Cape Town

Cape Town is the most dramatically situated city on earth. Table Mountain rises 1,086 metres directly above the city centre; the Atlantic Ocean is on one side, False Bay on the other; and the Cape Winelands are 45 minutes away. Gerald has been coming here for years and the setting never loses its power.

TABLE MOUNTAIN

The single best thing you can do in Cape Town is take the cable car to the top of Table Mountain at sunrise. The view — 360 degrees, from the Cape Peninsula to the Winelands to the Atlantic — is extraordinary. Book the first cable car of the day and you'll have the summit largely to yourself. The hike up Platteklip Gorge takes 2 hours and is worth it for the sense of achievement.

THE WINELANDS

The Cape Winelands — Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, and Paarl — are 45 minutes from Cape Town and they're among the best wine regions in the world. Stellenbosch is the most accessible: a university town surrounded by wine estates, with excellent restaurants and a vibrant bar scene. The Pinotage is extraordinary; the Chenin Blanc is world-class.

THE FOOD

La Colombe in Constantia is consistently ranked among the best restaurants in Africa — a tasting menu built around South African ingredients with French technique. For something more casual, the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock hosts the Neighbourgoods Market every Saturday morning: the best food market in South Africa, with producers from across the Cape.

THE BARS

The Gin Bar in De Waterkant has over 200 South African gins and a cocktail programme built around local botanicals. South Africa has one of the most exciting craft gin scenes in the world — the fynbos botanicals (rooibos, buchu, honeybush) produce gins unlike anything you'll find elsewhere. The Fynbos Gin & Tonic is essential.