News · Capetown · Cape Town a holiday maker's paradise.
Cape Town a holiday maker's paradise.
Late Nights and Lazy Lounging in Cosmopolitan Cape Town
The inhabitants of the beautiful seaside city of Cape Town, South Africa,
are notoriously easygoing. And even though the Mexican idea of siesta has not
been instituted here, the concept is certainly not foreign to any deserving
Capetonian. No wonder the Mother City's social scene is bursting at the seams
with an exciting mix of laid back lounges , serious clubs and trendy bars with
a decidedly African twist.
Ironically, one of the coolest hangouts in Cape Town, is called Joburg. Even
though most South Africans travel long distances without blinking twice, an
invitation to party in Joburg doesn't necessarily mean booking a flight to
Johannesburg. This legendary bar-club is situated in the bustling, cosmopolitan
Long Street, and attracts an extremely varied crowd – from trendy locals,
grungy art students and international models to part-of-the-furniture regulars
and weathered backpackers. You might even find the occasional businessman
enjoying an after work drink, seamlessly blending in with the relaxed
atmosphere of the place.
The quirky, predominantly red interior is enhanced by a mirror ball shaped
like the Johannesburg skyline as well as an impressive permanent collection of
work by famous local artists including such respected South African icons as
Conrad Botes, Doreen Southwood and Brett Murray.
Adjacent to the bar, is the relatively tiny dance area – jokingly referred
to as Pretoria – where some of Cape Town's best DJ's do their thing. The
eclectic sounds they produce are synonymous with Joburg and include anything
from serious Hip-Hop, to Electro Eighties Pop and Live Jazz. From the wall of
the raised DJ-box a neon sign declaring the sentence “Know thy worth”, casts a
sexy glow on the good looking crowd getting down with it, below.
For late night winding down, head a block further up the road to the equally
fashionable Marvel, where you'll most definitely find the religious Joburg
crowd getting their late night fix of vinyl scratching, while lounging in the
bistro-style seating till the early hours of the morning.
Further down the street, the choice of venue is as diverse as the many
cultures housed in this city. At Orchard Bank sip on fishbowl-sized cocktails
in the minimalist lounge, or head to the huge dance floor in the basement,
where a mixed crowd dances to anything from House, to Pop and Reggae.
Diagonally opposite, down a hidden, narrow alley, is the sleek Miam-Miam
where early night drinks can easily turn into late night dancing. But if you're
not in the mood for a squeaky clean crowd, head upstairs to Zula where Cape
Town's Goth crowd headbang to the dark sounds of serious Metal, Goth-Funk and
the occasional live band.
On the other side of town, in the slightly more commercial clubbing hot spot
of Somerset road in Greenpoint, devoted clubbers rub shoulders with students on
mid-week booze binges and trendy suburbanites looking for their fix of serious
dancing. Here, designer hangouts like Opium - a winning combination of stylish
cocktail lounge and serious dance floor - and the more definitive clubbing hub,
Confessions, draw polished crowds who are as serious about their fashionable
attire as they are about their dance moves.
On a prominent street corner in this district, Cape Town's oldest and most
famous gay club, Bronx, is situated. Here predominantly gay men and a rather
strong following of straight women come to enjoy good music and incredibly
good-looking barmen. The varied crowd inevitably includes some
straight-guys-in-the-know, hoping to find a beautiful girl with her guard down.
If any or all of the above sound like too much of a commitment, head over
the mountain to the breathtakingly beautiful Camps Bay, where you can have a
quiet drink in a sophisticated cocktail lounge while soaking up the sun and
enjoying some of the most spectacular sunsets on the African continent.
With a happening social scene and such a wide range of incredibly cool
venue's, Cape Town is any holiday maker's paradise. No matter what your
preference or mood – if you plan to visit Cape Town with the intention of
winding-down, you're most certainly on your way to the perfect destination.
Kobus van der Merwe is the editor of CityGuideSA - a
comprehensive online travel resource with up-to-date information on where to
Eat, Stay and Play in Cape Town, Johannesburg,
Durban and the Garden Route.
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