My friends, I’m so excited to embark on this adventure today!! I know, I’ve talked about it a lot, but I honestly don’t think I’ve even scratched the surface of how amazing this is going to be. I feel insanely lucky to be experiencing this trip – and in a few weeks you’ll understand why. [...]
Today’s room is serving dual purpose as a fantastical space, and part of a little announcement… Although the room is certainly worthy of the title for its stunning statement-making chandelier (oh, and larger than life giraffe), what I really wanted to share with you all is that… I’M GOING TO AFRICA!! Yep. In just [...]
Erika ~TiptoeButterfly~ this is BEYOND me – anyone who knows me would say “yup Erika room”
Claire Gutschow I lived in Cape Town for 9 years before I moved to LA. Check out Salt, Azure, Bizerca Bistro and La Colombe restaurants. Franschoek is the best winelands town – beautiful! The penguins at Boulders Beach are cute. And for interiors, visit the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock. Also Greenmarket square for original African “fleamarkety” stuff. And of course the cable car to the top of Table Mountain! Let me know if you need any more help!
coolvanity AMAZING!. Kisses.
Claire Gutschow Hey there Cassandra. I lived in Cape Town for 9 years before moving to LA. Check out Bizerca Bistro, La Colombe, Azure and Salt restaurants. Clifton 4th is the best beach. La Franschoek is a gorgeous winelands town. The penguins at Boulders Beach are super cute. The Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock is great for design stuff. And Greenmarket square is great for “fleamarkety” shopping. And of course the cable car up Table Mountain is a must! Have a great trip and give me a shout if you need any more advice.
Cassandra LaValle Post author thank you so so much!! will check out all of these and add them to our list!! xx
hailey I can’t imagine this NOT being the room of the week, ya know, with the giraffe and all!
Have a wonderful time in Africa! How exciting is that?!
Chloe Moon Oh my! What an adventure!!! I would love to have a giraffe peek over my shoulder, but I hope it wouldn’t sneeze! hehe =)
Emma I really want to go! How did you plan your trip? Are you going on an organized Safari or planning it on your own? HAVE FUN!
mikky OOooooo lucky you! You’ll have a blast! That is one of my dream destinations.
Love the giraffe, this is the second time I see a home decorated with one- think it’s the coolest thing, hopefully it’s a fake one thought, hate for some sweet giraffe to be put down for the sake of decor!
Have an awesome trip. Can’t wait to see all the amazing pics you’ll take.
Best,
mikky
http://www.todaloos.com
marta almiñana wooowwww ….. great!
Nicole M. YEA! My sister and I went to S. Africa last April, and it was absolutely amazing! First, we went on a safari for a week and then headed to Cape Town (which reminded me of San Fran). If you don’t have a place to stay, definitely stay at Blackheath Lodge. It was such a great boutique bed and breakfast in a convenient location…and the staff makes your stay a joy! In Cape Town we took a neighborhood tour, which is a must to learn about the history…saw Bo-Kapp (so colorful), shanty towns, visited schools, etc. We also took a tour around the peninsula, saw Cape Point, Cape of Good Hope, Boulders Beach, etc…gorgeous! Weather permitting, you have to go to the top of Table Mountain. The views and flora are fantastic! Lastly, we went to Robben Island…a former prisoner takes you on the tour, so you recieve first-hand knowledge about the pain and victory that took place. There are endless things to do and fantastic people! Enjoy and have fun! Please feel free to email me if you have any questions 
Bianca Hi Cassandra, I currently live in Cape Town. If you need any additional advice I’d be happy to help. Claire’s suggestions are great but are admittedly a little pricey.
For burgers and milkshakes you have to visit Royale eatery in Long Street. Long Street is a filled with vintage stores, antique shops, quirky boutiques and nightclubs so it’s worth spending some time there. I highly recommend Mungo and Jemima for locally made clothing and Chandler House for Cape Dutch-style homewares.
Royale’s sister restaurant is a great Mexican place right down the road from me called El Burro. It has a great view of the Green Point Stadium and is walking distance to the new Green point Biodiversity park.
Coffees are best served at Origin Coffee in the De Waterkant. De Waterkant is a more upmarket area which is great for window shopping. The quaint houses and cobbled streets show some of the area’s heritage.
The Old Biscuit Mill is almost always packed with Hipsters so a drive out to Hout Bay to the Bay Harbour Market is a great morning excursion. It offers all the similar food stalls and crafts with the added allure of being along one of Cape Town’s picturesque harbours.
And a last little recommendation… if the queues are too long at table Mountain, take a gentle hike up Lions Head instead. It’s for free and you still get some sweeping views of the city. It’s also one of the most popular hikes for locals.
But really there is too much to share so hope you enjoy discovering it yourself
Bianca I live in Cape Town and these are my favourite spots and tips:
Royale Eatery in Long Street: Best Burgers and Milkshakes in town. Long Street has some great vintage and antique stores as well as a bunch of quirky boutiques. For lovely locally made dresses go to Mungo and Jemima and for Cape Dutch homewares go to Chandler House in Church Street (just off Long).
El Burro in Green Point: This wonderful restaurant is Royale’s sister restaurant and is just one block away from me. The balcony has a nice view of the Green Point Stadium and its walking distance to the Biodiveristy Park.
Origin Coffee in the De Waterkant: Delicious coffee within a great luxury shopping area. Quaint cobbled streets and houses make it a charming place to wander.
Other eating places of note downtown are Clarkes, Skinny Legs and All and the Eastern Food Bazaar for a great selection of Indian cuisine.
Cape Town is swarming with weekend markets so skip the over-crowded Old Biscuit Mill and try one of the others instead. The Bay Harbour Market in Hout Bay is a short drive along the beautiful coast and is setup in the heart of the picturesque Hout Bay Harbour.
I take the new MyCiti Bus system to work downtown everyday and love it. So if you are looking for transport between the Waterfront, Green Point and the inner city, it’s an affordable way to get around. You can pick up a card for R23 at the Civic Centre. You’ll need to buy credits (R5,30 each) for a one way ride as they don’t accept cash on the bus.
Finally, while I’m not a huge wine-lover, a visit to Waterford Estate for their wine and chocolate tasting and JC le Roux for their Sparkling Wine and Nougat tasting are some of my favourite wine route stops. Franschhoek is also a great little town to visit just outside of Cape Town. It has a strong French heritage (owing to the Huguenot settlers) and an impressive selection of wine estates and restaurants.
I hope you get a chance to try some of these places and more during your stay If you need any more advice I’m happy to help!
Isabel I was in Cape Town in November and I absolutely loved it. I used the Hg2 guide online to find restaurants and shops. Here are just a few things I liked.
It sounds a bit corny but if you have time the hop on hop off bus is a great and easy way to see the city.
Kloof St – a bit calmer than Long St and lots of nice shops. Check out Skermunkil jewellery at Take Care.
Old Biscuit Mill – fun to see trendy Capetonians on Sat morning. Also check out Kat Von Duinen and the Test Kitchen (if you can get a table).
Haas – a really nice coffee shop in Bo Kaap
Waterkant – next to Bo Kaap with some nice shops and cute little houses
In the winelands, we stayed at Babylonstoren which is a beautiful organic garden with a restaurant, cafe and guest houses. We also drove through Franschoek and I have to say it didnt really look like anything special (although the landscape is beautiful).
I am quite jealous. I am sure you will have an amazing time!
Kelly Golightly Dream come true! Not sure if it’s by where you are going, but Giraffe Manor is on my life list:
http://kellygolightly.com/i-want-to-go-to-there/
Have a blast! Oh, and be sure you’ve gotten those pesky shots. 
Cassandra LaValle Post author shots – done and done. i WISH we were going to giraffe manor!!! it’s in kenya, and i will be in zambia. so close, yet so far! it looks absolutely amazing and has been on my wishlist forever too!
Lexi Wow.. this is unique and different
Cecilia Hello giraffe! What a fun room!
Franki Yay! “We’re going to SOUTH AFRICA”…vicariously, of course…can’t wait!! Luv giraffe! franki
Desiree {CHIC COASTAL LIVING} Have fun in Africa! My dad lives there for work in Kenya. Such a beautiful place!
Daughter Earth That is from outside Marrakesh, Morocco at Harem – a women’s retreat: http://www.harem-escape.com/
Sandra Shoemake Zwollo Don’t know how you got the picture but this is the house I use for my women’s only retreats, called Harem in Marrakech, Morocco. The giraffe is sculpted by the owner/artist of the estate called Jean-Francois Fourtou…
Cassandra LaValle Post author sandra, thank you SO much for leaving a comment so we could all know where this stunning room came from. i will update the post with a link to your site! it sounds absolutely amazing… i’d love to visit someday. the concept is so lovely, and something many of us ladies could use a dose of in our lives! my best to you.
Andi of My Beautiful Adventures OMG that is sooo crazy, but I love it!
Catherine I visited Capetown on my honeymoon. A day trip to the Cape of Good Hope is a must. And try this restaurants: L”Aubergine http://www.aubergine.co.za. Delicious, and not too touristy.
Sylvia Veranda (Feb. issue) has a great spread on Cape Town!! You should take a look if you haven’t already! Looks incredible…have fun!!!
Roxi Hi!
I live in Cape Town and I must say, a week is too short!
You will have an amazing stay in our beautiful city.
We welcome you to Africa!
Tea Collection We definitely recommend going to Old Biscuit Mill on any given Saturday in Cape Town. We went there on our recent inspiration trip for our South African collection of children’s clothes. http://www.teacollection.com/ Hope you have a blast!
Kecia Have an amazing time! It’s impossible not to! Africa is by far my favorite place on earth! Post all about it when you get back!
xx
life is in the details. style accordingly.
Safe travels! Looking forward to reading all about your adventures!
Have a safe and beautiful trip! See you when you get back!
♥, LONDA
designroundup.blogspot.com
There is a richness and spiciness to the colors, tastes, people, and life of Africa that defies words. Drink it up, and have an amazing time!
have a wonderful time! very much looking forward to following along via twitter and instagram and of course, vine! have fun!!!
Have an amazing trip! I can’t wait to see all of the pictures when you return.
let us know where you are staying. I am planning a safari trip and looking for feedback on the right place to stay.
I’ll be writing tons of reviews with info when I return!!
I can’t wait to see what experiences you will bring back with you (tons of pictures too please, I promise we won’t get bored). Have a blast and enjoy yourself
as a south african myself, i bid you a lovely holiday in africa. stay safe!
Good luck! I hope you have the time of your life!
Get ready for your life to change. Africa is mind blowing. I’ve spent a fair amount of time there, and I can say that it stays with you forever. Go with an open heart and a willingness to change. Have an amazing time.
Have fun! take lots of pictures
greetings from Berlin
María
Ahh I’m so jealous you’re going to Africa, of all places! You’re going to have any amazing time!! Enjoy can’t wait to see all the photos.
Have a fabulous time!!! Take TONS of pictures!!! =)