|
 Located at the centre of the Cape Peninsula, only minutes from the centre of town, Constantia Valley is Cape Town's secret rural retreat and the perfect place to escape, away from the hustle and bustle of city-life. Dominated by farmland and vineyards until fairly recently, Constantia lies in one of the greenest, leafiest parts of Cape Town, where ‘old money’ and style are the operative description for stately homesteads, long driveways and oak-lined streets.
In Constantia you still find a smattering of country lanes and horses and a number of green belts for walking the dog or stretching your legs - this is a suburb fiercely protected by its residents who have a very active ratepayers association. Constantia has the oldest winelands in South Africa. Groot Constantia is the oldest wine estate and is part of the Constantia wine route. Most of the estates are on the foothills of Constantiaberg and estate houses still have the original Dutch architecture.
Many parts of Constantia lie bordering or close to the original vineyards that make up one of the Cape’s oldest wine routes. It includes the cellars of Groot Constantia, Simon van der Stell’s original farm, which offers up its gardens for picnics - a popular weekend outing for locals and visitors; Klein Constantia, Buitenverwachting, Uitsig and Steenberg.
There are numerous walks and hikes that include the popular Alphen trail near the Alphen Hotel and the Sillery walk along the Spaanschemacht River. The Tokai forest is also popular with mountain bikers and the arboretum is a lovely spot for tea.
There are a number of conference venues in the area and some really excellent restaurants, farm stalls, a craft market, a shopping centre and antique stores. The area is also gaining in popularity as a wedding destination. Visitors have a number of accommodation options - hotels, guest houses, lodges, self-catering units and bed and breakfast establishments.
Click here to view available accommodations in Constantia
Click here to visit alternate towns/suburbs of Cape Town
References
http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionswc/constantia.php |
