van Damme is currently relaxing between shoots on his latest movie at a luxury hotel down the road.
The list of celebrity visitors has been growing ever since the Western Cape became a favourite location for filmmakers and commercials directors, and it comes as no surprise to learn that Cape Town is a regular body double for Los Angeles, Monterey and San Francisco.
The diverse scenery, dramatic light and almost guaranteed clear skies have an obvious part to play in this. But equally enticing is the fact that it’s a cheap place to film. In Cape Town you can enjoy king-sized platters of seafood, wines from world-class local vineyards such as Constantia, Paarl and Franschoek, and five-star accommodation — although regular overseas visitors won’t find it as absurdly cheap as it was a couple of years ago when the rand hit an all-time low.
When it comes to accommodating the stars, Cape Town offers elegant luxury in the form of the Mount Nelson hotel; while, at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, the Cape Grace and Table Bay hotels will be joined in the next few years by Sol Kerzner’s latest One&Only six-star venture.
Those who prefer the more informal and hipper draw of Camps Bay are limited to the Bay hotel and The Twelve Apostles, where Van Damme is staying.
The reason for the paucity of choice is that, nestled between the sea and the Twelve Apostles rocks, there is precious little beachfront left to develop in Camps Bay and, being a prime residential suburb, the cost of buying up plots for redevelopment is prohibitive. The ”most desirable property in South Africa” starts at around R4,5-million for a three-bedroom house with a pool — three times the price of a couple of years ago.
However, since South Africa took centre stage as a holiday destination when it hosted the rugby World Cup in 1995, canny Camps Bay residents have been opening up their enviable homes to paying visitors.
And over the years, the degree of sophistication and level of service has risen enormously, so you can now enjoy a taste of penthouse living at almost guest house prices. Heart-stopping views, the roar of the surf and the waft of grilled shellfish comes in at around £100 a couple a night.
There are more than 25 guest houses in the Camps Bay area; here are a couple of the best.
The Bay Atlantic: On a hill two minutes’ walk from the beach and the ”platinum strip” of restaurants and bars of the Promenade, the star turns of this three-storey villa are the swimming pool and gardens with views of the bay and the mountains. Rooms are light, uncluttered, have either wooden or tiled floors and are furnished with simple white linen.
Of the six rooms, three have balconies looking out to sea, while the pool room has a sliding door that opens on to the patio and the prospect of a refreshing plunge. The penthouse suite features a leather sofa, Jacuzzi bath and fireplace as well as a large private balcony. Breakfast is served in the living room on the first floor, so you can wake up to big views and the possibility of seeing whales in the bay over boiled eggs.
The brochure refers to ”a feeling of understated luxury”, but it’s the casual and comfortable atmosphere that makes the Bay Atlantic special.
Built as a family home in the early 1970s by Bernie Smith, it has been run as a guest house for seven years by his son David and his daughter Jennifer and her husband.
David, who grew up in the house and has surfed at Camps Bay since he was a boy, pads around the villa in T-shirt, board shorts and flip-flops, so there’s no standing on ceremony. He’s seen the area grow from one Wimpy bar and a beachside café into ”fashion central”, and can offer an insider’s guide to where’s hot and where’s not. Guests are free to lounge by the terrace, or ask David (also a tour guide) for tips about day trips around the Western Cape. If someone wants another beer by the pool, David will drop it down to them; if guests fancy a barbecue, Bernie will fire up the braai. The motto here is ”arrive as a guest, leave as a friend”.
Whale Cottage: When Chris von Ulmenstein bought Whale Cottage on the sweep of Camps Bay Drive, it was a traditional three-bedroom cottage overlooking the beach. Since then, she has added another floor with steel strutted balconies, and the white-washed building with blue-shuttered windows has taken on a distinctly contemporary feel.
From the outside, Whale Cottage looks like an imposing mansion, but the marine colours and beach-style furniture lend warmth to the 10 en suite bedrooms inside, and the breakfast room radiates with light from the French windows opening on to a pool overlooking the bay.
Chris has designed all of the interiors with a Greek influence — an attempt to ”bring the sea into the house”, she says — from the blue-washed walls to the white furniture and wooden or tiled floors, but there’s a sense of Changing Rooms overkill in the shell, lighthouse and boating motifs, which detract from the stunning views out to sea. Nevertheless, it’s bright and breezy.
The Camps Bay residence is part of the Whale Cottages group, which takes its name from the original property in the whale-watching centre of Hermanus Bay. There is also a guest house in Bakoven and one planned for Franschoek.
At Camps Bay, the cottage is a five-minute walk from the beach and features two pools, seven rooms with sea-facing views and balconies, and an honesty bar. It offers continental breakfast. — Â