Cape Town’s Helderberg Region is a Diamond in the Rough

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Cape Town’s Helderberg Region is a diamond in the rough, filled with pleasant surprises. Helderberg does not disappoint! Discover local treasures and practical suggestions for enjoying Gordon’s Bay, Somerset West, and Strand.

At Hacking the Road, we are dedicated to finding ways to help people live a Better Life ... on the Road! We are full-time travelers and experience seekers, and we want to share our journey with you. We believe that travel opens hearts and minds, and makes the world a better place. Join us as we explore each new destination.

We are Rainman and Tricia ... and we are the Road Hackers! As Road Hackers, we specialize in building itineraries that allow us to discover diamonds in the rough all over the world.

These amazing places are usually well known to domestic travelers, but tend to be overlooked by most international tourists.

Cape Town's Helderberg Region is one of these glorious diamonds in the rough!

Helderberg is blessed with a stunning coastline and a dramatic mountain range as a backdrop. Somerset West, Strand, and Gordon's Bay are the main communities that cater to tourists in the area. Each town has its own set of great attractions.

The small coastal town of Gordon's Bay was to be our home base for three months of wonderful slow travel.

We could hardly wait to start our itinerary.

What a treat!

Join us as we share our experiences heading to South Africa and exploring the Helderberg Region.

Rainman actually grew up in South Africa, so this was a homecoming of sorts.

This trip was going to be our first extended international visit in more than 20 years. Unfortunately, it came as the Omicron Covid variant was wreaking havoc across the globe in 2021.

To make things worse, Omicron was first identified by a South African Lab, which made South Africa quite the pariah internationally. Family in South Africa assured us that the severity of Omicron was being overblown by the media.

The U.S. State Department was strongly warning against travel to South Africa. However, we felt comfortable continuing with our travel plans, having both been vaccinated and boosted before departing.

Thanks to our travel insurance with World Nomads, we also had some peace of mind in case of unexpected cancellations. 

Social media was full of horror stories of people being turned away at the gate because results had not arrived by the time of departure. Sadly, we actually saw this happen at our gate in Newark, New Jersey.

With that in mind, we weren't going to take any chances. So we did our homework, and following our test, camped out at the Lab to make sure that every requirement was met. What a relief when we got our results:

NEGATIVE!

Things were looking up!

Other than having to wear our face masks for about 15 hours straight, everything went smoothly on our direct flight from Newark to Cape Town (EWR - CPT). Once we arrived in the Cape Town airport, we breezed through the Covid, Immigration, and Customs control points. 

Coming from the cold of the northern hemisphere, it was wonderful to walk out into the warm air of a summer evening again! We were greeted by a big crew of excited family, who we hadn't seen in person since our last visit in 2016.

After greetings and hugs, we headed to Gordon's Bay.

Here's a quick orientation to the Helderberg area and our Gordon's Bay home base.

Most international tourists arrive at the Cape Town airport (CPT) when touring the Western Cape. It's only natural to choose Cape Town as their place to stay.

Cape Town is a modern, cosmopolitan gem, and definitely worth exploring, but it would be a mistake to venture no further.

The Helderberg area is only 33 miles/54 km from Cape Town on the N2 highway. The area is dramatically framed by the Hottentots Holland mountain range and the iconic Helderberg Mountain.

Having a base in one of the Helderberg communities has several advantages:

That list could go on and on ... but you get the picture.

Gordon's Bay is the smallest of the three Helderberg towns, and the furthest from Cape Town.

The village literally lies at the base of the Hottentots Holland mountain range, which makes for a stunning backdrop as you approach. Many of the houses are built up against the mountain, with spectacular views of False Bay.

The South African Naval College is headquartered in Gordon's Bay. The original village developed around the old harbor and yacht club area, which are near Gordon's Bay's Blue Flag Bikini Beach.

More recent development has focused on the area near the Gordon's Bay Main Beach. 

The Harbor Island development is the latest residential expansion.

This private marina estate was built less than 30 years ago. The man-made marina has more than 500 residential units, many with their own dedicated marina moorings. The community is designed around a series of canals and waterways, with protected access to to the ocean.

Harbor Island rentals can be found on Airbnb once in a while, but they tend to be snapped up rather quickly, and for good reason. The private-access amenities and walkable proximity to grocery stores, restaurants, and the luxuries of the 4-star Krystal Beach Hotel all make Harbor Island the place to be in Gordon's Bay!

