Cape Town - Cape Town has again been named the best city in the world in the UK’s 2015/16 Telegraph Travel Awards.
Online house-sharing service Airbnb has listed some of its best digs in the Mother City, writes Kamcilla Pillay.
Dreamy digs
The service boasts thousands of listings all over the world and began in 2008 when two designers who had space to share hosted three travellers looking for a place to stay. Hosts can sign up via their website, list details of their homes or properties they would like to offer to travellers, and respond when they make inquiries. It helps to make sharing easy, enjoyable, and safe.
“We verify personal profiles and listings, maintain a smart messaging system so hosts and guests can communicate with certainty, and manage a trusted platform to collect and transfer payments,” they say.
It caters to people of all tastes and travelling needs: whether you want to visit the world’s favourite city for its beach life, its breathtaking natural grandeur, its vibrant culture or its hip markets, eateries and clubs.
Bo Kaap cottage
This beautiful home is a tastefully restored 200-year-old traditional Bo Kaap house. The room is large and airy. There is a beautiful roof-top terrace looking over the city. Cape Town’s legendary Long Street, bustling with restaurants and bars, is less than a five-minute walk away.
Chic 50s studio
This place is right near the trendy Old Biscuit Mill. Its homely ambience and contemporary aesthetic makes it a perfect holiday pad. It is a five-minute drive from town, 10 minutes to the sea and to Table Mountain. It is fully fitted with a shower, bath and kitchen.
Everview Suite
This listing in Camps Bay offers expansive views of the Atlantic Ocean and Table Mountain. It is a recently renovated three-bedroom apartment a short walk from Camps Bay beach and restaurants. There are breathtaking views of Lion’s Head and the 12 Apostles.The listing is a convenient 10 minutes from the city.
Victorian Row House
This restored home is perched on the slopes of Lion’s Head and Signal Hill in Tamboerskloof, and dates back to 1875. There is a grocer and bakery across the road and the house is within a two-minute walk of the city’s bus system, a five-minute walk of Kloof and Long streets, and a seven-minute drive to Camp’s Bay. The house has two air-conditioned bedrooms, an open-plan living/dining area and a fully fitted kitchen.
Cosy cottage
The cottage is in a quiet street, just a block away from the main road with public transport (a bus route). It is close to restaurants and a small supermarket. It is also within walking distance of the sea and the promenade, the Green Point Urban Park and the Waterfront.
Kamcilla Pillay, The Mercury