Perfect Beaches for Perfect Vacations

Beaches abound all over the Western Cape. Most of them have long stretches of fine, white sand, gently sloping into either the cold Atlantic sea or the warmer (noticeably degrees warmer) Indian Ocean.

Each has its own characteristics and distinct recreational facilities, such as surfing from Muizenburg on the Indian Ocean to Kite surfing along the Northern Suburbs beaches from Milnerton right down to Bloubergstrand.

Along the way, you’ll find delightful spots, such as:

• Clifton
• Llandudno
• Hout Bay
• Fish Hoek
• Kalk Bay
• Simon’s Town
• St James

False Bay Beaches – Warmer water, Surfing and Penguins, heading towards Cape Point

The beaches of False Bay are on the Indian Ocean side of Cape Town. They are recognised as having warmer water and lie all the way down the coast to Cape Point, where the two oceans meet.

You can visibly see the waters blending together, calmer on the Indian Ocean side and with the waves crashing onto the sands and rocks on the Atlantic Ocean side.

Heading from Muizenburg, through St James, Kalk Bay, Fish Hoek, Simon’s Town and Boulders Beach, you come to Cape Point.

St James

On driving into St James, you will begin to see why Cecil Rhodes decided to retire to this delightful little nook with its bright, colourful bathing huts and small sandy beach, just itching to occupy even the smallest child in the pursuit of sand castles decorated with the prettiest shells.

Cecil Rhodes’s cottage is now a museum open to the public, housing many of his personal possessions and beautiful period furniture.

Why not look at Sonnekus Guest House. as a place to stay in St James.

Other guest houses and self catering properties can be found at Fish Hoek and Kalk Bay. Just click on the list to the left hand side of the page.

Muizenburg

Just before reaching St James, you’ll come to the beach of Muizenburg. This is recognised as one of the best surfing beaches in Cape Town.

With slightly warmer water of the Indian ocean to play in, you’ll appreciate the gentle waves that roll in for some distance before depositing you on soft sand, especially if you’re a beginner!

For the more advanced surfer, the larger waves further North along the beach will more than satisfy your need for speed. Body boarding is also popular here, but the children both assure me that it’s better on Milnerton Beach, simply because the waves crash more heavily onto the sand there. The biggest draw-back to Milnerton is the freezing cold water. The water at Muizenburg and all along False Bay truly is noticeably warmer, even I can manage to paddle without my feet going completely numb.

One of the best surfing shops in Muizenburg is Gary’s Surf Shop, with friendly helpful staff to assist you with hiring or purchases of equipment. There’s even a TV for those that would prefer to watch the cricket than dive into the water.

Muizenburg, itself, is rather run down and in need of refurbishment, which I understand is imminent, so surf there and then head down to Kalk Bay for coffee, brunch and quaint shops.

Simon's Town

Simon’s Town is a naval base. The SA Navy is based here and the harbour has been used by the British too, over the years. The town itself retains the pretty Victorian fretwork on the verandas and balconies of the houses and once again quaint shops with giftware and antiques jostle side by side with the marine atmosphere.

As you might expect seafood is at its freshest here and most of the restaurants offer this on their menus. One particularly good seafood restaurant is the Black Marlin, Main Road, Miller's Point.

One of the most fascinating beaches to visit is Boulders Beach. Here you will be able to swim with the African Penguins.

This really is an experience you would be hard pressed to repeat anywhere else. Their characters are amusing to watch, just don’t get too close to them on land, as they can give a nasty bite. They can be a bit smelly too, so may be you’ll want to find somewhere else to sunbathe!

For a range of guest houses, self catering properties and hotels, visit this site.

All along this incredible coastline, you’ll find the most wonderfully deserted beaches with fine white sand, where you can quite easily be the only person on the beach, just don’t expect too much in the way of facilities!

But that’s the charm - sophisticated Cape Town and then within a one hour drive, peace and solitude.

Standing at Cape Point and facing inland, you’ll have the Atlantic Ocean on your left hand side.

The range of beaches is mind boggling and you could spend the best part of your vacation only visiting a handful of the most glorious beaches on earth, but here’s a quick round-up of the ones we personally like to visit most.