Camps Bay is Cape Town, South Africa’s beach town. It’s about 8 miles from Downtown Cape Town. This Beach town is worth a day trip or even a weekend getaway.
That’s what we did. We spent the weekend in a glorious hotel, overlooking the water, enjoying everything this beach town has to offer.
The beach town itself is pretty small. I would say it’s about a mile and a half in length. Everything you need is located on the waterfront, on Victoria Road.
You’ll find everything you need, from souvenir shops to a grocery store. There are restaurants galore, gelato shops and hotels.
My First Impression of Camps Bay
I love the hodgepodge of people, colors, languages and cultures in Downtown Cape Town. However, upon arriving in Camps Bay, the first thing I noticed is the lack of people of color. Next came the beauty that surrounds Camps Bay.
Let’s continue. The 12 Apostles make for an amazing backdrop. It’s dramatic, to say the least.
However, it also made me feel like we were in Santa Monica back in Los Angeles. Considering, it’s so westernized, Camps Bay definitely has a Los Angeles vibe to it.
Especially after walking in front of their most popular hotel, The Bay, which was surrounded by men in trunks sporting 8 packs and ladies with gigantic breasts, oiled up and ready for a tan. LA is all about superficiality and I am hoping Camps bay is not like this.
Since I didn’t see any people of color I began to worry. In The States I get really uncomfortable as the only person of color. In The States, when that happens, more than likely someone is going to tell me to go back to the country I came from.
I began to panic a little because I felt I was probably going to get bad looks from the white tourists and/or locals. Perhaps this is not a people of color friendly area of Cape Town?
In reality, thats not the case at all. There are people of color here. Just not as many as Downtown Cape Town.
No one gave me a dirty look. Not one person told me to go back to my country. You should learn from this USA.
The Gastronomy of …onomy…er Something
Maybe it’s because I’m in a beach town or maybe this is a Cape Town thing. As a gin lover, each restaurant and/or bar has plenty of gin cocktails to choose from. I’m simple. I love a gin and tonic and I never stray away from that simple concoction.
But I thought I would try other gin potions. To my surprise, they have some incredible, almost tropical mixes. I got a tropical gin and pineapple mix. It was delicious! I tried their fruity specialty cocktails as well… Something called a purple haze, which is also incredibly amazing. I couldn’t leave out the champagne. Champagne is traditional. It’s a must when traveling.
Each restaurant I tried is equally impressive. I ate at Chinchilla, The 41, Bilbao and The Raj.
From vegetarian cauliflower plates, to springbok tikka masala at The Raj, my gut was thrilled. The types of meats and preparations here spoil you beyond belief. It’s a shame The States doesn’t have these types of meats. The culinary world could use Kudu preparations to up their cooking game. Sorry USA you’re starting to fall behind.
The Beach
The beach is beautiful. It reminded me of Rio de Janeiro in a way. The sun is strong and the sand is soft. Lions head and the 12 Apostles loom over your shoulders. It’s beautiful. The man made buildings in the distance don’t stand a chance to what nature has created in this beautiful land.
I stuck my foot in the water and it’s freaking cold! I didn’t swim in the water. Apparently, Cape Town is the second place in the world with the most shark attacks. Considering, I’m scared of guppies and even plankton, no thanks… not getting eaten alive today.
On the plus side, if you keep walking about half a mile, there’s a kids tide pool. It’s a no shark zone. I should have gone there.
Camps Bay Accommodation
There are many hotels to choose from. From their widely popular Bay Hotel, which has a beach club for non-guests to beautiful modern stays.
We stayed at the Marley Hotel. It’s a cute, ultra modern yet old Louise XIV combo style. It’s absolutely gorgeous.
The decor in the lobby is amazing! 
The hotel is small but it packs a punch. The lobby is cute. It’s edgy decor and classic French style is something I’ve never seen before.
I found it all incredible.
We had a beach view. The bed is comfortable and gigantic. It’s a king, to say the least. The lounging area has a great Barcelona style seat and a leather couch.
The room is ultra modern. Just like I like it! 
The modern art on the walls is fun. The chandelier in the room is stunning. We even have stage lighting propped up in the corner as decor. I believe it’s a spotlight but I could be mistaken. I used it as a prop for a selfie photo shoot at one point.
The hotel is very secure. In fact its so secure we couldn’t find the entrance at first. It turns out there’s access to the hotel by elevator but only if you have a key.
The hotel owns Chinchilla, Bilbao and Paranga which means you can order room service from them, or charge them to your room. It’s pretty cool.
The Amenities
The hotel doesn’t have a gym, but they gave us vouchers to a gym in Downtown Cape Town.
They offer in suite massages as well as facials and wraps.
The only thing I would complain about is their tiny outdoor pool area. Although it’s never crowded, I thought it was just okay. In fact, everything else is so spectacular the pool is a little disappointing.
Nevertheless, you can take a dip, relax and tan as you wish.
The pool area also has a private entrance to one of the restaurants which is also pretty fun to use!
Let Me Break It Down For You:
Camps Bay is beautiful. It’s a great beach town with tons of restaurants and bars to choose from.
The water is cold!
Lots of great accommodation in Camps Bay. We stayed at The Marly, which is a modern French hotel. It’s super cute but it’s $300 USD per night. I loved it though. I thought it was worth every penny.
The Marly has 3 restaurants to choose from, Chinchilla, Bilbao and Paranga. We tried Chinchilla and Bilbao. Both are amazing. The drinks are freaking awesome too.
12 Aplostles and Lions head in the background are beautiful in the background.
I should mention Camps Bay is an early beach town. Things started closing around 10pm. With that said, I dreaded sundown. Why does the day have to end?!
Do I recommend Camps Bay? Yes. I would say, come here for the weekend. Spend the day here. Walk around, buy souvenirs, eat lunch. Have plenty of drinks. Soak up every bit of sun. This beautiful westernized beach is a perfect beach getaway for anyone getting to know Cape Town for the first time.
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