Cape Road Trip: Cape Town - hot & bothered

12/2/2016

Day 12 - Cape Town

DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 102 kms

On the Road
Cape Town
Busy. Busy. Busy. Queues for everything. Queued for over an hour trying to get through roadworks to Fish Hoek, gave up and went back the way we came. Tried to go up Table Mountain, managed to find a parking spot miles away but despaired when we saw the length of the queue for the cable car. Bucket list fail.
The promising-sounding Chapmans Peak Caravan Park was booked out (we should have guessed) by a campervan convention, and anyway, it didn't look great. Kommertjie was too windy to pitch a tent. Negotiating holiday traffic in the sweltering heat made it impossible to appreciate the scenic side of Cape Town. As soon as we were able, we checked back into the guest house. On the rooftop balcony we immersed ourselves in sweeping Fresnaye 'burb views from Signal Hill to the Atlantic Seaboard. Much more chilled.

Overnighted at: Ashby Manor Guest House
Located: Fresnaye, Cape Town
How we found it: Booking.com
Road Access: Tar-sealed and good.
Accommodation: Bedroom with ensuite, tea & coffee making facilities, satellite TV, free wifi, onsite parking, complimentary breakfast.
Cost: NZD85 / ZAR850 for two adults

Our experience
We checked out at 10.00am, intending to make a real bed a one night stand. When it became apparent that camping in Cape Town city surrounds wasn't going to be an option, we began another booking.com search. Ashby Manor, which appeared to be fully booked in the morning, suddenly had rooms available. So we went back. As with everything else about Cape Town, the novelty had worn off and it wasn't quite as cool. We got a dungeon of a room in the bowels of the building, very small with no natural light. The decor was fabulous though - a citron and turquoise colour palette, wall art for Africa and the cushions didn't disappoint.

Soundtrack: Other guests navigating the creaking floors and stairs. The flushing of the staff loo right next door. Definitely ghosts.

Highlight: The delicious, designery, complimentary breakfast.
Lowlight: The dark, squishy room with a TV that didn't work.

Lessons Learnt: