Luxury accommodation in a spectacular setting within easy reach of Cape Town, the wine lands, and the picturesque towns of the Boland. Here you can enjoy beautiful beaches, golfing, fishing, sailing and whale watching against ...more
Newly built hotel in 2004, surrounded by a picturesque canal, opposite the largest shopping and entertainment centre in Africa. Very upmarket hotel with self catering facilities available. Close to Cape Towns CBD ...more
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Cape Town, the "Mother City", is the oldest city in the country and has a cultural heritage spanning more than 300 years. It also has the top five national attractions in South Africa.
Cape Town's central city area is small and the many places of interest are closely situated and best explored on foot. A good starting point for your city walk would be the Castle of Good Hope, which has guided tours at the top of the hour, every hour - visitors are not permitted to sightsee on their own. Jan van Riebeeck's fort was Cape Town's first building. After ten years, this fort, made largely from wood and sods, became inadequate and, with the constant threat of war between Holland and Britain, plans were made for the construction of a permanent castle. For effective defence purposes a pentagonal, bastioned structure based on Vauban's system was chosen.
Cape Town's Cultural History Museum lies at the entrance to the Company's (Dutch East India Company) Gardens at the top of Adderley Street. It was originally built as a slave lodge by Willem Adriaan van der Stel, to house the slaves working in the gardens. After the second British occupation, the slaves were sold and in 1810 Thibault and Schutte converted the slave lodge into government offices, and finally into a courtroom. In use as a courtroom for over a century, the building was subsequently used for various other quarters of officialdom. Now restored and in use as the Cultural History Museum which contains an interesting collection of early postal stones, and the history of postage and currency in South Africa. There are many examples of furniture, glass ceramics, weapons, musical instruments and toys from the many countries whose people settled in South Africa. The archaeological section has interesting objects of Egyptian, Greek & Roman origin. The reconstructed tombstone of Jan van Riebeeck stands in the courtyard.
The Company's Gardens: Houses of Parliament: Plans were initially designed by Charles Freeman and incorporated a high central dome, Corinthian porticos and pavilions at the four corners. Statues surmounted the parapets and there were fountains in the gardens. The foundation stone was laid by Governor Sir Henry Barkly in 1875. Later it was found that the foundations were inadequate and Freeman was replaced as resident architect. Henry Greaves drew up an amended set of Freeman's plans and eventually in 1884, the Houses of Parliament were completed. Sir Herbert Baker later designed a new House of Assembly.
On the other side of the entrance to the Company's Gardens is St George's Cathedral. The foundation stone was laid in 1830 by Governor Sir Lowry Cole and at the same time Eerste Berg Dwars Straat was named St George's Street. The existing church was designed by Sir Herbert Baker and Francis Masey. The buttress stone, inscribed with Arts and Crafts lettering, was laid by the Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V) in 1901.
Tuynhuys, the Company's Guest House was built in 1700 to accommodate important visitors to the Cape. It was enlarged fifty years later by Governor Tulbagh and further alterations were made in the late 18th century by Governor van de Graaff. The building was later remodelled for use as Government House. A magnificent staircase was installed as well as fireplaces and other essentials thought necessary by the British. Governor Lord Charles Somerset was the builder of the exquisite ballroom and many of the redecorations carried out at Government House can be attributed to him. It was his intent that the house be suitable for the representative of the Monarchy. Tuynhuys is now the office of the State President and is closed to the public.
