What to do in the sleepy town of Durbanville

Poolside: The hotel’s lounge, bar and pool terrace is popular with day visitors who are there for the pizza and the ambiance. Picture by Nontando Mposo.

The quiet town of Durbanville, is about a 45 minutes drive from the Cape Town city centre. It is most likely not your number one choice for interesting places to visit outside the CBD.

Besides being known as the home to a number of award-winning wineries, there isn’t much info out there on what to do in the area. Be that as it may, I ventured there for a weekend of exploring.

A friend and I made the trip from Cape Town to Durbanville on a sunny Saturday afternoon with the aim of having a combination of a relaxed weekend and a bit of an adventure.

Our home for the weekend was the Protea Hotel by Marriott Cape Town Durbanville on Jip De Jager Drive.

The hotel is centrally located and is a short drive to most of the vineyards and restaurants in the area. Our room was comfortable and fitted with the basic facilities and amenities you will need for a short stay. The room had a manual heater and the bed was soft and comfy with extra blankets provided, which are handy during the Cape Town winter. A highlight worth mentioning was the private balcony area, which was perfect for sundowners while watching the sun go down. The wooden table and chairs complement the white wall exterior, making it the perfect Instagram aesthetic for pictures.

Another highlight is the pool terrace area with a scattered eating area around the dazzling pool. With it’s own pizza oven, this is ideal for grabbing a bite to eat for lunch or dinner.

The lounge, bar and pool terrace also buzz with day visitors who are there for the pizza and the ambiance. Their daiquiri cocktail won me over; icy and sweet, it’s delicious on its own or paired with a meal while you cosy up next to the fire place. We had dinner at the hotel’s Buonvino Restaurant. I had a wood-fired carbonara pizza which was loaded with creamy mushrooms, spicy sausage and Italian herbs.

GRUB: The in-house Buonvino Restaurant offers a delicious array of wood-fired pizzas.

Overall experience: the establishment is perfect for a quiet getaway for couples or friends who are looking for a ideal escape from the bustling city life.

It’s also ideal for corporates who are looking for a comfortable stay while handling serious business or parents who are looking for a family friendly hotel that is safe and ideally located.

The hotel is also good for solo travellers who are seeking some downtime. The best thing is that you don’t have to leave the hotel unless if you choose to as it offers just about everything you will need, from a well-equipped wine cellar to good food and lounge area to free and fast unlimited wi-fi.

Here is what we did:

* Dining Out

: Bon Amis Restaurant on Bloemendal Street in Durbanville offers a combination of seafood, sushi and good old bistro classics. The portions are huge and perfect for sharing should you want a light snack. Their refreshing and vibrant Bloemendal MCC Brut Nature is my favourite - just perfect for toasting to life.

SEA FOOD: The Bon Amis Restaurant offers a variety of sushi. This is a casual and family friendly restaurant that has a lovely outside seating area overlooking a small lake. Picture by Nontando Mposo

* Wine Tasting:

Durbanville Hills Winery in Tygerberg Valley Road, Durbanville is about a 15 minutes’ drive from the Protea Hotel. The drive is worth it and the winery offers amazing scenic views of the vineyards.