A few months ago we attended a party in Scarborough and decided to sleep over in Simon’s Town for the night afterwards. We chose to use Air BnB for the first time which was quite a daunting task given how many properties there are in the area. However given we were on a tight budget, we ended up narrowing down our selection and ended up finding a stunning apartment overlooking the Simon’s Town harbour, Anchorage Cottage. The accommodation was perfectly located, a mere 5 minutes from St George’s Street and only 7 mins away from the famous Boulders Beach.
We had a very lazy morning after a very late night. The first thing I noticed when I woke up was how quiet it was. It was literally so peaceful and I woke up feeling so refreshed. We eventually headed out to go have breakfast. We chose The Lighthouse Cafe which is one of the top rated cafes in Simon’s Town. The whole of St Georges street seems frozen in a bygone era, so quaint and almost untouched. The Lighthouse was much the same. I felt transported into a different period which was such a fun way to spend a morning. We were lucky to get a table at the window of the cute café so we were able to watch the street outside as cars and people went by.
We both ordered cappuccinos and the poached eggs breakfast. Both of which were delicious. The food came so fast and was so tasty.
We then went back to our room and changed for the beach (well I did, Nick decided not to put his cozzie on as the weather was misty and a little chilly). We then headed for the highlight of my weekend, Boulders Beach. I had been once before when I was about 13 but was so excited to go back and had planned the perfect insta outfit for the occasion (not ashamed to admit it). I was feeling a little bummed about the weather as I had hoped for a sunny day and thought all my pics would be super gloomy but the sun did in fact come out but the bit of cloud cover actually helped as we went in the middle of the day so the sun would actually have been too harsh for pictures. We went to the main entrance where you pay your entry and get a ticket. As an SA citizen, if you show you ID, it’s only about R30. WELL worth the price. There were quite a few people on the main beach but we made our way to the end of the beach and over the big boulders to get to the other side. Nick had chosen not to put his cozzie on but the tide was starting to come in so we eventually took a gap and waded through the water. As Nick got into the water this wave crashed against the rock next to him and totally drenched him in his clothes. I just laughed because he was literally soaked, jean shorts and all. As we made our way through the water we came around to a beautiful cove where there were penguins chilling all over. Because the tide was coming in we actually had quite a long time in the area on our own to take a bajillion pictures with the penguins.
I just loved to watch them waddle around and then dive into the water and swim away. I was giddy like a child! We ended up being there for about 2 hours taking loads of pics and admiring the piece of paradise that Boulders is.
I reckon I could have stayed there all day but eventually we headed back through an even higher tide back to our car and back to town for lunch at Monacle & Mermaid. We were the only people there and chose to sit on the street as the weather had become so lovely and warm. The place looks like a grungey pub where you would expect to find Jack Sparrow drinking rum at the bar. We ordered beers and burgers which really hit the spot. The burgers were however very greasy so if you are looking for a healthy lunch spot I wouldn’t recommend it but I was super happy after an exciting morning.
We walked around St George’s for a bit and popped into a few shops and then made our way back home to Cape Town. I would highly recommend a trip to Simon’s Town, either just for the day or overnight. It truly is a special place and Boulders Beach is well worth all the hype. We’ll definitely be back!
Amber Denae Today 