Constantia is both an idyllic suburb of modern Cape Town and home to some of the oldest wine estates in the Cape. The land was originally granted to Dutch Governor, Simon van der Stel, in appreciation for his services to the Dutch East India Company and, as a special reward, he was allowed to select the site of his new homestead.
Being a very thorough person, van der Stel tested soil all over the Peninsula until he found the ideal composition that would give his grapes the best flavour.
Roads wind spectacularly to the top of the mountain, en route to suburbs on the other side of the range, with numerous viewing spots along the way. It is a place of which those "yuppies" dream who aspire to stately homes behind lengthy security fences on huge grounds covered with lush, crafted, "designer gardens".
The sprawling Constantia Village shopping centre offers something for everyone, and it is often difficult to find a parking spot during peak shopping hours. Horses trot smartly along meandering paths, allowing riders to enjoy the off-the-main-route beauty of this wealthy suburb.
This rough dirt track grew into the lovely road that runs from Groot Constantia Wine Estate, over Constantia Nek, and down into Hout Bay. Or...
Spread out like a quilt over Table Mountain’s south-eastern flanks, the pretty Constantia Valley is the heart of the ‘mink and manure’...