14 August 2025 Shopping in Cape Town

We had an easy day planned and thought about a late breakfast. However, after the missing items at our hotel dinner experience, we thought we should get down to the restaurant earlier rather than later, just in case they had run out! But it was fine, and breakfast was great. 

Lance’s sunglasses had broken, so he joined Sandi and me for a little bit of shopping. When I say a ‘little’, I mean a ‘little’.  He had purchased his glasses and then left us to it within an hour. And that included the 10 minutes to walk to the V & A Waterfront. 

Sandi and I had a lovely stroll and did make a few purchases. Prices vary, but many things are cheaper than at home. Restraint was required as the next day we were flying to Victoria Falls with a 20kg luggage limit. 

If we were to do this trip over, we agreed that Cape Town should be later in the trip to avoid luggage restraints. 

The people that we have encountered have all been really lovely. There is such a friendly and helpful vibe, and lots of laughter. There is almost a Polynesian feel to the community. We have also seen some stunning men and women with fantastic hair and outfits. People are calling out to each other and chatting in Xhosa, please don’t ask me how to pronounce that!

Our shopping experience was varied with shops like Country Road that we have in New Zealand, and Woolworths, which we do have in New Zealand, but not like this. Woolworths here is not for food. Or even like DEKA, those of you who are old enough to remember DEKA. It is more like a David Jones department store. 

Taking advantage of the free cyclo service

The African tourist shops are a delight and not too cheesy at all. In fact, one we went to was really upmarket and had all sorts of handmade beaded items that were magnificent. 

The African Trading Company is in a very old wooden multi-story building down by the water and is packed with handmade items, large and small. Life-size carved wooden and stone animals stand guard outside and are all for sale. Inside is filled with mainly carved masks, statues, dinner tables, and more. 

    

If you are coming to Cape Town, I recommend you stay close to V & A. There is a lot happening, and it is reasonably safe. Security and police are everywhere. A hotel a bit closer would have been better for us, as even though we are only a 10-minute walk, we were reluctant to take the risk of walking at night. And apparently Uber can be risky as well. 

Because of this, we chose our hotel restaurant once more for our final meal. The waiter was really great and tried so hard to accommodate us. But when there were minimal dishes available, and still no Heineken or pina colada, it made it hard for him to do his job well. When we finally ordered, he came back to tell us it would be a long wait for our food. And then when it finally came, they had run out of …chips! 

Honestly, it was like being in Fawlty Towers. 

It has been nice having Sandi with us.  And one of the bonuses is that if a noise accidentally (or not accidentally) bursts out of your body, it is okay! 

There were not many photos to post today. Tomorrow we fly to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, and I feel confident we will be taking a load of photos over the next two weeks!