The Krystal Beach Hotel has 112 luxury suites with fantastic ocean and mountain views. The hotel also offers a world class Conference Center, an amazing spa (Krystal Comfort), two high-end restaurants (Krystal Restaurant and The Captain's Table), and a lively cocktail bar (Oh La La Bar). The hotel's ndiza Art Gallery is definitely worth a visit, and was our favorite part of the hotel.

Now, let's take a look at our accommodations. Rainman's sister, Jane, booked us into a one-bedroom self-catering apartment on the second floor of the beautiful Boardwalk Accommodations. 

Located right next to the Krystal Beach Hotel, Boardwalk Accommodations features fantastic ocean and mountain views. Our second floor apartment actually overlooked the Harbor Island Boardwalk and Marina.

Fortunately for us, we were able to take advantage of deeply-discounted Covid rates for our three-month stay. The monthly rate was very reasonable at about $880 (depending on the exchange rate).

We had seen the online pictures of our apartment, and wondered if they were too good to be true--but they turned out to be as advertised, and proved to be even better in person!

The apartment was well equipped, and included everything needed to make us comfortable:

Walking through the apartment, we knew we had made the right choice. The place was beautifully appointed, with modern upgrades throughout.

The balcony was something special, with spectacular views. The yachts and sail boats of the marina were only 50 feet away!

We couldn't wait to open the curtains each day, as the balcony gave us a front row seat on an ever-changing panorama of beauty.

The Marina was always busy with yachts fishing boats, and people walking along the boardwalk. The sunsets were unbelievable, revealing a colorful painted sky every evening.

The set of binoculars we brought came in handy to watch the wildlife right outside our door. We couldn't believe our eyes one morning when we saw a couple dolphins surfing the waves just beyond the harbor break wall! 

We were especially delighted to discover that the Marina had five resident Cape Fur Seals.

They would effortlessly hoist themselves onto the boat moorings, enjoy a sometimes lengthy siesta in the sun, and then slink back down into the water when they needed to cool off. Soon we gave them names based on their identifying sizes and markings.

As we always do when arriving in a new country, we immediately set about organizing our nest for the three-month stay.

A number of practical matters needed to be addressed so we could be fully functional--unpacking, getting acquainted with our surroundings, and grocery shopping. But our first, biggest priority was getting our tech connected.

Our dual voltage Echo Dots, Fire Stick, and power bank would need electrical adapters. South Africa uses C, D, M, and N plugs. U.S. plugs are usually A or B. We found that the South African Type-C plug worked for all our dual voltage devices.

In the U.S., our electrical plugs mostly operate on 110V, while South African plugs operate on 230 volts. Luckily, almost all of our devices are rated as dual voltage (110 - 240 volts). In other words, they can operate anywhere in the dual voltage range.

Next, we had to make sure we had cell phone reception, and that Google Fi would work in South Africa. Google Fi connected immediately, giving us all the functionality we depended on for phone, text, maps, and data. 

Google Fi is great because you can keep your phone number while traveling the world, and it doesn't cost a fortune. It actually turned out to be much more affordable than the the cell plan we had back home. 

Unfortunately, we knew this wouldn't last. Google Fi is designed for primary use in the United States. After about four months of international use, data is cut off. The good news is that phone and text functions still continue to be supported.

Setting up our WiFi connection was relatively easy across all our devices: iPhones, MacBooks, Kindle, Amazon Echo Dots, and our Amazon Fire TV Stick. The signal was strong and consistent.

Media connections were next on the agenda. We were anxious to see if we would be able to have our beloved Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Music, and Netflix while in South Africa.

The Amazon Fire Stick connected to Amazon just fine, but we had only very limited access to our favorite movies and TV shows. Better news on the Amazon Music front though, since we had full access to all of our Playlists!

Another positive revelation: Netflix worked perfectly, with no noticeable difference. A few sitcoms weren't available to the South African market, but just about everything else seemed accessible.

At this point, we thought we had solved all our electrical and connection issues, but there was one more hitch.

Welcome to load shedding! 

The major South African electric company, ESKOM, was having difficulties managing the increasing demand for electricity during peak hours. This meant daily black-out hours. 

The load shedding schedule was very random--different days and times each week.

