COVERSTORY
#332
Where to celebrate Valentine’s in
South Africa
From Iain Beattie, South Africa
There is a restaurant located
at the tip of a peninsula, at
the tip of a continent, with
nothing between your glass of
champagne and the Antarctic,
apart from open sea.
This is The Two Oceans
Restaurant, perched
precariously above the
angry meeting point of two
powerful ocean currents
on the spit of land that
juts southwards from the
majestic city of Cape Town.
As a venue for Valentine’s
Day, it cannot be beaten.
February is the best
month to visit South Africa,
and the drive to reach the
restaurant rivals the best
coastal meanders on the
planet. From the shadows of
Table Mountain, drive along
the pristine Atlantic coastline
to Hout Bay, where you
stop for a quick boat ride
to inspect a colony of Cape
Fur Seals not far offshore.
Driving south again, you soon
reach the Cape Point Nature
Reserve where one is likely
to encounter baboons and
various other fauna before
reaching The Two Oceans
Restaurant, literally at land’s
end.
The elegant fare can be
enjoyed on the deck, or in
the restaurant itself. Fresh
seafood is the speciality,
but they also cater for
vegetarians, meat and pasta
lovers, with a wine cellar to
complement any meal. If this
heady combination doesn’t
win your partner’s affections,
then the rest of the country
awaits…
#333
Learn about Bunraku, Japan
Osaka has been at
the heart of bunraku
(traditional Japanese
puppet theatre) for many
centuries. The exhibition
at the National Bunraku
Theatre has a wealth of
knowledge about this
quintessentially Japanese
art form, and you can even
have a go with the puppets
yourself.
November-December 2015 Travel Secrets 47