The hidden charms of Simonstown

Capetonians, in my experience, are not the best travellers. They are especially poor at exploring those local environs not replete with wine estates and fine-dining establishments – which is probably why Simonstown is possibly the best place in the Mother City for a secluded and unhurried retreat.

Part of the attraction of Simonstown is that it’s so easy to get there – it’s less than 50km from Cape Town International Airport to the famous naval port and its host of suburban and natural attractions. All three of the primary access routes offer spectacular scenery.

My late partner rented a house on Redhill Road in Simonstown about eight years ago and I’d travel out to her almost every Friday, usually by motorcycle. There’s a spot just below Elsie’s Peak where you enter Glencairn and I’d suddenly encounter a facefull of crisp sea air… a signal I was just a few minutes away from where I spent nearly five years of glorious weekends.

Picture of Simonstown – Muizenberg taken by Jim Freeman. Picture: Supplied

The house had a panoramic view of False Bay and the sun rising over the Kogelberg above Rooi Els and Pringle Bay would pick out  the angular structures of Simonstown Naval Base and, sometimes, the ominous movement of frigates,
submarines and strike-craft.

A couple of times a year (New Year’s, Easter, etc) one of the big World War II vintage guns behind the house would let rip and frighten the daylights out of everyone. On other occasions, when budget allowed, the SA Navy would conduct gunnery exercises over the Bay. Simonstown would shudder with the stutter of heavy machineguns and quick-firing cannons.

Simonstown, populated generally by weird recluses and radical bunny-huggers, ensured the navy did not conduct war games when there were whales, dolphins or orcas in the bay. But there was no sound that immediately transported me back to Simonstown in the early ’80s when I did a diving course as part of my military training than the call of cadence of navy instructors chasing recruits up Redhill Road for PT.

Redhill is to swabbies what Polly Shortts is to Comrades Marathon runners and Chapman’s Peak Drive for participants in the Cape Town Cycle Tour; unrelenting physical hell!
It’s part of a circular route from the naval base that includes Swartkop, where legendary Great Dane, Able Seaman Just Nuisance, is buried, as well as the Signal Hill Steps – all 340 of the buggers.

From this, it should be obvious that the SA Navy’s presence (and its British predecessor’s) is core to Simonstown’s existence. Everywhere you look, you glimpse the town’s heritage – and this captivates history lovers. Another of my “sea yarns” involves photographing the wedding of a senior navy chaplain and dropping a loud f-bomb when guests with cellphones intruded on my pictures at the critical “you may kiss the bride” moment.

I spent that night in a cell … albeit one that had been prebooked at a former convent up the road from the Seven Seas Club where the reception was held, and I atoned with an alcoholic flogging. My latest visit was more auspicious and a lot more comfortable.  For non-militarists, Simonstown is synonymous with Boulders Beach and its penguins, one of three populations on the southern African mainland.

The Tintswalo group of luxury game lodges and boutique hotels  opened the all-suite Tintswalo at Boulders Villa just over two years ago as – said chief executive Lisa Goosen wryly – “part of our preCovid expansion programme”. “My cousin was an estate agent. He called to say he’d found the perfect place for another Tintswalo. “I rolled my eyes and said ‘whatever’… Fortunately, my mom [Tintswalo founding co-director Gaye Corbett] was in Cape Town at the time and insisted we look at the property. We fell in love with it immediately.”

Tintswalo bought the villa “lock, stock and barrel but with contents in nowhere near the condition they are now. We gutted the place and had a lot of fun in the process of renovation”. The nine-suite villa has been run on a bed-and breakfast basis but Covid-19 restrictions prompted a recent decision to introduce in-house dining for resident guests through chef Dustin Hammond.

Two-course meals (R380 pp), half price for children under 12) are prepared in front of diners and presented on the terrace overlooking Boulders Beach and Roman Rock, around the firepit or in one of two enclosed dining areas. Light midday meals are also available.

Picture of Simonstown – Muizenberg taken by Jim Freeman. Picture: Supplied

Simonstown is not known for the consistency of its restaurants, particularly during peak season, though Dixie’s in Glencairn stands head and shoulders above almost all others in this regard. Don’t expect anything fancy but, if you’re heading down south in deep winter, pop in for the steak special. It’s also one of the best places in the Western Cape to watch whales, which swim really close to shore.

Another personal favourite is  Something Sweet patisserie in Simonstown’s main road. The place is deserving of queues outside the front door but you’re unlikely to find them. The Tintswalo group has also converted the old Glencairn Hotel – renowned in its heyday but rather tired in recent years – into an upmarket but casual al fresco restaurant and bar. barstaurant.co.za), it is familyfriendly and open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.

No visit to Simonstown is complete without at least one full-day ramble through the town. Everyone is attracted to Jubilee Square for the statues of Just Nuisance and memorial to the SS Mendy on which 617 black South African troops drowned in 1917 but the naval museum and antique shops along the main road are worth visiting.

The entire green belt above Simonstown falls under the auspices of the Table Mountain National Park and there are quite a few spectacular walks, including, if you’re fit or suicidal, the aforementioned Signal Hill Steps. Very few people, however, know about the easy stroll to Admiral’s Waterfall. A must-see during the rainy season. Enquire about discounted accommodation rates for South African residents via the website www.tintswalo.com

Picture of Simonstown – Muizenberg taken by Jim Freeman. Picture: Supplied

You will need a vehicle to reach Simonstown and get full value for money from the so-called Deep South. You cannot  rely on Uber and, while there are many reputable small tour operators who offer day trips to Cape Point and Noordhoek, use of their services really isn’t necessary.

Getting to Simonstown is part of the charm of the visit, provided you don’t start out in afternoon rush hour.

1. From the city centre or V&A Waterfront, take the coastal road (Victoria Drive) which passes through Sea Point, Clifton, Camps Bay and Hout Bay before hitting Chapman’s Peak Drive to Noordhoek and beyond. You can go right around the Peninsula, taking in Cape Point  Nature Reserve for a late afternoon arrival or you can depart the “Chappies” road (M65) just after  Scarborough and go over Redhill into Simonstown directly.
2. The M3 expressway from the entrance of the V&A Waterfront is the quickest route (though still a 45 minute drive) across the front of Table Mountain and Devils Peak, past the University of Cape Town and all the way through the southern suburbs to where the  road ends at Westlake. Turning right will take you over Ou Kaapse Weg to Noordhoek, while turning left will lead you to Muizenberg and Kalk Bay. Follow the coastal road through Fish Hoek.
3. A slight but very worthwhile variation is to veer off the Muizenberg  Road almost immediately onto Boyes Drive. The elevation provides magnificent views of Muizenberg and Kalk Bay, and cuts out much of the traffic.