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Luxury Beachfront Holiday Apartment To Let

Gordons Bay, Western Cape - near Cape Town, South Africa

travel & general information

Flights - There are daily direct flights to Cape Town from the UK provided by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. South African Airways flies via Johannesburg and Emirates flies via Dubai. The direct flight time from London Heathrow is approximately 11½ hours, usually overnight. Other direct European flights connect Cape Town with Amsterdam (KLM), Frankfurt (Lufthansa), Paris (Air France) and Zurich (Swiss Air). Air Namibia fly via Windhoek. There are sometimes charter flights from other cities. Return air fares vary, with return economy fares (including tax) starting around £650 and premium economy fares around £1,250. (get quote)

Car hire rental - (which is practically essential) is available at Cape Town International Airport. GPS satellite navigation devices can also be hired there.

Directions from Airport - Gordons Bay is only a 35 minute drive from Cape Town International Airport. Take the N2 motorway eastbound towards Somerset West. Continue on N2 past junction 43 for 10 minutes. Turn right at the Gordons Bay sign (1km after Shell petrol station on right). Continue for 5 minutes to T junction at end. Turn right, then immediately left (Sir Lowry Street). Turn left at end onto Beach Road. Summer Place is on the left hand side, just before the Post Office and Police Station.

Visa Requirements - Holders of British passports do not need to apply for visas. Make sure that your passport is valid for at least 6 months from your return date and that there are at least two blank pages for the entry permit/visa you will receive on arrival.

Time difference – South Africa is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, and 1 hour ahead of British Summer Time.

Driving - UK driving licences are accepted by the major hire car operators. Driving is on the same side of the road as in the UK, and is generally very straightforward. 4-way stops are more common than roundabouts (or circles, as they are known locally) and the first car to arrive at a 4-way stop has priority. Traffic lights are known as robots. A green flashing right filter sign means you have right of way - be prepared for oncoming traffic if the green filter sign is not flashing. The roads are generally of a high standard and quieter than in the UK. The speed limit is 120 kph on motorways. Petrol is very cheap by UK standards. It is sensible to obey speed limits as there are many speed cameras about. Make sure you get a car with air conditioning if you are in South Africa in the Summer.

Telephones - To call South Africa from the UK, dial the international dialling code of 00, followed by the South Africa country code 27. Gordons Bay falls within the Cape Town dialling code area of 021. Drop the 0 if dialling from the UK. South Africa has several modern cell phone network providers and in general there should be no problems using a normal UK handset. Check with your provider that you have international roaming and for likely call tariffs.

Electricity - The voltage is similar to the UK and a transformer is not required. The wall sockets are of the large round three pin variety so adapters for UK/European plugs are required. These can be bought at the airport before departure. There is generally no problem for shavers and electric toothbrushes but earthed items would require rewiring with a three pin round plug locally.

Currency – The local currency is the South African Rand. The Rand tends to be weak on the international currency markets, making South Africa a cheap place to visit for UK and other tourists. At the time of writing (April 2015), there were about R17-R18 to the UK pound.

VAT - 14% Value Added Tax is levied on nearly all goods, services, meals and accommodation. This is usually included in the price displayed. Foreign tourists may apply for a refund of VAT on items purchased and taken out of the country, provided the value of an individual item exceeds R250.

Climate – South Africa's seasons are the opposite of those in the northern hemisphere. Summer falls between November and March, with the peak Summer months being December and January. Winter is June to August. Cape Town and the southernmost parts of the Western Cape enjoy a Mediterranean-type climate – mainly pleasant and warm year-round. Rainfall is higher in the Winter months, and the Summer is dry and hot with cooling sea breezes including the south-easterly “Cape Doctor”. The Gordons Bay area is protected by the mountains from Northwesterly and Westerly winds in Winter, and has the mildest climate in the Western Cape.

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall are as follows :

Month Average Sunlight Hours Max Temp (°C) Min Temp (°C) Rainfall (mm) Average Wet Days Per Month
January 11 26 16 15 3
February 10 27 16 17 2
March 9 25 14 20 3
April 8 23 12 41 6
May 6 20 9 68 9
June 6 18 8 93 9
July 6 18 7 82 10
August 7 18 8 77 9
September 8 19 9 40 7
October 9 21 11 30 5
November 10 24 13 14 3
December 11 22 11 17 3

These are average temperatures, and on many days in the January to March period the temperature can exceed 30°C.

Click here for Cape Town 5 day weather forecast (courtesy of iafrica.com)

Public holidays in South Africa - South Africa has a lot of public holidays. The following fall on the dates stated, except that those which fall on a Sunday are observed on the Monday:

Public Holiday Date
New Years Day 1st January
Human Rights' Day varies March/April
Good Friday 21st March
Family Day 8th April
Freedom Day 27th April
Workers Day 1st May
Youth Day 16th June
National Women's Day 9th September
Heritage Day 24th September
Day of Reconciliation 16th December
Christmas Day 25th December
Day of Goodwill 26th December

Health - The Western and Eastern Cape areas of South Africa are not malarial, and no vaccinations are required. Please consult your GP regarding all aspects of travel health advice. You are advised to obtain medical insurance before leaving for South Africa, as visitors are responsible for their own medical costs.

Drinking water – The water supply in Gordons Bay is completely safe to drink.