This article is written by HHWT Explorer Raihana Abbas. If you're interested in sharing your story or travel experience with the HHWT community, pleasefill in the form here.
My husband and I booked a flight to Cape Town in May 2022, just when the borders were slowly opening. While many countries were rolling out post-Covid regulations and rules, South Africa was going back to their pre-Covid regulations, hence why we chose to go there!
Day 1: Saturday, June 17 - Arrival at Cape Town
Arrival at Cape Town
- We had a layover in Johannesburg, South Africa for an hour.
- We arrived at Cape Town International Airport – do not expect a world class airport like Changi. There are not that many shops but it is busy with people.
- Be mindful of the many drivers seeking to offer rides at varied costs – best not to jump into any car!
- We arranged an airport transfer to the hotel in advance. The hotel itself arranged this, as we called ahead and they helped to fix a transfer for us.
- This is the best arrangement instead of private hire especially since the journey to the hotel is slightly over an hour.
Accommodation: Check in at Victoria & Alfred Hotel in Cape Town
- Friendly staff, along with a convenient and safe location!
- There are a lot of halal and seafood restaurants in the vicinity.
- There are also big and small malls with supermarkets and anything that any discerning tourist needs – chips, moisturisers, souvenirs etc.
Address: Pier Head, V&A Complex, Dock Rd, Victoria & Alfred, Cape Town, Western Cape, 8001, South Africa.
- We spent our morning walking within the 123-hectare area around our hotel. It is huge so we took different routes and walked not less than 3 km.
- Walking in winter by the waterfront was effortless with cooled temperatures ranging 12-14 degrees Celsius when we were there.
- But it was the view that made our morning walk memorable and a definite must. Wherever we walked, the Table Mountain and the Waterfront were never far – which made for a perfect and romantic backdrop for all our pictures.
- More importantly, whether it is day or night, Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is very safe. They have their own security and everywhere is well lit.
Lunch - Col’Cacchio
- This was a great halal eatery that served Italian food.
- We had their pizzas and salad!
- They were to die for – especially considering I am not much of an Italian cuisine fan.
- Their pizza bases were handmade and fresh, and so were the vegetables and meats used.
- When we got the bill (our first food bill in Cape Town) our jaws dropped!
- Our salad was 89 Rand and pizza, 169 Rand – that was SGD4.50 for the salad for two and SGD12 for the medium pizza.
- With drinks our food bill barely amounted to SGD25!
- We happily gave our server a tip of 20% of the bill. She was certainly happy and so were we.
- Bear in mind that the servers there do not earn much.
- All the servers that served us were amazing, friendly and accommodating to our needs.
- Often, we gave more than the obligatory 10% of the tip bill. They deserved it!
Address: Shop 7205, Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
Opening Hours: Mon - Sun, 11am to 9pm
Day 2: Sunday, June 18 - Day trip: Table Mountain hike, Penguins, Cape Point
Breakfast - Hotel Restaurant
- Victoria & Alfred Hotel
- The breakfast here is not halal-certified. We really had to be mindful of the meat & freshly cooked egg sections. We had bread and fruit instead for breakfast every morning there.
Activity: Embark on a day trip to Table Mountain, Cape Point Nature Reserve, and Cape of Good Hope
Table Mountain – includes a cable car ride up
- The Table Mountain occupies much of Cape Town. As the name suggests, it is wide and flat.
- The operator picked us up from our hotel in a small bus. There were about ten of us with one guide. To me, it felt like the perfect number of people to be able to have a good interaction with the guide.
- The journey up the mountain was interesting and helped give us a slice of South African geographical, historical and socio-political background.
- We took the cable car up, and it was absolutely picturesque.
- At the peak, we were given time by ourselves to walk around. The view here was magnificent albeit the fog and cold winds.
Camp’s Bay
- The drive to Camp’s Bay was just as amazing!
- We got a view of both the 12 Apostles and part of the Lion Head, which is another mountain nearby.
Chapman’s Peak Drive
- We got off the bus and took some pictures here.
