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BUSTLING
CITY LIFE
OTHER
ATTRACTIONS
FOR THE URBAN
ENTHUSIASTS
Relax in a world-class spa, roll the dice, visit one
of South Africa’s art galleries and shop ’til you
drop. In South Africa, it’s easy to take it easy.
SPAS
No matter where you choose to stay in South
Africa – deep in the bush, in a bustling city, or
at a beach resort – a relaxing and pampering
spa experience is never far away. Many spas use
local ingredients to create special “only-in-South
Africa” treatments. To name a few: Cape Town’s
The Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa is known for its
unusual fynbos exfoliation; Camelot Spa at Table
Bay Hotel, also in Cape Town, uses rooibos tea
and local oils; and Fourdoun in KwaZulu-Natal
offers a fusion of traditional medicine and
contemporary wellness treatments under the
guidance of a traditional Zulu healer.
SHOPPING
From world-class shopping malls in major cities
to small craft markets in local villages, South
Africa offers great value for your shopping dollar.
Ndebele beaded belts and dolls, Zulu baskets
woven from rainbow phone wire, and tables
and chairs carved from yellowwood are among
the locally-produced crafts that will “wow” your
friends when you get home. For jewel lovers,
Tanzanite, with its deep purple and azure colors,
is the stone of choice. And don’t miss the locallyproduced
gold, diamond, and platinum jewelry.
Sandton City Mall, Eastgate Shopping Centre,
the Gateway Theatre of Shopping and the V&A
Waterfront are some of the best-known South
African malls. Melrose Arch has a tree-lined mix
of African and European shops while the African
Craft Market, at the Rosebank Mall, is a great
spot for African masks, clothing and other goods
from South Africa and beyond.
Shop in Sandton, Johannesburg
A MINI ITINERARY
DAY 1:
Hang out at Clifton’s 4th Beach in
Cape Town, the place to be seen
in summer.
DAY 2:
Indulge in a locally-inspired spa
treatment at Cape Town’s Camelot
Spa at Table Bay Hotel.
DAY 3:
Play a round of golf at Royal Cape
Golf Club, the 11-time host of the
South African Open.
ART
Ever seen San rock art? The San Bushmen
were the original inhabitants of South Africa,
and left behind some 40 000 paintings in the
uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Mountain Range, the
largest collection of its kind in the world. You
can view these magnificent works in situ, or in
museums like Cape Town’s Iziko SA Museum
and The McGregor Museum in Kimberley. South
Africa’s rich artistic heritage spans thousands of
years, from those first San paintings to colonialera
paintings and contemporary crafts. Read:
art-lovers are in for a real treat.
HERE ARE A FEW OF THE
COUNTRY’S GREATEST CREATIONS:
• The South African National Art Gallery,
part of Cape Town’s Iziko Museums,
features impressive collections ranging
from colonial to contemporary art. The
main body of the colonial collection
consists of Dutch, French and British works
from the 17th to the 19th century; the
contemporary collection has extensive
catalogues of 1980s apartheid art,
including repatriated artifacts that were
removed from South Africa over the last
200 years.
• Known for its daring mix of unusual
ceramic art techniques and its bold display
of Zulu color and folklore, the Ardmore
Ceramic Art Studio, in KwaZulu-Natal,
is one of South Africa’s most celebrated
ceramic art studios.
• Stretching between the city of
Pietermaritzburg and the uKhahlamba-
Drakensberg Mountains, the 50-mile
Midlands Meander is the largest art
and craft tourism route in South Africa,
and one of the most successful, with over
215 businesses in the arts and crafts,
hospitality, heritage and eco-tourism
sectors.
• The Newtown Cultural Precinct is the
heart and soul of Johannesburg’s cultural
landscape, and is packed with museums,
art galleries, craft workshops, dance
studios, live music venues, nightclubs, bars
and restaurants. Among Newtown Cultural
Precinct’s more famous landmarks are
Museum Africa and the Market Theatre.
High Tea at Westcliff Hotel, Johannesburg
CASINOS
Throughout South Africa you’ll find dozens of
gambling palaces whose size and scale rival
those in Europe and North America. Most are
part of massive resorts with amenities that may
lure you from the gaming tables, including
ice-skating rinks and private game parks. Las
Vegas-style amenities (think high-roller lounges,
gourmet restaurants, decadent shops) are all
available at South Africa’s casinos, too.
Take in our local art scene
41 | SOUTHAFRICA.NET
Admire the local crafts