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MOUNT NELSON
From Franschhoek, Cape Town is just a 45-minute drive. The Mount Nelson is one of the city's best hotels. It's managed by Orient Express so you know it's up to par. Like Raffles in Singapore and the Moana Surfrider in Waikiki, you can just feel the history and see tradition being kept alive. The Mount Nelson opened to wealthy travelers in 1899 and was designed to emulate London's finest hotels. You would think the hotel is filled with an older crowd but by the looks of the happening Planet Bar in the lobby, the clientele might be getting younger.

SAFETY
Entering the gated compound that has a clear view of Table Mountain, you feel secure. But a sign in the room warning guests not to leave anything valuable unless it's in the in-room safe is a little disconcerting. In addition, they suggest that laptops be brought to the front desk. I know it's just a precaution and perhaps this should be the norm at hotels all over the world, but when you see it written out as a warning, it kind of makes it more real. A better solution would have been larger in-room safes that could hold computers.

THE SERVICE
My mom would have loved the Mount Nelson. The hotel has a pink exterior and the rooms are filled with antique furniture. She also would have loved the afternoon tea and hands-on service. I was warned by one of the Butterfield and Robinson's tour guides that the staff at the Mount Nelson would be knocking on my door often to make certain everything was alright. Sure enough, five minutes after being escorted to my room, the bellman came in with my bags. Five minutes after that the phone rang, a call from the front desk to make sure everything was okay and five minutes after that, two night maids knocked on my door to turn down the room.

MY ROOM
I got lucky and was upgraded to one of their suites with high ceilings. I had a monster living room, bedroom and an opulent bathroom of wall-to-wall marble and L'Occitane bath products. The towels were soft but smelled terrible. Back in the day, the disguised Jack-in-the-Box TV stand in the bedroom probably earned some ‘oohs' and ‘aahs' from guests but when I popped it up and saw the TV was from 1990, I exhaled an ‘ouch'. It's time to get a flat-screen, people. The pool could also use an upgrade. I didn't get a chance to see the gym, spa or tennis courts but heard they were nice. Internet access is available but it's not cheap: 50R for 30 minutes or 220R for 24 hours of ‘use it or lose it' service. Mount Nelson Hotel, 76 Orange Street, Cape Town; Tel: +27 21 483 1000. USA reservations: 1-800-237-1236.

THE CHEF'S TABLE AT THE COLONY RESTAURANT
The food at the Mount Nelson was very good, from the vast breakfast buffet, which included bananas in butterscotch (yum!) to the Chef's Table in the Colony Restaurant. If you're looking for a top dining experience, arrange for the exclusive table where diners get a bird's-eye-view of the Colony Restaurant's kitchen. Executive Chef Ian Mancais and Executive Sous Chef Nick Haszard serve contemporary South African food with an interesting Asian influence.

It all begins with a ceremonial greeting between an army of chefs banging pots to welcome you when entering the kitchen. There's no bad seat at Chef's Table as a giant mirror hangs in front of those with their backs to the stoves. The four-course dinner includes sparkling wine, canapés, personalized menus and a chef's apron. A minimum of six people and a maximum of 10 are required and the cost is 700R ($98) per person. For further information and bookings: Tel: +27 21 483 1737.

MARCO'S RESTAURANT
For something totally different, check out Marco's Restaurant, which is popular with tour operators. Chef Marco is the first black restaurateur in Cape Town and he offers decent, inexpensive traditional African food. But the two-floor restaurant has a lot more to offer than just food. Dining at Marco's is an experience: The waiters/waitresses are all dressed in traditional garb, the tablecloths have zebra and cheetah patterns and there's live African music with dancers. When I was there, the Bambanani Marimba Band was playing (their song was featured in last week's video). Check out the menu online to see their traditional African food dishes. Marco's Restaurant, 15 Rose Lane, Bo-Kaap, Cape Town; Tel: 021 423 5412.

CAPE TOWN
To be honest, I was a bit disappointed by the actual city of Cape Town. I don't know if it was that I had such high expectations or that the weather was so bad that I didn't leave with the best impression. I thought for sure it was going to be my favorite city in the world but it didn't even make my top 10. But I have a feeling that will change if I go back. But two of the places I visited I have no burning desire to see again: Long Street (it's a lot like Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco) and the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (similar to the touristy Darling Harbour in Sydney). After 45 minutes at each place, I was ready to split.

PENGUINS
I was supposed to visit Robben Island (the penitentiary 10 kilometers off shore, where Nelson Mandela was held captive) and hike up Table Mountain (it's over 1,000 meters [3,300 ft] high and 3km [1.8 miles] long) and take the steep cable car down but weather was so bad they closed both. Instead, I took a drive 45 minutes south (about 50 kilometers) to Boulders. It's one of the most popular destinations in Cape Town because here, visitors get a chance to get up close with the African penguins. They are the only penguins that breed in Africa. After paying the entrance fee (25R ($3.50) for adults and 5R ($.70) for children), it's a short walk down a fenced-in wooden pathway to the beach. This is where the penguins roam free in their natural habitat. It's so cool to watch them and learn about them. Did you know penguins are flightless? They date back 60 million years and Emperor penguins can dive up to 535 meters and remain underwater for 18 minutes!

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE
The tour guide we hired for the Table Mountain hike (full day 450R, ½ day 350R) showed us around the Cape Point Nature Reserve instead. From Boulders, it's a 30-minute drive south (75 kilometers from Cape Town). The entrance fee is 55R for adults and 10R for children and is well worth it. First of all, The Cape of Good Hope is the most southwesterly point of Africa and it's a candy store for nature freaks. There are over 250 species of birds, 1,100 indigenous plant species (some of which are not found anywhere else on earth), plus a variety of bucks, baboons and other animals. It's called the Cape Floristic Kingdom and though it's the smallest of the world's six floral kingdoms, it's the richest.

FYI: The Cape of Good Hope is not where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet as many mistakenly think. That meeting point is nearby at Cape Agulhas.



CAPE POINT LIGHTHOUSE
There are numerous scenic walks and trails. For starters, we walked up to the Cape Point Lighthouse. It's 214 meters (702 feet) above sea level and for those who don't want to walk up the steep stairs, there's a funicular. The Flying Dutchman Funicular replaced the Flying Dutchman shuttle bus in 1996. It's named the Flying Dutchman after one of the Cape's most famous shipwrecks. The Flying Dutchman is believed to have shipwrecked off the coast in 1680 but legend has it that it still sails the Cape's waters to this day and there have been many claims of sightings.

The views from the lighthouse were remarkable but the best thing I did was go on an hour hike down to the Cape of Good Hope. Warning: There are baboons so do not bring food and hide your water bottle or risk getting jumped. The views along the path were breathtaking and at times it was scarily steep with no guardrail. By the end, it kicked in that I was standing at Africa's lands end. I had made it to one of those places I had always dreamed about there I was. The waves pounded the shoreline and if I traveled straight from that point, the next landmass I would reach would be the South Pole, 3,000 miles away. Incredible. Just like my entire trip to South Africa.

VIDEO Here's a four-minute Johnny Jet video of my trip to Cape Town and its surrounding areas. We also have all the Johnny Jet videos ever made on YouTube.

NEXT WEEK
Next week we head back to America and ?

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Happy Travels,
Johnny Jet

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Note: This trip was sponsored by the South Africa Tourism board.





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