Hi,
We are coming to South Africa for a trip in early Oct and are having trouble with a few spots on our trip (honeymoon).

1)Should we stay in Camps Bay or Constantia? We are fairly laid back people and really don't like crowded areas. Is Camps Bay crowded? Should we be expecting a packed beach? Constantia looks awesome, but we're concerned it may be too suburbia.

2)Staying in Hermanus for 2 nights. Any suggestions? Anyone ever heard of Oceans Eleven?

3)Staying in Franchhoek for 2 nights. Do we want to stay in the town or away from it in the hills? Is there enough to do in the town that you'd want to be close to walk to everything?

4)Going to Hazyview/ Sabie area for a couple of days. Looking at Tanamera or Timamoon.

5)Going to Londolozi/ Bateleur camp for 4 nights. We have provisional reservations. Is this a crowded camp? I'm a little concerned because it's the biggest of Londolozi's.

Constantia is quite suburban yes, but it's beautiful in that much of it is forested and tranquil. It's just a bit of a drive from everything, while Camps Bay is closer to Cape Town city, Hout Bay, etc. Camps Bay's main road that runs next to the beach is very busy, but if you stay in a place higher up the mountainside (or the Twelve Apostles if $$$ is not a problem) it will be quiet, and with an AMAZING view over the sea. The beach is quite busy on weekends and holidays, but not really so during the week. Dont' think you want to swim though, it's freezing.

For Hazyview you may consider staying in/visiting Pilgrims Rest, an historic gold mining village about 20km outside Hazyview. There's a hotel in the town with a lot of history, and some interesting sightseeing possibilities in the area... the mine manager's house is a monument, and the tours inside it are really good.

In Hazyview don't forget to have some pancakes at Harry's... it's what Hazyview is famous for.

IMHO Pilgrims Rest (the town itself) is a something of a "tourist trap" these days. Worth at best a visit while touring the surrounding countryside. There are many better places to stay in the area.

Regarding Franschhoek:

There's not tonnes to do in the town - a parade of posh shops, art galleries and cafes etc.

That said we were pleased to be within walking distance because we really enjoyed being able to walk to dinner, both enjoy alcohol (which we couldn't if we'd had to drive, though I suppose we could have got a taxi) and enjoy the starry skies on the way home.

However, we still needed a car to tour many of the wineries in the area so...

It depends on your personal preferences, I think.

Franschhoek is a quiet, pretty town very much geared up to affluent tourists, but in a nice way, not a tacky way and we liked strolling through...

We stayed at a wonderful small hotel in Cape Town, very close to the Table Mountain cable car and well situated to drive into town over the saddle of the hill to Constantia or to Hout Bay.
I would return to Kensington Place in a heartbeat, the rooms are beautiful, it is small and quiet and the staff are very attentive.

Do you guys have any favorite places to stay in the town of Franchhoek?

Plum Inn.

DOH!

Plumwood Inn!

http://www.plumwoodinn.com/

Kavey, your pictures are amazing!

Thanks!

I didn't intend a pig, I just used the smiley I use on sites without automatic emoticons and forgot that Fodors would turn it into a pig!

: o )

On my computer it's a clown, not a pig.

Kavey,
Did you find enough good restaurants in the village of Franschhoek, or did you end up driving outside to wineries for dinner as well?

Aah, I guess it could be a clown. Looks kind of like a pig to me but... I see where I could be misinterpreting it.

We didn't need to drive out for dinner - we went to Topsi's, Le Bon Vivante (WOWOWOWOW) and Delicious (only open for dinner one night a week).

We did have lunch in areas slightly further afield included La Petite Ferme and Cotage Fromage, both very nice indeed.

There are certainly enough good dining options within walking distance if you prefer, as we do, not to have to drive to dinner.

That said, I recall looking at a possible self-catering cottage outside of Franschhoek when I was deciding on accommodation and the tarif was very inexpensive compared to in-town accommodation.

There are many excellent restaurants in in Franschoek!

It is impossible to rate them as they are so different and the menus change daily! Also, the more adventurous diners will probably enjoy these restaurants more since the food combinations are often very interesting! For example, I've seen kingklip with an oxtail sauce, etc!

In town:

Le Quartier Francais
Reuben's (maybe the best at this time)
Grande Province Estate
Topsi & Co.
La Couronne
Monneaux

Out of town:

La Petite Ferme
Haute Cabriere

You guys are great! Thanks for all the advice!

Have you heard of La Cabriere Country House in Franschhoek? It's only a 10 minute walk to the downtown...
http://www.lacabriere.co.za/

Slowly getting our reservations confirmed! Decided on staying at Atlanticview in Camps Bay.

No idea where to stay in Hermanus yet.

Still figuring out Hazyview/ Kiepersol area accommadations (Would LOVE to stay at Blue Mountain or Cybele, but would like to find something closer to $250 a night, and they are just not coming in at that).

Kavey - what type of camera did you use for your photos?