- There was a beautiful coastline – something you would expect on a drive along Australian or Hawaiian coasts.
Boulder’s Beach Penguins
- We had a good view of the African Penguins.
- They were quite distinct from the usual penguins we see in other zoos. It helped that the colony was in the wild.
Cape Point Nature Reserve
- The reserve was en route to Cape of Good Hope.
- The cold winter could easily fool one into thinking that we were in parts of Europe.
- Again, it was worth every picture – nature at its best.
Cape of Good Hope
- This was another highlight of the day trip.
- This is the southernmost tip of the continent!
- Its winter wind was strong and it made sense why it used to be called the Cape of Storms.
- Do note, as meals are not included in the tour, we packed ourselves food to eat during the stop for lunch in the area!
- For this tour, we booked it through Viator, and the price was SGD150.22 for two pax!
Day 3: Monday, June 19 - Safari Tour
Activity: Safari Tour
- We were picked up by a car from our lobby.
- It was a very private and personal trip, considering the owner of the company and his guide were with us.
- The former felt bad that the tour had to be postponed twice due to heavy rains and flooding at the safari.
- The almost three-hour car journey was memorable.
- We talked about South African AND Singaporean people, history, geography, politics, culture. They learnt much about us as we did them.
- Once we arrived, we were treated to a halal buffet lunch at the reserve.
- There was a good spread of different meats, fresh vegetables and breads.
- We rode in a Jeep across the 10,000 hectares reserve trying to capture a glimpse of the Big 5.
- We did manage to get close to lions, elephants, buffalos and rhinoceros.
- The leopard was nowhere to be seen, as they are more likely to be seen at night when they hunt. This is a given considering this is a reserve and not a zoo.
- We managed to see animals in their natural, wild habitat. It felt good that our money helps these animals live in their wildest, protected from poachers.
- Tour operator: Born in Africa Tours
- SGD 360.76 each
Day 4: Tuesday, June 20 - Helicopter Tour
Accommodation: Taj Cape Town
- Located in the CBD area, its décor is very Indian-inspired.
- The room we stayed in overlooked Table Mountain.
- Our room screamed opulence, definitely anything but the minimalist Victoria & Alfred Hotel room we stayed in.
- However, even though it is situated in the CBD, it is unsafe. We were advised to stay in the hotel when it got dark.
- Take extra safety measures when you’re exploring this area, as we were warned that tourists are usually the target for crime.
Address: 1 Waal Straat, corner St Georges Mall, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa
Website
Brunch - Saray Restaurant
- We were the first customers at this halal restaurant for brunch.
- They gave us Turkish bread, Za’atar, on the house.
- We had Mixed Pide, Hummus, salad and drinks.
- It was a real feast, and we didn’t pay more than SGD35, with tips included!
- The food was good, the meat and vegetables were fresh and well-seasoned.
- The staff were friendly and attentive to details.
- We ate outside so that we could enjoy the winter breeze and the restaurant brought a mobile heater and placed it near our table so that we could enjoy the meal and breeze without freezing.
Address: Shop G01 Clocktower Building, S Arm Rd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Opening hours: 11am - 11pm (Sun - Thurs), 11am - 11.30pm (Fri - Sat)
Website
Activity: Helicopter tour
- We were extremely excited for this as it was our first helicopter ride!
- This was a Father’s Day gift from our kids and their spouses and thus it was extra special.
- Though we booked in advance, the ride was dependent (like the safari) on the weather. If it rained or the wind was too strong, the ride could be postponed or even cancelled. We had to wait almost six hours before we could eventually fly.
- But the wait was totally worth it.
- We had a good aerial view of the coast, and part of the route that we took on our coastal drive was clearly visible from the air.
Address: Sport Helicopter Rides Cape Town, 3E Pier Road, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Price: SGD 160 each for a 15-min coast ride
Website
Dinner: Cape Town Fish Market
- While it is a fish market, we had burgers, fries and salads!
