World Cup host Cape Town is all set for this month’s influx of visitors, says Peter Woodman
June sees Cape Town become the focus for millions of people across the globe as South Africa hosts the FIFA World Cup. Those in the tourist trade will be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of thousands of fans descending on the city, and will be hoping their years of careful preparation pay off.
They will also be relishing the chance to show a new side to the city. Benita Kursan is PR manager of the 201-room Mount Nelson hotel, one of Cape Town’s grandest properties, which nestles under Table Mountain. She says: “We are delighted that the World Cup is taking place in Cape Town – it gives the city a chance to show its wares to the world. So many changes have taken place here since 1994, when democratic elections took place, and the World Cup is perfectly timed for us.”
To cope with the influx of people, the city has upgraded its links to Cape Town International airport with a new integrated rapid transport system (still in its first phase but including inner city, stadium and airport services) and bendy buses to transfer visitors.
This is a much-needed addition to the city’s otherwise poor public transport system. Thankfully, Cape Town is better served by its hotels, with 16,000 rooms within a 45-minute radius of the city centre. There is a host of luxury options with good facilities for business travellers – these include the Taj Cape Town, which opened in March. Centrally located, the 177-room property has a club floor, seven meeting rooms, cocktail and cigar bars, and three restaurants, including Bombay Brasserie, modelled on London’s fine-dining Indian eatery of the same name.
Other properties to have opened in time for the Cup include 15 on Orange and Crystal Towers Hotel and Spa, both part of the luxury African Pride Hotels portfolio. Officially open since March, the design-led 15 on Orange has 129 suites and is located in the Gardens district, close to Mount Nelson. The 180-room Crystal Towers opened in December in the Century City business and retail district, about 10km north-east of the centre.
Well placed for the action is the 95-room all-suite Cape Royale hotel and residence. Located in Green Point, the artistic centre of town, it’s close to the striking new 70,000-capacity Cape Town Stadium, the venue for a number of World Cup matches, including England’s clash with Algeria on June 18. The property is also a short distance from the central business district and is close to the impressive International Convention Centre (CTICC), which opened in 2003 and has been expanded in the run-up to the Cup.
While South Africa’s climate makes it a winter destination for European leisure travellers, this year hotels will be capitalising on the summer months too – Mount Nelson, for example, has designated the June and July World Cup period as high season. Kevin Miles, director of international affairs for the Football Supporters’ Federation, says: “I can’t remember a World Cup where prices were not hiked up. I think this is not going to be the cheapest Cup there has ever been.”
Still, travellers should not be too alarmed about increased rates as South Africa is still relatively cheap compared with Europe. While the pound may have plunged against the euro, it has held up reasonably well against the rand. Eating out, even in tourist spots, does not have to cost the earth.
One place to head for food is the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, a working port that has been transformed into Cape Town’s main tourist area. Here you can sample fresh seafood while enjoying views of the South Atlantic Ocean and Table Mountain. The waterfront is home to the 329-room Table Bay hotel, part of the Leading Hotels of the World portfolio, and the Victoria and Alfred hotel, a 94-room property with good mountain views.
Also here is the 122-room Cape Grace hotel, which offers great waterfront and mountain vistas and has recently been refurbished with interiors inspired by the history of the surrounding region, when the Cape was the halfway house between Europe and the East.
With South Africa’s well-documented security problems, some visitors will understandably be concerned about safety when wandering around. World Cup ambassador and former England footballer Gary Mabbutt says: “Yes, there is crime in the country. People have to be aware of this and not make themselves vulnerable.” But he points out that £100 million has been spent on security for the Cup. Some 41,000 police officers have been specifically trained for the event, with 120,000 on reserve ready to be called up.
Sensible precautions, such as not venturing into remote areas at night, should be enough to keep yourself safe.
Still, if you’re driving between matches around the country, you might face unexpected encounters of a slightly different kind – Mabbutt warns that although new roads have been built to help transport fans between the World Cup venues, minor routes are likely to be pot-holed and drivers might come across cows and goats in the middle of the street.
Of course, this is a landmark year for South Africa for another reason, it being the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison. On February 11, two decades ago, Mandela walked to freedom through cheering Cape Town crowds before astonishing the world with a conciliatory speech in the centre of town. It was the tone of this speech that laid the foundations for the modern, democratic country that exists today, and visitors to the city during the World Cup and beyond will see just how far it has travelled. Let the beautiful game begin.
Peter Woodman travelled to South Africa with Hayes and Jarvis (tel +44 (0)871 664 0246; hayesandjarvis.co.uk), flying with Virgin Atlantic (virgin-atlantic.com).
WHO’S PLAYING IN CAPE TOWN?
June 11 Uruguay v France
June 14 Italy v Paraguay
June 18 England v Algeria
June 21 Portugal v Korea DPR
June 24 Cameroon v Netherlands
June 29 Winner group H v runner-up group G
July 3 Quarter final: winner game 52 v winner game 51
July 6 Semi-final: winner game 58 v winner game 57
(Final takes place on July 11 in Johannesburg)
WHAT TO SEE
? Table Mountain is Cape Town’s standout attraction and there are opportunities to climb it on foot or go by cable car. Visit tablemountain.net; cable car tickets R170 (£15). Less well known, but almost as stunning, are the Twelve Apostles – a series of jutting-out mountain bluffs that form the backdrop to the smart area of Camps Bay.
? The Nelson Mandela story is now as much a part of Cape Town’s history as the earlier settling of the town by the Dutch and the British. Take a boat trip to Robben Island, 7km off the coast, where Mandela spent most of his 26 years in captivity. It’s now a museum, with tours costing R200/£18 (includes return ferry journey). Boats depart Victoria and Alfred Waterfront at 9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm, weather permitting. Visit robben-island.org.za
? Near the Parliament buildings is the Castle of Good Hope, a fort rather than a castle, from where the midday gun is fired. It is the oldest surviving colonial building in the country, built in the 17th century by the Dutch East India Company. Entry is R25 (17p); visit castleofgoodhope.co.za
? The Western Cape winelands (visit winelands.co.za) are close to the city. One of the main vineyard towns is Stellenbosch, with its university, colourful streets and a history going back to the late 17th century. Alternatively, check out nearby Franschhoek, first settled by the French and now chock-full of restaurants and antique shops. Visit franschhoek.org.za
? Hermanus (hermanus.co.za), on the coast, was once a small village but is now growing rapidly thanks to its excellence as a whale-watching town. From about June to November, Southern Right whales – so-named as they were considered the “right” whales to hunt – gather off-shore. Nearer to Cape Town is Cape Point – pretty much the southern-most tip of the entire continent – and Boulders Beach, which boasts a proliferation of penguins. Visit capepoint.co.za
