V&A Waterfront weekend

The V&A Waterfront is one of Cape Town's top tourist spots for shopping, dining and staying over. It's also a great place for locals to hang out.

Locals don't usually stay over at the Waterfront though, mainly because the hotel prices are not really geared toward the average Rand earner and Capetonians have kinda "been there, done that" (plus, one could argue, where is the sense in staying just 10 - 30 minutes away from your home - right?)...

...BUT, despite all these facts, I can highly recommend staying at the Waterfront for a mini, luxury weekend away for locals and obviously it's still a great choice for a tourist.

The Victoria & Alfred Hotel

We stayed at the very lovely, 4-star rated, Victoria & Alfred hotel . Like most of the Waterfront's hotels, it is central to everything and offers views over the harbour and mountain.

We booked a 'Superior double room with harbour & mountain view' for one night. The room was a good size with a huge, comfy bed and a little seating area. The bathroom was modern and had a bath and a shower. Basically all you could want. Though the room lacked a major wow-factor, the view from the room did not.....

 The above photo is the actual view from the hotel room (with a view like this, who even needs to leave the room?)

The Victoria and Alfred Hotel also has a great restaurant, Ginja, where they do a pretty impressive buffet breakfast at R250 per person.

My top 4 things to do at the V & A Waterfront on a couples weekend away:

While there's plenty to do at the waterfront, - Aquarium, spa's, markets,whisky tastings etc - it's hard to fit it all into a weekend away. So here's my list of top things to do as a couple with only 2 days there.

1. Go on a champagne, sunset cruise - I cannot recommend this enough. It's fun, romantic and will provide you with amazing views of Table Mountain from the ocean. This time around I booked through Waterfront Charters and went on the Esperance sail boat. It was fantastic. My only advice is to dress warm, as it gets really chilly out at sea. Here are a few pics from my sunset cruise... 

2. Take a ride on the Cape Wheel - ok, this won't be on everyone's list (I will admit it is a tiny bit lame), but I thought it was cool to see the Waterfront from up high. It's R120 per person (with R5 of that being donated to the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation) and it's just a 10 - 12 minute ride in your own, little air-conditioned cabin. For me it felt like a fancier version of the old school ferris wheel rides, but with better views and less fear of falling to your death. 

3. Eat dinner at a Great restaurant -  Pretty simple, since there's quite a few brilliant ones to choose from. My top pick for Sushi and dim sum is Sevruga or if you are thinking of going very fancy go to Signal restaurant at The Cape Grace Hotel. Dash restaurant  and Ginja are also both also fantastic and modern.

4. Walk around and look at stuff - There's lots of shops and markets in and around the Waterfront. Spending a few hours just walking around is a great way to see all that is on offer. There's the Watershed - with all its great local stuff. The Food market - with waaay too many delicious food options and the whole Mall to explore (which has everything from a movie theatre to Louis Vuitton inside). Also, while just walking around you will definitely see  some street performers or musicians doing their thing.

All in all it was a great weekend away at the V &amp A. I'll just leave you with this dorky selfie now...