Cape Town + Nine Nights of Safari

The adventure begins! I can’t wait to see what the next 13 nights bring. 

I was coming from Kenya and a previous 7-night safari (see my other travelog), and I flew through Ethiopia and spent the night at an airport hotel in Addis Ababa. I woke up bright and early, paranoid that I’d miss my flight, and walked from the hotel to the gate in under ten minutes. 

Seven hours later, I arrived in Cape Town! I was one of the first off the plane and through immigration, and because I’d done a carry-on bag I didn’t have to wait for luggage. I met up in the arrivals hall with Marcia, a friend and one of our guests, and a welcome escort from the tour company, who graciously took this picture of us.  

It was a quick and comfortable 25-minute drive from the airport to the One&Only Cape Town, a gorgeous hotel situated prominently on the famous Victoria and Alfred (“V and A”) Waterfront. Check-in was a breeze and came with their tasty welcome drink, an iced rooibos tea with honey, apple juice, and pineapple juice.  

We got a tour of the hotel, which has a wonderful gym, bar/high tea area, and art gallery, before being shown to our rooms, which are spacious and inviting, with thoughtful furnishings and a massive balcony looking out at Table Mountain. 

I visited the gym briefly and did some work. Three more of our party arrived around 8 and we walked five minutes to the Time Out Market, a food hall with many options, to grab a quick dinner (I had delicious tonkotsu ramen) before it was time to crash!