Thursday, March 17, 2011

Romantic Holidays In Cape Town

Enjoy a romantic boat cruise
If the romance of the sea has always intrigued you, its hard to top a sunset cruise in Cape Town harbour. What could be more tranquil than sitting back with a glass of champagne, taking in the views of Table Mountain and the city skyline as the sun goes down. For an even more glamorous nautical experience, try a yacht ride off the Clifton coast.

If you love views of the ocean, but prefer to remain on dry land, a try sunset stroll along the promenade in Sea Point. Then amble over to Wakame to share fresh sushi and a bottle of wine.

Cape Town is a gourmet paradise, and there are plenty of restaurants perfect for a romantic dinner for two.

Romantic dining in Cape Town
For special anniversaries, La Colombe in Constantia is one of the finest restaurants in the world. Mint Restaurant at the Taj Hotel offers local and international fare prepared with the freshest ingredients. For a more casual supper, have a gourmet burger at the supremely hip Royale Eatery on Long Street before dancing the night away with your beloved.

Picnics for two
If you prefer to take your meal outdoors, Cape Town is not short of spectacular settings. A picnic remains a classic romantic idea, and Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden is one of the worlds great picnic spots. You can buy a picnic hamper at the garden, which you can enjoy on the manicured lawns, surrounded by lush indigenous vegetation. Positioned at the foot of Table Mountain, for many tourists this will be their first taste of the mountains verdant eastern slope.

Cape Towns elegant beaches are also wonderful picnic spots: Clifton at sundown is picture-perfect. Alternatively, enjoy the novel experience of swimming with penguins at Boulders Beach.

Romance and adventure
Adventure lovers will find no shortage of things to do. Cape Town has too many hiking trails to mention, with several in Kirstenbosch alone. It is even possible to climb Table Mountain from there. Walk in Silvermine and enjoy the subtle beauty of Cape fynbos. For a real romantic adventure, climb Lions Head during a full moon. If that sounds wastefully energetic, take a cable car up Table Mountain and take in a panoramic view of the city.

Love and wine
Visiting a wine farm is a more sedate way to enjoy Cape Towns natural attractions. There are fine estates in the Cape Town suburb of Constantia, like Buitenverwachting and Groot Constantia (established by Simon van der Stel, it is the oldest estate in South Africa). Or take a short drive and taste fine local wines at the many estates in Stellenbosch or Franschhoek.

Cape Town has a rich heritage, and there are plenty of galleries and museums to interest more culturally inclined couples. Taking a walk through Company Gardens, in the centre of town, to the South African National Gallery must be one of the most romantic ways to enjoy fine art. Or catch a play at one of Cape Towns theatres, like iconic Baxter or the new Athol Fugard Theatre, named in honour of South Africas greatest living playwright. For something edgier, try Vaudeville, a fantasy supper club where you can eat drink and be entertained followed by a night of revelry at the adjoining Fez club.

Recuperate with breakfast (maybe even a champagne breakfast!) at one of Cape Towns fine hotels. Try perfect pastries at Mint at the Taj Cape Town or take a hearty brunch at Gordon Ramsay Maze at the One&Only Cape Town.

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Boat Charter V&A Waterfront

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Cape Town Travel Information

The City of Cape Town on the Southern tip of Africa is a famous melting pot of cultures and a prime tourist destination. Dubbed the “Mother City”, this location offers every desirable tourist activity under the sun so dont get stuck without car hire in Cape Town.

"Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder"

Cape Town is internationally known as one of the most picturesque travel destinations. Its trendy beaches and the iconic Table Mountain, together with the impressive floral surrounds, wine route travel and the majestic Cape Peninsula justify this perception. It isn’t surprising then that it has been rated the most popular tourist destination in Africa, even outshining Cairo in the popularity polls. Part of its fame can be attributed to its favourable climate, natural splendour and first-rate infrastructure which make visiting the city a pleasure.

A Clash of Cultures

The history of the city is multifaceted and the reason for its cosmopolitan nature today. Everywhere you look there is evidence of its worldly identity: the Victorian architecture, traditional mosques, and upmarket, sophisticated boutiques and eateries point out the different cultural influences. This amalgamation resulted from the occupation of the region by the Indonesian, French, British, Dutch, and German settlers, as well as local Bushmen and the arrival of Hottentot and Bantu tribes over the years.

Top 5 Tourist Attractions

Cape Town City Travel is guaranteed to satisfy every taste – no matter how quirky or conventional. The list of to-dos is endless and will keep you and your fellow travellers enthralled for days. The variety of attractions range from the historical and architectural, to those orientated towards the outdoors and adventure.

* Table Mountain

Undeniably the city’s most breathtaking sight, Table Mountain recently made it into the final round of the New 7 Wonders of Nature contest. You can choose to either take a cable car up to the top or can enjoy a challenging walk through the Skeleton Gorge trail. Once you have completed the climb, the unbeatable views of the city will make the experience worthwhile.

* Robben Island

Located in Table Bay just below Table Mountain, Robben Island is a major symbol of South Africa’s segregated past. It is famously known for the isolated prison it hosted during the Apartheid years when political opposition figures such as former President and Nobel Laureate Nelson Mandela were forced to stay there for many years.

* Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

Situated at the foot of Table Mountain, the magnificient Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens hold more than 20’ 000 native plant species that can be observed at your own leisure. You will need at least an hour to stroll around the lower part of the gardens, or you can enjoy a shorter walk along the pathways of the slopes. Must-see attractions include the scented, protea, herb, and rock gardens. Don’t forget to stop off at the Bird Bath, a pool that occupies the centre of a shady area inhabited by 70-year-old yellowwood trees.

* Victoria and Albert Waterfront

Built in 1860 the V & A Waterfront is first and foremost an entertainment quarter that attracts over 13 million visitors annually. Its eclectic array of shops, restaurants, hotels and theatres attract crowds all year round – especially in the cold winter months. Named after Queen Victoria and her second son Alfred, this continues to be one of the liveliest locations in Cape Town.

* Chapman’s Peak Drive

This scenic meandering drive will take you from Hout Bay around Chapman’s Peak to Noordhoek on the Atlantic Coast, where you will experience the most impressive marine drive in the world. This 9km route has a total of 114 curves and offers travelers a marvelous 180° view of the surrounds. Stop off along the way at any one of the several picnic spots to absorb the natural beauty – if you are lucky enough, you may even spot a Southern Right whale. Be aware that the road has been under construction for the past few months and is set to reopen in October 2009, well in time for the 2010 World Cup.

Source: Car Hire Cape Town

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Business English Writing - A Great Method to Improve Quickly

You need to practice writing if you want to improve your business English writing abilities. Many students go to English forums for writing practice but they soon discover that almost all Business English forums are filled with really poor writers. A lot of students will introduce themselves and say they want to practice their English and make friends. It takes a long time to meet someone who is also serious about improving their writing skills for business purposes. I think a good solution is to go to a paid forum.

Obviously people do not like to pay for things when they are offered for free, but the advantage of a paid forum is that you are writing only with people who are serious. Who would every pay for a forum if they were not serious? Also, the moderators of a paid business English forum will be likely to be much more helpful since they are making some money off this service. You can also practice networking because you will be dealing with a higher level of English learners. Many poor English students do not even have a credit card or know how to use it online. If you can use one, you will set yourself up for making new friends, improving your business writing, and making real quality business contacts from around the world.

The whole "paid" forum idea sounded weird to me at first as well, but my father joined a paid forum for investing. All the people who use the forum are smart investors and share amazing information you would never find on the news. He used a lot of that information and made over a million dollars in 5 years. He retired from teaching at the age of 49. You do not have to pay a lot of money for a good forum, but it is good to shop around for one with other users who are serious about earning money and improving their writing and understanding of international business.

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Study English in Cape Town

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Self Catering Cape Town Accommodation

The self catering market in Cape Town is huge. There are from studio apartments to villas available for rental in all the popular areas in and around Cape Town.

Many of the areas a bit further away from the city are extremely popular with tourists. From the towns such as Gordons Bay and Summerset West to the quaint little seaside and fishing villages of Kalk Bay, Hout Bay and Fish Hoek, all are equally popular with tourists and locals.

Cape Town has some of the best supermarkets, delis and restaurants in South Africa, so self catering doesn’t even mean you have to make your own food. Seven of the top 10 restaurants in South Africa are situated in the areas around Cape Town.

The number one restaurant in South African and one of the 50 best in the world, La Colombe is in Constantia and with lovely views over the vineyards and magnificent gardens combined with excellent food, it is the perfect night out.

Other favorites are Blues in Camps Bay with lovely views from the balcony area and Cantina Tequila at the V&A Waterfront as well as the Greenhouse at the Cellars-Hohenhort hotel in Constantia. These are but the tip of the mountain as there are many more, from basic steakhouses to fine dining cuisine and some hide-away cafes with unpretentious wholesome meals that won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

The residents of Kalk Bay and Fish Hoek tried to keep their Olympia Café a secret for many years, but more and more tourists are finding out about this place and unfortunately for them the secret is out.

All these areas have lots of self catering facilities available and if you want to make your choice according to the culinary experiences close by, you won’t have a problem. Kalk Bay has, apart from the Olympia Café, another eight or nine great restaurants and Fish Hoek around the corner has a great bistro on the beach.

Fish Hoek and Kalk Bay both have a variety of self catering venues to choose from. The Mountain House, Dolphin Apartment and Tudor House are a few of the possibilities in Fish Hoek. Many apartments are on the slope of the mountain and have great views of the sea and the beach. Kalk Bay has Arrecife, Bishop’s view, Harbour Place and Seamount Seaside Cottages, to name a few.

Closer to the city the popular self catering areas of Cape Town are the luxury apartments at Victoria & Alfred Waterfront with a massive fast food court and many other restaurants in the shopping area as well as the many hotels in the area.

In the city itself Gardens, Tamboerskloof, De Waterkant and Bo-Kaap are some of the favorite areas, while Sea Point and Green Point is about five minutes form the city. Aubergine Cape Town, situated in Gardens is one of the best restaurants in the city. The other outstanding eating experience in the city is at the Mount Nelson Hotel. Their Afternoon Tea is described as one of the best in the world.

No matter where or what you want to eat there will be a perfect self catering venue in Cape Town close to your choice.

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Cape Town Guest House