Although incidents of crime against tourists happen rarely in South Africa tourists should still be aware of the basic emergency procedures to follow should anything happen. It is recommended that you:

• Go to the nearest safe and public place
• Call the Police (SAPS) Embergency number (10111), which is free from a phone box or landline, and explain briefly what happened.
• If you have a mobile phone, call 112 and your call will be transferred to the appropriate emergency service.
• If you have been injured, the call centre will dispatch an ambulance to take you to the nearest hospital. Alternatively, you can call the national ambulance service on (10177)
  

I hope you never have to use any of these numbers!!

If I get enough questions about a specific topic, or their is loads to say on it, I’ll make a post especially for that topic.

Cheers for now!

Having used quite a few car hire companies over the years during my travels in Southern Africa, I can offer some advice to those of you who are in the market to lease a rental car.

• Make sure you have a valid drivers licence!!
• Make sure you are over 21 years old, its much harder to rent if you are not
• Make sure you book well in advance for the best price per day
• Look at the rental rate per day being offered, does it include FULL COVER INSURANCE and VAT?
• Check if you are paying a flat fee per day, or if you will be billed per Km driven over and above the daily rental rate.
• Be positive on the price you will pay per kilometer, and also check the amount of free Km’s you can drive a day before being charged per km.
• Please remember that fuel cannot be purchased with a credit card in South Africa, its cash baby!

I have a favourite car rental company that I use precisely because they care about their customers, and are able to provide excellent cars at very competitive rental rates.

If you are interested in hiring a car, use CABS Car hire South Africa (http://www.cabs.co.za), they offer a full spectrum of rental rates, so you can pay a set price per day with zero additional costs, or you can pay a bit less and then pay a fee per km.

Hope this info helps,

Seeya!

Fish Hoek has as its main attraction the beautiful Fish Hoek beach which is rated as one of the best swimming beaches in the world. The beach itself is great with white powdery beach sand that is perfect for building sand castles!

The beach has a few lovely rock pools scattered around that are perfect for some ameteur snorkeling for the kids.

Facilities on the beach include:

• Life guard station with first aid kits
• Changing booths
• Toilets
• Parking areas
• Restaurants
• Drinking water taps
• Fresh water showers

The beach itself is only a five minute walk from the main road through Fish Hoek, allowing you to stroll easily to a restaurant or do some shopping.

Fish Hoek is the perfect location when exploring the peninsula. A short drive from Fish Hoek takes you to Historical Simonstown, while a bit further takes you round to Boulders beach where there is a resident penguin colony.

The lifestyle in Fish Hoek is definintily laid back and relaxed, and is a great place to unwind for the summer.

Recommended place to stay in Fish Hoek:

I have stayed many times at A Whale of a time in Fish Hoek, and can highly recommend them for the great self catering aparments with amazing views.

• Table mountain cable car – The view from the top is amazing!
• Robben Island – Go and visit the cell where the great Nelson Mandela spent many years
• The V&A Waterfront – The shopping is great
• Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Newlands – just lovely
• Groot Constantia Vineyards – Where the world famous wine comes from!
• The Castle of Good Hope – For a bit of history
• The Two Oceans Aquarium – lovely for the whole family, I can spend hours there
• Cape Point Nature reserve – Great views, and very enjoyable
• Boulders Beach – Lovely penguin colony at a beautiful beach

I’ll keep adding to the above list as I go….hope it helps!

Ciao for now

For visitors to South Africa, I must stress that your visit is not complete without a vistit to the ‘Mother City’ as Cape Town is sometimes reffered to.

Cape Town is lucky enough to be one of those cities that has loads to do for young and old. Every year the influx is tourists around December each year is a huge economic boom to the tourism industry. Many tourists and travellers from Johannesburg and other areas of South Africa spend their holidays in Cape Town, while the local ‘Capetonians’ like to sneak away to places like Hermanus, Knysna, Sedgefield and Plettenberg bay to name a few places. Personally I like to visit Langebaan on the West Coast, and love to stay at a place called ” At the Rocks “.  Or I return to where I spent many lazy school holidays playing on the beach in Fish Hoek.

If you are going to visit Cape Town during a ‘Peak’ holiday season, please be sure to book your transportation as well as accommodation WELL in advance! Most service providers able to facilitate you paying in advance for your car hire or accommodation.

I’ll be posting some of my own reviews for accommodation and other resources soon.

Bye for now!

Please feel free to offer suggestions on topics you would like me to discuss. I am involved in the travel and tourism industry and am able to answer any questions you may have.

As a resident of Cape Town, for the past 25 years, I am able to offer advice and suggestions for your planned trip to the area.