Back in South Africa

On February 2nd, we flew to South Africa via Addis Ababa with Ethiopian Airlines (arriving in Cape Town on February 3rd). This was our first time using the airline, and we were impressed. The staff, from check-in to landing, was friendly and helpful, which made the long flight more comfortable. The food was decent for airplane meals, and the seats, though never the most comfortable, were fine. The only downside was the tight 50-minute layover in Addis Ababa, which made for a stressful transition to our connecting flight to Cape Town. We would come this route again, but not be so focused on making our connecting flight.

We’re staying at the Hout Bay Manor again, a small boutique hotel that’s become our favourite in this area. It’s close to Hout Bay Village, and we can easily walk to Margaret and John’s Hout Bay condo, which is a nice bonus. Margaret and John also have a condo in the same building as we do in Oakville (small world). We’ll be here until February 8th and then we spend 1 night at a Cape Town airport hotel. We have an early flight on Feb. 9th to Skukuza for our safari.

Having been here a few times before, we’re enjoying a relaxed schedule. We’re walking or using Ubers to visit some nearby areas, visiting with Margaret and John, and just relaxing at the hotel. We’ll be busy when we are on safari so relaxing here works out well.

Here are a few photos from the first part of our journey. You will see that the hotel is very quiet.

We had a great chat with a British couple who make Codfather a regular stop when they visit South Africa. The gentleman had some interesting stories, having worked with many top golfers over the years. Larry enjoyed the Rory McIlroy stories.

After dinner at Codfather, we went for drinks at a bar in Camps Bay. Camps Bay is even busier than last time we were here. Nice to visit but we like the quieter Hout Bay to stay. The sunset photos below were taken from the bar looking onto Camps Bay beach.

On our second-to-last night, we decided to have a casual dinner at the Leopard’s Bar at the Twelve Apostles Hotel. Even though it was a Friday night, we managed to get a table with a great view of the sunset, thanks to a couple who was just leaving as we arrived. The entertainer provided enjoyable background music – but lively enough that a small group of hotel guests joined in on the chorus which made for a fun evening.

As mentioned earlier in this blog, it’s been great to spend time with Margaret and John while in Hout Bay. We really enjoyed our dinners together and want to thank them both for storing our bags year after year. We also appreciate John and Margaret taking in even more luggage for us while we’re away on safari and in Zanzibar.

On our last night before heading off on safari, Margaret and John recommended dinner at the Alphen Hotel in Constantia, a place we hadn’t heard of before but read that it is set on 11.5 acres land, and was once a wine estate and working farm. It still features one of the oldest mills in the Western Cape.

Joining us for dinner was Julie, John and Margaret’s daughter-in-law. Julie and her husband Iain had their wedding at the Alphen, so she gave us a little tour of the place. We’d met Julie before in South Africa, and she had also visited Huntsville with her daughter this past summer. The evening was filled with great conversation, lots of laughs, and an overall sense of warmth—a perfect way to end our stay before heading off to the next adventure.

Our 6 days in the Hout Bay area flew by. It is nice at the start of our vacation to feel at home in the surroundings and have such easy access to everything. As we leave, one last sunset photo.