Kidger House! We have stayed there twice - most recently in July 2012. Two wonderful hosts in Mark and Tony, lovely rooms in a beautiful home, a great location in Newlands, a delicious breakfast - highly recommended! CR

http://www.kidgerhouse.co.za/

Canadian_robin: Thanks for sharing. Kidger House looks like a lovely place to stay in Newlands. How did you find it? I didn't see any reviews of it on tripadvisor. Was it in a guidebook? I have Fodors and Frommers guidebooks, although not in front of me at the moment. I was also just checking out the Greenwood Guide on-line.

My fav WAS Abbey Manor, but now Sun Safaris launched something that I simply must try; "African Elite Properties".

http://www.sunsafaris.com/city/south-africa/western-cape/cape-town/african-elite-properties.html

Seems like a great concept; "Luxury serviced accommodation in private homes and apartments for short- or long-term rentals".

A friend of mine got a proposal from Sun that included these, so I saw pics & locations (and prices!) and I must admit I was impressed.

Now if only I had some vacation days left to spend this year...

Ciao,

J.

I have not stayed in Kidger House as I am a Cape Townian but I googled their address and their location is brilliant for getting around Cape Town. I used to live very close to there and know how convenient it was. Kistenbosch Gardens are a hop and a skip away. Their house is just off the freeway that would take you to Table Mountain / Central Cape Town and the City Bowl area . To get to the Waterfront is about 15 mins - really easy directions. Similarly you are not far from the N2 which would take you out to Stellenbosch / the winelands etc. The N2 is also the road you would take to Hermanus for whale watching and Gansbaai for shark cage diving. If you want to go to Franschhoek, you would head out on the N2 but then link off to the M5 to get to the N1. All really really easy.
To get to Muizenberg / Fishhoek / Simonstown / Cape Point etc, the preferred direction of travel to maximise your views of the ocean would be to travel from Newlands and head south along the M3 and just keep following the ocean / peninsula.
You definitely can't go wrong staying in this area of Newlands. The only thing which would be better in town is your choice of restaurants and the fact that each evening after returning from your travels you would be able to take a stroll along the waters edge of Green Point / Sea Point etc (if your weary limbs allowed you to!) Otherwise, from a convenience point of view, this area is great!
As I have not been to the guest house, I cannot comment on the accommodation but I see that they are listed in The Portfolio Collection http://www.portfoliocollection.com/location/Newlands which means they can't be half bad at all!
Have fun choosing

We had a paperback copy of The Portfolio Collection when we did our first driving tour of the Cape area back in 2004. It was really helpful, and we found great places to stay quite affordably. The people are so friendly and the physical landscape so stunning, it will always remain one of my favorite destinations in the world. We are headed back next month and looking forward to it greatly.

Kensington Place http://www.kensingtonplace.co.za/ remians my favorite so far. I like small properties (10 rooms or fewer) that are able to offer an individualized experience and Kensington Place does this very well. They also have a wonderful breakfast which sets the mood for the rest of my day.

Melissa 5 - I found Kidger House in a hard copy of the Greenwood Guide for South Africa.

Kaapie: thanks for the local perspective and for the details on accessibility for day tours using newlands as a base! That is very helpful! I enjoy researching my accommodation choices. Can you suggest other areas in the vicinity of cape town which are top choices for convenient "bases"? What are the top choices regarding most convenient areas in your opinion? With 6 or 7 nights in cape town area we have time for day trips in our rental car.

THANKS everybody for sharing and I'd love to hear from everyone so please chime in with your favorites!

Newlands is a nice area, it's neighbour Claremont has the best shopping mall in CT. Rondebosch is nice too for a wander around.

I stayed in Constantia a couple of times, is a very nice 'posh' peaceful location about 40 mins from the city, same goes for Bishopscourt. I think anywhere else maybe to far out from Town? I used to live in Clovelly but it's a good 45 mins drive from the city centre, you get the best of both worlds here, mountains & sea views of each side of the peninsula. Simon's Town & Kalk Bay are 5 mins away, Noordhoek 10 mins, Tokai forest 15 mins, Stellenbosch 40 mins, the N2 is about 20 mins, airport 25 mins, Hermanus 45 mins to an hour depends on route you take. The whales come in very close at the Clovelly end of Fish Hoek beach, you can get very close & at night you hear them making a right old racket! This side of the peninsula is called False Bay, it's the Indian Ocean.

On the Atlantic side popular places are Hout Bay 25 mins from the city, nice place but occasionally the fishy smell 'wafts' across, Llandudno 20 mins to city, lovely beach, Camps Bay 15 mins to city, very popular tourist & local's fav place, trendy, apart from Main Road it's quite a steep hill but Table Mountain & Signal Hill are just 5 mins away.

I've no opinion of the city bowl area as I've not stayed here.

At the moment there are very tedious roadworks happening between Kalk Bay and Fishhoek and they will be ongoing for the next year or so and they are having a major effect on traffic in this area. Clovelly sits between these two places so, for the next 12 months or so, I would not suggest staying there.

Cape Town is in general an easy place to get around (especially seeing as you have the mountain as a constant landmark). However, traffic is becoming a problem so if you can avoid unnecessary commuting, I would do so. We live in Constantia and although it is easy to get to and I really love staying here (in the valley amoung the vineyards), living in Newlands was far easier ito getting around.
Melissa5 I will get back to you about other possible bases - it would also depend on what's important at your base - scenery? service? ability to walk around in the immediate area or are you mostly looking for a convenient place to stay?

