OT: Cape Town/Dubai
I will be traveling over there at the beginning of next year. Looking to get some recommendations of things to see, place to eat, etc. Figured the best place for me to ask would be the board since i don't know anyone who has traveled to either place personally.
They have an amazing airshow every year and a tour of the Oshkosh Truck Factory is always fun! Oh yeah, Beer, Brats and Cheese.
Now that's the kind of info I'm looking for. Many thanks.
The stuff. Super duper.
Definately check out the mosque in abu dhabi. Also take a desert tour, its an interesting experience
Dubai reminds me a lot of Vegas. Things look cool and shinny and new but its not all that. Do you have a specific area you're looking at staying in?
Cape Town is another story. I live in South Africa and love it. How much time do you have in SA? Are you there for work or just the vaca?
What types of restaurants do you like? Low key or fancy pants you need a reservation kind of thing? Cape Town is a great city for food. They have it all. My first recommendation is try to avoid the touristy waterfront for food. Its pretty shit.
Fancy pants restaurants - You'll see Test Kitchen at the top of a lot of lists. Its good but really different. Janse and Co, La Tete and Grub and Vine are all fantastic.
If you're more good food and don't care about the scene, Nelson's Eye has one of the best steaks I've ever had. Its a great place.
If you have a car there's a little wine town not far from Cape Town called Franschhoek. Put it on your list and leave it there because its AMAZING. They have great vineyards and the food is epic.
Touristy stuff.. Table mountain is a must. You'll have some pretty awesome pics and views from the top. I wasn't a fan of the prison tour to see Mandela's cell. It took half the day and to me it was boring. Camps Bay is always a good time.
Cape Town Bars - The Dubliner has great live music and a good crowd. Its always a good time.
The best strip club is Mavericks. The rest are garbage.
We used Santa Cruise tours for airport pickup/drop off and private tours in the Cape Town area. I highly recommend going the private tour route - either them or another operator. And eat the seafood.
I would just pass over Dubai, personally. I think the downsides have been well enumerated upon by others.
Cape Town however was an incredible experience. If anything, just being there and seeing the interplay between sea, land, and mountain was stunning. Make sure you do Table Mountain for great views, make sure you get yourself to the actual Cape (one of my favorite places in the world - just stunning views). The second is a bit of a pain but super worth it - can't not do it.
We ate at Hussar Grill a few times. I think there are a few locations. They specialize in meat, and you can get some slightly more exotic animals than beef there given the proximity to other sorts of antelope / wild game. The hog ribs were incredible, for example.
Cannot say enough good things about Cape Town. Have a great time.
Cape town is great- BE careful at night though!!! Hire a guide and take a tour to the end of the world and around the cape. Jackass penguins- Flase bay - the 12 apostles - its a neat day.
Robin Island is really neat and a must do!!
Wine country is great - Spier is a great place in Stellenbosch and 15 min up the road is a cheetah rescue - that's pretty neat. Cheetahs are not natural predators and if hurt young can be raised pretty tame.
Good recommendations...but the 12 Apostles are in Australia :)
Spent about a month in Cape Town during the World Cup, so this may be dated.
Green Point was a great spot to hang out - right by the ocean, lots of green space and nice restaurants/cafes.
The journey to Table Mountain - I mean, you could spend days up there. It's more like a park that deserves more than a day. You can take the hiking route then the gondola down if you wish.
Stellenbosch is incredible.
Robben Island and the townships deserve attention - ZA is an incredible country with a very complicated and frustrating past that reveals itself in modern-day struggles. Taking that into context helps.
Dark horse option: if you have enough time, fly up to Namibia and check out Sossusvlei (it's a trip).
Love it! I'm heading back to SA on Saturday...Durban > Cape Town > Sossus, Namibia > Joburg
I'd recommend touring the Constantia wine region in Cape Town. One of the vineyards now has a very cool zip line, and coincidentally it's the last stop in the tour, so zip lining with a buzz is pretty awesome. Safe travels!
In Cape Town, the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens are totally worth it, even if you don't think you'll enjoy it. Robben Island is a haul but very worth it, a very moving experience. District Six is closer and also moving. Table Mountain is something of a must. There are plenty of other great things - Stellenbosch, the Cape of Good Hope - just a day's drive away. Cape Town is a wonderful city.
My advice for Dubai is to get a short connection so you don’t have to leave the airport. Or even better yet, book a different layover.
Go to South Africa. It is full of once in a lifetime adventures like safari and shark cage diving. Not to mention incredible (and affordable) food and wine, rich history with very moving experiences (Apartheid museum, Robben Island).
I have tons of recommendations for lesser traveled spots in SA as well...I've spent time living there and am heading back there in 2 days.
I appreciate everyones advice. Still planning to go to Cape Town, but will skip Dubai and find somewhere else to go.