09 Feb Travel to Cape Town with kids
It’s like we were living a dream when we travelled to Cape Town with kids! In October 2021, we flew from Amsterdam to South Africa with our 3 year old and 3 months old boys! For 10 days, we stayed in this beautiful city that offers the most incredible nature, insanely beautiful beaches, astonishing views over the sea, adventurous hikes, delicious restaurants, amazing playgrounds, excellent and child-friendly hotels and the most welcoming people.
Where to sleep in Cape Town:
Cape Town has many nice (and safe) neighborhoods to stay in. We chose Hout Bay, as it was close to the beach and we found a fantastic little cottage that was child friendly and had a pool: Hout Bay Beach Cottage. The cottage was well secured, had three bed rooms, a wide kitchen and living room, beautiful garden with toys, bbq, fire place, bath room with bath, and a whole closet filled with toys.
The second part of our stay in Cape Town, we booked the Houtkapperspoort Mountain Cottage. This cottage was situated very central, and offered beautiful views, outdoor swimming pool, tennis court, play ground, garden with springbokjes and a bbq.
Where to eat in Cape Town:
Go and have breakfast at Blockhouse Kitchen offering delicious breakfast options and a playground for the kids! Also, we very much liked the Deus Cafe as it also had a lovely playground and amazing pastries and smoothie bowls. You can also get something to go and take it with you to Llandudno Beach, a beautiful secluded beach! For lunch, visit The Lawns at the Roundhouse. With kids, make sure to make your reservation at level 4 as the playground is right there. In the city centre I suggest to go to The Ladder or Laude Classic Cars, where you can enjoy a delicious cappuccino surrounded by classic Rolls Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, Aston Martin and all other investment classics (#boysmom). Also, Dunes Beach Restaurant in Hout Bay is really nice. They have a fun playground, good coffee and yummy sushi! We didn’t go out for dinner with our 2 kids, but I’m absolutely sure there are some amazing restaurants to visit at night like The Potluck Club.
What to do in Cape Town
On weekends you want to visit The Old Biscuit Mill. At this neighbourhood market, you can enjoy the most delicious food and drinks from food stalls, great clothing stalls, crafts, artisan products, and just about everything else you could want! V&A Waterfront is very touristy but perfect for a rainy/windy day. Here you can go shopping and visit the Aquarium, which was really fun. I really liked the Vovo Telo cafe as they had delicious Chai Latte, pastries, white hot chocolate and a playground in front of the terrace. Also, make sure to visit the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens! We also made a promise to ourselves to return to Cape Town when our kids are older to climd Table Mountain and Lion’s Head. We didn’t want to push our limits and do this with such young kids, but we understand that that hike is absolutely amazing!
Day trip from Cape Town
So, for this adventure you want to start the day early! Take the scenic route Chapman’s Peak and stop in Noordhoek. The Foodbarn offers delicious food (best Tune Tartar I ever had, which you can have for breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner so a must order!) and it’s attached to a playground. Then, continue your trip to Kaap de Goede Hoop. This is – of course – a must see! We went all the way up to the lighthouse, which was easy as there is a little cable car; the last few steps are easy with kids. The views are absolutely magnificent! On your way back to Cape Town, make sure to stop to see the penguins. Don’t go to Boulders Beach (you have to pay and lots of tourists), but stop at the beach next to it: Seaforth Beach. Here, your kids can run around (don’t forget to bring swimwear) and penguins will play with them. On your way back you want to make a stop for dinner and a sun downer with beautiful views over the ocean at Cape Point Vineyards.
I really hope you can visit Cape Town one day and that these tips will help you to make this your best vacation ever!
– As always, thank you for reading! XoXo Susanne! –
P.s. You might also like our stay in Kansas City: The Fontaine Hotel & What your bag says about your personality!