Late nights and lazy lounging in cosmopolitan Cape Town
The inhabitants of the beautiful seaside city of Cape Town,
South Africa, are notoriously easygoing. And even though the
Mexican idea of siesta has not been instituted here, the concept
is certainly not foreign to any deserving Capetonian. No wonder
the Mother City's social scene is bursting at the seams with an
exciting mix of laid back lounges , serious clubs and trendy
bars with a decidedly African twist.
Ironically, one of the coolest hangouts in Cape Town, is called
Joburg. Even though most South Africans travel long distances
without blinking twice, an invitation to party in Joburg doesn't
necessarily mean booking a flight to Johannesburg. This
legendary bar-club is situated in the bustling, cosmopolitan
Long Street, and attracts an extremely varied crowd - from
trendy locals, grungy art students and international models to
part-of-the-furniture regulars and weathered backpackers. You
might even find the occasional businessman enjoying an after
work drink, seamlessly blending in with the relaxed atmosphere
of the place.
The quirky, predominantly red interior is enhanced by a mirror
ball shaped like the Johannesburg skyline as well as an
impressive permanent collection of work by famous local artists
including such respected South African icons as Conrad Botes,
Doreen Southwood and Brett Murray.
Adjacent to the bar, is the relatively tiny dance area -
jokingly reffered to as Pretoria - where some of Cape Town's
best DJ's do their thing. The eclectic sounds they produce are
synonomous with Joburg and include anything from serious
Hip-Hop, to Electro Eighties Pop and Live Jazz. From the wall of
the raised DJ-box a neon sign declaring the sentence "Know thy
worth", casts a sexy glow on the good looking crowd getting down
with it, below.
For latenight winding down, head a block further up the road to
the equally fashionable Marvel, where you'll most definitely
find the religous Joburg crowd getting their latenight fix of
vinyl scratching, while lounging in the bistro-style seating
till the early hours of the morning.
Further down the street, the choice of venue is as diverse as
the many cultures housed in this city. At Orchard Bank sip on
fishbowl-sized cocktails in the minimalist lounge, or head to
the huge dancefloor in the basement, where a mixed crowd dances
to anything from House, to Pop and Reggae.
Diagonally opposite, down a hidden, narrow alley, is the sleek
Miam-Miam where early night drinks can easily turn into late
night dancing. But if you're not in the mood for a squeaky clean
crowd, head upstairs to Zula where Cape Town's Goth crowd
headbang to the dark sounds of serious Metal, Goth-Funk and the
occasional live band.
On the otherside of town, in the slightly more commercial
clubbing hotspot of Somerset road in Greenpoint, devoted
clubbers rub shoulders with students on mid-week booze binges
and trendy suburbanites looking for their fix of serious
dancing. Here, designer hangouts like Opium - a winning
combination of stylish cocktail lounge and serious dancefloor -
and the more definitive clubbing hub, Confessions, draw polished
crowds who are as serious about their fashionable attire as they
are about their dance moves.
On a prominent street corner in this district, Cape Town's
oldest and most famous gay club, Bronx, is situated. Here
predominantly gay men and a rather strong following of straight
women come to enjoy good music and incredibly good-looking
barmen. The varied crowd inevitably includes some
straight-guys-in-the-know, hoping to find a beautiful girl with
her guard down.
If any or all of the above sound like too much of a commitment,
head over the mountain to the breathtakingly beautiful Camps
Bay, where you can have a quiet drink in a sophisticated
cocktail lounge while soaking up the sun and enjoying some of
the most spectacular sunsets on the African continent.
With a happening social scene and such a wide range of
incredibley cool venue's, Cape Town is any holiday maker's
paradise. No matter what your preference or mood - if you plan
to visit Cape Town with the intention of winding-down, you're
most certainly on your way to the perfect destination.