- It is not halal-certified as it serves liquor but one of its owners is a Muslim and thus all its meats come from Muslim butchery.
- And yes, like all other meals our feasts cost no more than SGD 30 with tips, and often we gave more than 10% tips.
Address: Shop G12, Clock Tower, Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, Western Cape, 8002
Opening hours: 11am - 11.30pm (Sun - Thurs), 11am - 11pm (Fri - Sat)
Day 5: Wednesday, June 21 - Free City Tour
Breakfast - Taj Cape Hotel Restaurant
- This hotel has halal buffet spreads!
- We ate here most mornings for the rest of the trip!
Activity: Free City Tour
- Our walking tour was to Bo Kaap that started at 4.00 pm.
- Bo Kaap is a predominantly Muslim area of Indonesia/Malaysia lineage brought by the Dutch from Indonesia and Malaysia.
- We got a taste of some Malay food with African influences.
- The volunteer guide was a great storyteller making the trip a very interesting one.
- We certainly had a more in-depth peek into Dutch and English colonisation of South Africa and its South East Asian connections.
- Free – just tip the guide at the end of the tour
- Ours was a Bo Kaap Tour which was 1.5 hours
- The meeting place was a café next to our hotel
- There are two tours per day - 2.20 pm and 4.00 pm
Lunch - Kynsna Oyster Company
- Not halal certified but it serves no pork/pork by-products as it is a seafood restaurant
- Take note: they do serve liquor in the restaurant
- Famed for its oysters, it did not disappoint with its fresh ingredients and hospitable and friendly staff.
- 12 big oysters with toppings only cost us SGD17 and its garlic prawns, only SGD10.
Address: Shop 1, Wine Centre Building, 35 Port Rd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Opening hours: 11am - 10pm daily
Dinner - Taj Cape Hotel Restaurant
- Along with our breakfasts, we also ate here for dinner as it had a good spread of Middle Eastern and Western dishes.
- Even meals at this luxurious hotel were affordable especially at its Mint Restaurant and Wood-Fired Grill.
- Both our dinner meals of steaks, salads, burgers, koftas and lamb shank never exceeded SGD 50.
Day 6: Thursday, June 22 - Free & Easy
Activity: Museum Visit
- We visited the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz Mocaa).
- Originally, we did not plan to visit the museum but a chanced walk around the Waterfront and its décor outside enticed us in.
- The museum was carefully curated to feature African talent/art/influences.
- We learnt more about African culture and how its history moulded its art.
- However, not a place we would go again – a tad too sparse for less-than-enthusiastic art lovers like me and my husband.
Address: V&A Waterfront Silo District, S Arm Rd, Waterfront, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Opening hours: 10 am – 6 pm daily
Admission fee: SGD 17
Lunch: Cape Town Fish Market
- We chose to come back as we loved the food the first time around
- This time, we had steaks and ribs
- One of its owners is a Muslim and thus all its meats come from Muslim butchery.
Dinner - Taj Cape Hotel Restaurant
Day 7: Friday, June 23 - Departure from Cape Town
- We spent the day just doing some last minute shopping in the places around our hotel before heading to the airport to take our departing flight!
If you are travelling to Cape Town soon, here are some tips to take note of!
Getting Around:
- We used Uber to get around in Cape Town.
- It was a safe, reliable, and cheap choice for us.
- It also helped that our day tours included pick-ups and drop-offs at our hotel lobbies, so we did not have to find our own transport to the areas further away.
Weather:
- They have similar seasons as Australia/New Zealand ie. Their winters are from June to September.
- Winters are quiet in Cape Town.
- Europeans often hit Cape Town in the summer ie. December.
- Hence, June is usually a quiet, quaint time there, and you can get many things for a cheaper price
Safety:
- Cape Town has been known to be unsafe for tourists.
- In my opinion, staying at Waterfront area is very safe as they have their own security.
- Outside the Waterfront area, avoid going out at night especially alone.
- Be wary of your surroundings.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not reflect the opinions or views of Have Halal, Will Travel.