My happy place

St James beach huts

Kalk Bay has always and always will be my happy place. No matter if it's pouring with rain or the most beautiful December sunshiny day Kalk Bay has the ability to transport you to a little carefree places full of happiness...well that's what I think at least

We hadn't been to Kalk Bay in ages and sometime, like a mermaid calls lost sailors you get this little tugging feeling that it's time for a visit and some Ice Station Ice Cream (Possible the best ice cream you'll ever taste).

Olympia Cafe

Pieter and I don't often get days off together so we always need to make the most of what time we have...and what we had happened to be a really chilly day. One thing to remember about Kalk Bay is what ever the weather is where you are it will be the complete opposite there so as luck would have it we arrived and as we got out of the car it started to pour with rain. 

The nice thing about running in the rain in Kalk Bay is that most of the pavement is covered so we darted across the road and straight into Olympia Cafe, a place I haven't been in years. Olympia is the place to go in Kalk Bay for delicious baked goodies. We had some wonderful cappuccinos, an almond croissant and one of their pasta de natas which is a little piece of heaven with every bite. If you don't feel like sitting down or you just driving through pop around the corner and you will find their bakery which holds just as much freshly baked magic.

The sky started to clear and we took a walk down the main road enjoying all the antique shops and locally made clothes and jewellery. Something about Kalk Bay just makes it so unique that it brings you back time and time again. On the sea side of the road you find a whole line of restaurants with the most incredible view of the harbor. Brass Bell and Cape to Cuba are both ones we've visited more times then we can remember and they never disappoint. 

After exploring some of the shops we decided to drive along to Simon's Town and see what we could find. Simon's Town is where you will find one of the naval bases so there's a lot of history and interesting tourist places - one to stop at is definitely the statue of Just Nusance, the only dog to ever be enlisted into the Royal Navy.

While we were there we stopped for lunch at a place that Pieter recommended, The Salty Sea Dog. Now this little place doesn't look like much from the outside and almost seems a bit like a take-away joint but we sat down inside and had the best calamari I've had in my entire life and the service was great. I would definitely recommend popping in here.

So if you're ever feeling blue or the sun is shining and you need something to do, a little exploring is always the answer.

*A little tip for the busier seasons is to park outside Muizenberg Station and hop on the train - a return ticket is really reasonable and it's a fairly safe line to use. It also gives you the best view of the famous St James beach huts. Plus parking is always hard to find on a busy day in Kalk Bay.