view of table mountain from the pool @ backpackers boutique
having met some fantastic people in stellenbosch on nye we headed to cape town on the morning of jan 1st to end our organised trip. I was staying in the Boutique backpackers and would recommend it to anyone heading to cape town. It costs a little more than some others but it was a great base for exploring cape town (very close to long street), with the best views of table mountain and the table cloth, from both the pool and the bar. Everyone here (besides being generally hungover form nye) was really friendly and there was just a great vibe around the place. The only downside was the bar/food service was comically slow, but even that just seamed to add to the character of the place. Anyway having only 3 days to spend exploring cape town i washard pushed to get everything i wanted to do in.
Houts bay
i'd already decided that i'd be coming back, so took the time to chill out with a couple of guys from the tour i'd just finished and a couple of the girls we met in stellenbosch. This meant i got mor o a local feel as they took us to places that they enjoyed, which meant we spent time wanderin around funky little old skool beach towns, long beach, Blaauwberg a fantastic drive along chapmans peak, where we even saw a whale, and the sealions just in Houts bay, and got to see fantastic sunsets and views of table mountain from table view. Weather put pay to cage diving with sharks, which i wasn't to sure about doing anyway as i'm not a fan of baiting animals to get them to perform, so will do a freedive when i return with my padi certificate :) On my last day instead of going up the peak we headed to newlands and spent the day just relaxing with a few beers watching the test match between south africa & the west indies.
sunset at Blaauwberg
This was ridicously cheap at just over 2 pounds a ticket. Newlands is 1 of the best settings to watch a game of cricket, with the amazing backdrop of the castle brewery and mountains, while you just lay back on the grass mound and soak up the sun. This followed by a few drinks down on the V&A waterfront was a fantastic end to a great trip across 5 countries over 4 awesome weeks. I met soo many great people, had such a variety of great experiences, saw some awesome sights, all that was left to do now was to get back to work in England for monday morning via Jo'burg and abu dhabi, and start planning my return to do all the things i didn't get to do....
before you even set foot into the place your already taken back with the view of table mountain, this place sits a couple of minutes walk from the top of long street(party place of cape town) and almost right underneath the famous mountain. Once inside the secure gates, ur greeted by very friendly staff at reception. Even though i turned up around lunch time on new years day and people were still suffering from hangovers everybody was very welcoming. The rooms are very spacious and airy, and of a very high standard, with individual safes too. The hostel is a lot bigger than it appears from the outside, with funky little bar and courtyard to sit, chill out and plan the next move, or get to know some fellow travellers. Everybody here was incredibly friendly and tries to make you feel like your at home. The service at the bar was comically slow ( hell it was new years day i guess) but even that just added to the character of the place. The views from the pool of table mountain are mesmerising as you sit and watch the table cloth realign itself, while catching a few rays :) The hostel offers everything you need with internet, travel desk, kitchen, parking etc. would highly recommend it to anybody wanting great accommadation while in cape town :)
the bar area
view from the pool