No electricity meant no lights, no internet, no fans or air conditioning, and no functioning street lights! The Boardwalk provided each apartment unit with a portable light that could be recharged. Luckily, water pumps were not run by electricity in our apartments, so access to water was never a problem. 

Needless to say, we stocked up on candles and flashlights, and made sure our power banks and phones were fully charged.

Our vote for the worst time for the outages was between 6 pm and 10 pm. Luckily, most restaurants and stores had generators so they could still operate, but functioning credit card machines were not a given.

With all the electrical and connectivity issues addressed, we were ready to stock up on all our grocery staples. Our accommodation was fully equipped, allowing us to be self-sufficient when it came to meals. We always do a lot of home cooking on the road.

Anyone for home-baked pizza?

How about homemade burgers?

Off to the grocery stores! After checking out a lot of the local stores, we quickly decided on our favorites:

Food Lover's Market was really our favorite store by far! In some ways, their mission and layout reminded us of our favorite Aldi grocery store in the United States. They are committed to responsible environmental practices like fair trade, organic farming, free range meats, and locally produced sustainable production.

The fresh fruit and vegetables were of the highest quality, with row upon row of colorful choices at very reasonable prices--about 40% less than in the U.S..  It didn't hurt that they also had a very talented bakery staff! 

Food Lover's also had an amazing sit-down restaurant attached to their Seattle Coffee shop. We regularly stopped in for the steak special, a  7 oz/200 gram steak with either a fresh salad or a generous helping of fries. 

Those delicious steaks were much bigger than advertised, more like 10.5 oz/300grams. You're not going to believe the price--$3.85 for the steak special and about $4.33 for the hake special! Beats fast food!

Of course, we also had to check out the local restaurant scene. A few favorites emerged as we regularly sampled the contenders.

By far, our favorite restaurant was Pajamas & Jam in the next town over. Where to start? Bring your camera and a big appetite!

When we first arrived at Pajamas & Jam, we weren't sure we were in the right place. The restaurant was tucked away in the heart of the industrial area, right next to an old scrap metal outlet. And there was a full-sized helicopter displayed on the roof! 

Entering the front door, we couldn't believe our eyes! Picture an upscale, ultra-cool bakery and restaurant, with heavy steam punk, antique, and industrial accents, in a garden-like setting!

All kinds of repurposed retro artifacts were scattered throughout the restaurant. Bicycles, antique dresses, old jars, dusty old books, and old leather works decorated the walls and ceiling.

As we walked past the front register, our senses were assaulted by the huge selection of freshly baked cakes, cookies, and desserts on display. Visions of sweet treats danced in our heads...

The place was packed, and we saw why there was so much hype about this special place. You couldn't go there just once, there were just too many good options to try! The coffee was freshly ground and freshly brewed, and smelled incredible.

The breakfast and lunch menus are creatively engineered to reflect the beautiful imaginations of the people who put this place together. Apparently, the offerings change regularly depending on which fresh local ingredients are in season.

Pajamas & Jam is absolutely a feast for the eyes, the nose, the mind, the spirit, and, of course, the hungry stomach!

After your appetite is satisfied, wander next door to their attached Wonderland Costumes shop. It was chock full of old fashioned clothing, accessories, and masks. Browse the racks to put together a no-one-else-has-this outfit for your next costume party!

Another favorite restaurant was Im Eimer in Somerset West, located quite some distance away from the town's commercial center. This establishment is owned by the Hucke family, who have taken great care to craft a special experience for their patrons since opening in 2011. 

Driving up to the entrance, the initial impression wasn't all that positive. The parking lot and restaurant entrance were quite dimly lit. We weren't sure they were even open.

From the outside, Im Eimer looked a lot like some of the dusty old cowboy bars we'd visited in the southwestern United States.

Entering the building, we realized that the dim lighting was an intentional part of the appeal of this unique restaurant. The set-up is very casual, with long wooden tables for a family style atmosphere.

The Hucke family has slowly accumulated hundreds of antique odds and ends that are displayed in creative ways all over the restaurant. The ceilings and walls have become exhibiting spaces for these artifacts of bygone years.

The name "Im Eimer" is symbolic of their mission to recreate value and meaning out of our past. "Im Eimer" means literally "in the bucket."

The story goes that when things are used up and no longer useful, they are placed in the bucket, a symbolic story from the old days. The Hucke family proudly resurrects and showcases pieces from the "bucket!"

