If winter seems too much to endure in the Northern Hemisphere, summer hits full stride in Cape Town with effortless sunshine and packed beaches that are a welcome reprieve come January. Summer utopia can be a bit bewildering at first, however, listening to DJs contemplate the top song of summer and various advertisements for 'Back to School' sales and beach bonfires that only feel familiar after 24-hours in flip-flops and coconut-scented sunscreen.
While most people will send you to the V&A Waterfront, we say skip the touristy-district in lieu of the Gardens and more traditional hotel choices like Belmond Mount Nelson that's perfectly located off Kloof Street or beachy POD Hotel in Camps Bay that's designer chic albeit a bit overwhelmed with summertime crowds. Cape Towners love their breakfasts, evident from the diaspora of hipster spots like Lola's on Long Street, retail-chic Latitude 33 or the various locations of Knead across town. Call time for the beach is 2pm in Cape Town, enduring the congested roads that lead to trendy Clifton and its chicer strips of sand along 3rd and 4th Streets. Afterward, Bungalow lures St. Tropez exiles in popped collars and faces covered in sunglasses with a grilled seafood menu overlooking the southern Cape.
As the sun goes into its evening sequester, the city's more lively pubs and taverns come to life like La Parada with tapas curated by El Bulli alum or The Grand and Beach Bar that's only steps from the sea. In terms of haute cuisine, Luke Dale Evans currently holds the top toque in town with his acclaimed Test Kitchen that cannot be recommended enough for a thoughtful, earth-driven menu or perhaps his more casual Pot Luck Club located atop a former factory in the city's Woodstock neighborhood. Afterward, chic enclaves of mixology await back in the city center from The Orphanage with its hipster dance floor and bearded bartenders that toss, shake and stir until 3am.
