One of the Best Addresses in Cape Town
With unimpeded sea views to the West, the endless sunsets of Clifton are justifiably famous. While at first glance the suburbs of Bantry Bay and Clifton are the zenith of Capetonian high-life, this section of the Atlantic Seaboard had humble beginnings.
At the end of the First World War, several cottages were built on these sea-facing cliffs as emergency housing for veterans returning from the war. Over the years, more of these little bungalows were erected, and they came to be inhabited by alternative, hippie types and ordinary families just trying to make ends meet.
It was a homely community where everybody knew everybody else, and one of my friends tells the story of how his parents (both Clifton-natives) used to meet on the beach every day after school until they fell in love. Soon, however, the views from the cliffs started attracting big money.
The little bungalows were sold off, one by one, to be replaced by increasingly expensive houses, flats and apartments, clinging precariously onto the sheer rock face. Nowadays, Clifton is one of the best addresses in Cape Town, and a holiday flat in Clifton is the ultimate status symbol of the land-locked yuppie.
Stunning Beaches
Accordingly, the tiny, secluded beaches that fill the rocky clefts in the shore line have become status symbols in their own right. Clifton First, Second, Third and Fourth Beaches are among the most frequented and socially-overheated shingles on the Peninsula. In season, hordes of inlanders descend the steps to Clifton First, and parade themselves on the warm sands, as hundreds more spend hours looking for parking on the road above.
This is not to say that anybody actually goes swimming at Clifton. The waters too cold and the hair-do’s too expensive. But who cares?
The Clifton Beaches are, indeed, stunning. While even penguins shun the Clifton surf because it’s too chilly, the sunsets are gorgeous and many people stay on the beach until well into the evening, making the most of Cape Town’s late summer sun which only sinks below the waves at nine in the evening.
Furthermore, Clifton’s Beaches are nestled into the rocks and are protected from the whipping wind that often plagues the other Peninsula beaches. So, if it’s a windy day in town, rest assured that the beautiful people will be strutting and pouting quite happily in the sheltered coves of Clifton.
If you still don’t know whether or not to brave the titivating flocks of Clifton, consider the added attraction of taking the walk over the rocks from First to Fourth Beach. At sunset, this ramble is a visual treat, and the scenery is quite pretty too. But, love it or hate it, the Clifton scene lives on. ‘Meet you at Clifton First’ remains the clarion call of the in-crowd, and who am I to argue?
By David Fleminger
Clifton is one of the city's most fashionable suburbs, with luxurious apartments and penthouses hugging the mountain slopes. An added bonus ...
Clifton 4th Beach is quite family-orientated, so a fun family outing in summer is to be had at the beach. Muizenberg is a beach town just ou...