The star menu item for most people was the Eisbein, a traditional Bayerische Schweinhaxe! We'd never heard of an Eisbein before that night, and the description didn't sound that appealing. But everyone had been raving about the experience.

The Schweinshaxe is actually a traditional German pickled ham hock. The Bayrische version of the ham hock is slow cooked for almost four hours until the crackling skin is perfectly crispy, with the meat still moist and juicy! Our mouths water just thinking back on that night.

As the restaurant recommended, we had placed our Eisbein orders much earlier in the day to make sure we wouldn't have a long wait. This was sound advice for our large group of 10 adults and two children.

The restaurant offers two sizes of Eisbein: the full Eisbein (about $11) or the Ladies Eisbein (about $6.50). Rainman was game to opt for the full version portion. 

When the Eisbeins first arrived, it was overwhelming. What do you eat first--the crackling or the meat or the sauerkraut? So much good on that plate. Every bite was as advertised. Delicious! Delicious! Delicious! 

In hindsight, though, we could have been perfectly happy with the Ladies Eisbein. Doggie bags were in order!

All we can say is that, if you every come to the Helderberg area, you simply MUST get an Eisbein at Im Eimer! It is a special menu item at a one-of-a-kind restaurant. We can't say enough about the place.

Switching gears, another of our favorite restaurants actually isn't really a restaurant at all--it's a coffee shop!

Heartlands Baby Sanctuary is in Somerset West, about 8 miles/13 km southwest of Gordon's Bay. The store and coffee shop proceeds support the local Heartlands Baby Sanctuary that looks after abused or orphaned babies and children up to six years of age. They have facilities for up to 25 children.

The Heartlands store carries a wide selection of low-priced, second-hand items that are donated. You'll find clothing, household items, and odds and ends. Their specialty, however, is gently used items for babies and children. Parents can find clothing, toys, high chairs, and car seats, all for reasonable low prices.

The attached coffee shop has a simple breakfast and lunch menu, with two seating areas. Their freshly made salad with roasted seasonal vegetables, goat cheese, and grilled chicken strips was our favorite. It was a big portion for only $5! They also had yummy homemade cakes and muffins for dessert. 

Another favorite eatery that gave us shelter on load shedding evenings was Bossa Goodtimes restaurant in the Strand, located about 5 miles/8 km from Gordon's Bay.

Bossa has a huge steakhouse menu, but their wide selection of outstanding gourmet burgers appears to be most popular.  Oh, and did we mention that the restaurant has a 270 degree ocean view!

On Monday evenings, Bossa runs a burger special that is just unbeatable. Patrons can sink their teeth into any of their Big Boy 7 oz/200 gram gourmet burgers for about $5, and that includes a healthy side of fries! For a small upcharge, you can choose sweet potato fries, which was always a yes for Tricia.

Here are some of the gourmet burger options we tried, because of course, someone had to do the research, and we decided to take on the task:

The rest of the Helderberg restaurant scene is so diverse and creative. We wanted to try them all!

On Wednesdays, Jane's half day off, she showed us the many cafes all along the Gordon's Bay and Strand beaches. They were often associated with second-hand shops, dedicated to worthwhile missions. We especially enjoyed the uniquely decorated shops. 

Gordon's Bay also had its own special spots.

We would often take an early morning walk along the Gordon's Bay beachfront, enjoying the fresh ocean air and looking for shells. Sometimes, we'd find something unexpected on the beach!

On our return home, we would stop in to our favorite java house called On the Go. The cafe is located along Beach Road, in a bustling little section of town with a direct view of the ocean. The cafe offers an array of coffees and sweet treats. Cappuccino for Rainman and red cappuccino for Tricia ($2 each).

The red cap is made from rooibos, a native plant grown mainly in the mountainous Cederberg region of South Africa. Pronounced ROY-boss, an Afrikaans name, translates to red bush in English.

Rooibos has a delicate flavor that is sweet and aromatic. As an herbal tea, it is caffeine-free, and contains a high concentration of vitamins and polyphenols, providing innumerable health benefits. It is a popular item on menus all around the WESTERN CAPE AND BEYOND.

One of the best experiences in area is the Helderberg Wine Route. This special excursion merits its own blog. Be sure to check out our South Africa's Hidden Gems on the Helderberg Wine Route article. The Lourensford and Waterkloof Wine Estates are not to be missed if you love wine tours.