Having stayed at most hotels in Cape Town my favourite is The 12 Apostles and Ellerman House. I like them most because of their location and being out of the hustle and bustle of the Waterfront, Sea Point and Camps Bay. But then I am now in my 50's so for younger guests The Waterfront and Camps Bay might appeal.

It depends on what you are looking for.

More Hotels have a fantastic hotel in Kloof Street for the ones who want to have the night life on their doorstep.

I have also spent a night aboard a luxury yacht in front of the Cape Grace and it was wonderful, Celeste and I had such a romantic night.

So many to choose from but it depends on what you are looking for.

Yours on Safari
Mark

Braaiseason: thanks for Shari g all the details about the area! Simonstown had a nice guesthouse listed in the greenwood guide as well. It's so helpful to hear all this info. I'd love to hear the whales making a racket!

Kaapie: thanks fire the update on roadworks between Kali bay and fishhook. What a nuisance. I appreciate all your comments. You adked what we are most wanting as far as our Base for 6 or 7 nights near cape town area. Convenience of location for driving is important. We will be taking day trips to the cape peninsula and to cape wine lands and west coast as well as seeing cape town sites. It is also nice if tasty casual local restaurants are near our accommodation for dinner either by a short easy drive or by walking. scenery is a nice bonus but the most important criteria for our base would be convenience of location and quiet at night for sleeping and easy short drive to tasty casual dinners. Thanks for asking!!!

<:b>Kaapie<:/b> sorry for the typos above. I'm using my iPhone which changes words without my permission!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhh!!!! )-:

Kaapie I typed "the roadworks between Kalk bay and fishhoek" but my iPhone changed the spelling to Kali bay! Sorry. See above question please.

Tags_safaris: thanks for the reply. We are in our 50s as well and I do like a quiet night's sleep on vacation! I will have a look at 12 apostles and Ellerman house. It sure helps when everyone mentions why they like their favorites because I'm getting a clearer picture of the cape town and nearby area.

Melissa5

Go for the 12 Apostles or Ellerman House. You won't be dissapointed I promise.

Yours on Safari
Mark

The above 2 recommendations would be very dependent on what type of budget you have for accommodation

We just got back last week and stayed at 12 Apostles which we enjoyed. It's out of the hustle and bustle, had a great sunset bar and restaurant and the staff was fabulous. Also easy to get to and from - especially with a car. The hotel will take you to the waterfront on a shuttle, complimentary, I think. We too had a rental car and a Garmin. Get the Garmin for sure! We experienced the terrible traffic/road work in Simons Town and Fishhoek area - do not stay there as you will be sitting forever in traffic to go anywhere. If you want to go and see the penguins at Boulders Beach, then go early early morning before the traffic is bad. The good thing about staying at the waterfront are the restaurants nearby. If you want to be on a beach, then Camps Bay might be a better choice. Maybe consider dividing your time between Cape Town and the Winelands area (Franschoek) for 2 nights. We thought in retrospect that that might have been a good way to go.

We had friends stay at the Twelve Apostles when they came to visit us in Cape Town (May 2012). They were on a fully inclusive tour, and the TA was the assigned hotel in Cape Town. The hotel was beautifully decorated, the staff seemed very professional, the hotel was easy to reach from our home in Rondebosch and convenient to many of Cape Town's highlights, and there was a stunning view of the ocean from the bar and dining room. We enjoyed high tea with our friends at the hotel, which was very classy and featured excellent food. The only downside I saw was their room. It was tiny (the bed took up most of it) and on the back side of the hotel - no ocean view and a poor view of the mountain. They asked about upgrading to a room with an ocean view, but the cost of upgrading was high enough (I am afraid I do not remember the amount, but I believe it was several thousand rand) that they did not even consider it. While the room was very nicely decorated, I did not think it was worth the price. If you are going to stay at the Twelve Apostles and spend any time in your room, make certain that the rate they quote you is for a room with a view of the ocean and one that is larger than a closet. CR

'At the moment there are very tedious roadworks happening between Kalk Bay and Fishhoek and they will be ongoing for the next year or so and they are having a major effect on traffic in this area. '

Still??? This is a really long project. We usually spend most of the winter in the Cape, and last February decided to go to Kalk Bay, one of our favourite locations for lunch. I knew we had come across roadworks further north several years ago, and couldn't believe they would still be in action. Of course we got caught up in the construction in the middle of town. (I recently checked online to see how it was going, and found a report of an incident where the cement truck for the project had got caught in a low tunnel. Not good for speedy resolution.)

I guess it will be another few years before that part of the coast is easily accessible.

We in fact rent an apartment in Gordon's Bay, just the other side of False Bay, which is perfect for us, as we have easy access to Stellenbosch and the vinyeards, can get into town if we want to, or go east towards Hermanus. Also last year discovered the Elgin area more, which we liked, especially the Open Garden weekend.

Not really what tourists coming for a short stay are looking for, but you did ask what was our favourite accommodation.

Carlux - they have finally finished the section between Muizenberg and Kalk Bay (where Boyes Drive meets Kalk Bay Main Rd) but have now started on the section of road between Kalk Bay and Fishhoek and it is causing horrible traffic jams. The only alternative route is via Ou Kaapse Weg which, as you can imagine, has now become really busy. I think they said it will be another 18 months until its finished???

Breakwater Lodge was nice when I stayed there earlier this year. The staff were super friendly and helpful and the location was great, just near the Waterfront. It is a big hotel though, so if you are after a smaller boutique place this isn't the right option. It was a jail at the time Nelson Mandela was incarcerated, so there's a bit of history about it. There's also a hospitality school co-located on the site so I think we are helping the students by staying there It's part of the Protea chain, and not too badly priced I don't think.