Labotessa Luxury Boutique Hotel

Worth getting out of bed for

Pulling yourself away from the bed is a whole lot easier when you’ve got African sun and fragrant coffee to look forward to. Labotessa’s cobbled terrace is the place to savour both, and you’ll also be able to watch the square come to life over breakfast. Beyond that, you’ll likely spend most of your time at the hotel in your suite, at the café or in the fragrant lobby boutique. If you’re after local tips, be sure to swing by the front desk, where the staff have got all the cards up their sleeves. For local history, check out the Castle of Good Hope (the oldest building in South Africa), historic Greenmarket Square and the Company’s Gardens, Cape Town’s green lung. If you’re up for a challenge, ask about hiking routes on Table Mountain and Signal Hill, a favourite picnic spot among locals.  And, with the Cape Winelands so close by, it would seem rude not to arrange a tasting or two…

Capetonians love to eat, and with good reason – the city really makes the most of the world-class vineyards and farms in the Western Cape’s fertile hills and valleys. You’ll get plenty of chance to savour the region’s produce in restaurants, but you can also peruse the goods at the OZCF Market on the V&A Waterfront, where you’ll find everything from organic veg to small-batch muesli; markets run every Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday. Housed in a former biscuit factory, the Neighbourgoods Market is another hive of entrepreneurialism and slow-food appreciation. Take a pew at one of the communal tables and tuck into artisanal pizzas, barbecued meats or curries drawn from across the African continent. Pair with a local craft beer or glass of Cape wine, before loading up with churros and browsing the stalls selling leather goods, organic bath products and records. Cape Town is also home to a clutch of independent distilleries, including the Hope Distillery (which makes gin, vodka and agave spirits), Woodstock Gin and the Distiller's Union, where small-batch producers are able to distill spirits in top-of-the-range equipment. All three offer tastings with nibbles. For wild swimming or surfing, head south to Llandudno, a spacious stretch of sand framed by smooth granite boulders and moss-green banks.

Local restaurants

Styled like an elegant Nordic café, Hemelhuijs is one of the city’s favourite brunch spots, serving an all-day menu that showcases the best of the local waters, pastures and farms. The deceptively simple dishes are served on crockery that’s handmade by chef and owner Jacques Erasmus, who’s also behind the café’s winning interiors. For a laid-back dinner, try tapas restaurant La Parada, which serves a tantalising medley of Spanish, South American and South African dishes. Don’t pass on the miso aubergine, smoked ham croquetas or paprika and orange-glazed ribs. Cutting-edge cooking and flawless service are de rigueur at fine-dining restaurant Fyn, where the chefs prepare Japanese-fusion dishes from a gleaming open kitchen. The countless wooden disks that dangle from the ceiling are a feast for the eyes, but we’ll wager you’ll forget all about them once the food arrives…