For those interested in watching or joining extreme sports, Helderberg offers several really thrilling opportunities. To be clear, we love watching, not participating!

Windsurfing is a hugely popular past-time in the Strand, and is really a lot of fun to watch. But, venturing away from the coast, we found two more unique and daring sports--paragliding and wake-boarding.

Sir Lowry's Pass is easily accessible on the N2 highway that winds its way up into the Hottentots Holland Mountains. The drive along this pass provides sweeping scenic views of the ocean and towns below--and great opportunities for paragliders when the winds blow in a westerly direction. 

The paragliders were assembling their rigs in a parking lot as we arrived at one of the look-out points. We quickly parked and jumped out to see if we could catch some of the action. The winds were just perfect according to the crews.

Our good timing allowed us to observe about eight paragliders going through their paces.

Some were already riding the thermals, while others were just starting to unpack and unfurl their colorful gear. We were lucky to see a group of gliders soaring above the canopy below, and several more in the early stages before taking off from the overlook. 

One of the flights involved a tandem flight of a novice paired with an expert. They were meticulous in going over their protocols as they prepared for a successful leap off the mountainside.

The visuals were amazing! One could only imagine what the gliders were experiencing!

Before we knew it, they were ready to go. The jump started with a giant leap of faith without hesitation.The tandem were perfectly synchronized as they ran to the mountain edge. Just like they'd planned it, the pair lifted off effortlessly into the air and soared away like a big colorful bird ... Wow!

You can find a video of the lift-off on our YouTube channel. Paragliding from Sir Lowry's Pass is not for the faint of heart!

Looking out over the expanse of the pass, the gliders seemed to be floating effortlessly in the sky. They were masters at finding the thermals that kept them aloft for what seemed like hours.

When all the gliders were off the mountain, we followed suit and made our descent down the steep pass. We were fortunate to witness a few of the adventurers touch safely down. Some of the early gliders were already waiting for their fellow riders.

Our next experience was just as intense watching wake-boarders going through their practice runs. 

The Blue Rock Resort lies close to the base of Sir Lowry's Pass near the N2 highway. The sizable body of blue water was quite unexpected as we came through the dense trees in the surrounding park. This must have been an old rock quarry before it was allowed to fill with water.

The deepest point at Blue Rock is around 197 ft/60 m. 

This man-made lake is outfitted with a very powerful pulley system capable of supporting several water sports, including water skiing, ziplining, and wake-boarding. We watched in anticipation as the cable system transported eight wake-boarders around the inner perimeter. You can find a video of two boarders in action on our YouTube channel.

Ramps and jumps provided the athletes with challenging obstacles to master. The skilled riders even performed side-by-side maneuvers, syncing up their jumps.

Though we didn't see the zip line in action, we read that it is over 1,300 ft/400 m long. The resort also offers training opportunities for those interested in commercial and free diving. What an ingenious use of an existing landmark, and a remarkable resource for the region--all in a fabulous venue!

Exploring the Helderberg Region and spending an extended time with family was just what the doctor ordered! Slow travel during the height of the COVID epidemic wasn't always easy, but it certainly helped to be in a great place with a loving support system.

The time had come for final packing, checking our travel arrangements for the next leg of our trip, and sadly leaving our little slice of heaven in Gordon's Bay. 

Our brother, William, hosted hosted one of the farewell dinners at his beautiful home on the mountain in Gordon's Bay, Here's our stunning view from William's veranda ...

The main course was baboutie--a South African dish made with spiced minced meat baked with an egg-based topping. Rice, salad, and South African toffee pudding for dessert rounded out the yummy menu.

So many adventures, so many memories, so many heartfelt stories recalling our time together and what we mean to each other ... Yup, there were some tears! But also lots of laughs, and many hugs. That's family!

Saying our tearful goodbyes, we loaded our two suitcases and backpacks into Jane's car and headed to the Cape Town airport.

Luggage checked, more tearful goodbyes, we were back to the realities of Covid travel, airport security lines, and frantic airport transitions.

That's the down side of travel, but a necessary part of getting to another new experience. 

After all, we are living our Better Lives, on the Road! We wouldn't have it any other way.

We are The Roadhackers, Rainman and Tricia. See you on the road!