Cape Town: Exploring The Waterfront.

"You're staying there? That's the best one!"

That was Frogger - a luxury travel writer and brand consultant - to me when I told her where I was planning on staying in Cape Town. I hadn't realized how nice of a place it was that I had booked. Not only was it a gorgeous resort, but it was conveniently located 15 minutes from the airport... Right on the Waterfront.

(I'm all about convenience when traveling alone. For safety reasons mostly.) 

The moment I got into the car with the driver taking me to the hotel, I got a sense of exactly how convenient and fantastic the location I was staying in was.

"Cuba Gooding Jr. is staying at the hotel. Carlos Santana left yesterday. Eminem is here too, but he never leaves the room. So we don't know what he is up to. Cuba is very nice though," he informed me.

"Wow," I thought to myself. "Where exactly did I book myself into?"

Because it was still very early, the hotel couldn't check me in right away. The person staying in my room was still there. They recommended I eat some breakfast and then head out to the Waterfront next to the hotel.

"There's plenty to see and do there. You'll be occupied for hours."

They weren't kidding...

A boardwalk with so much to satiate my curiosity! And a ferris wheel! 

Bet you can guess what I did first...

Yes! Hopped on the ferris wheel to get a top view of the area! It was clear that there was so much to explore.

Closer to the water was gorgeous... Lots of restaurants to sit out at and take in the views. And lots of places to walk...

I love this elephant statue...

Look how it towers over the child! He was in awe of it.

And that's one thing I noticed... Cape Town certainly seems child-friendly...

Tommy the Tugboat! I almost wanted to book myself a ride on this. But I figured it might be like the public playground in NYC, where all adults have to be accompanied by a child. 

There is stunning art at the shops on the Waterfront. So many perfections to gawk at! Here is one I loved most...

It was quite large. And available for purchase. But I didn't even want to think about what it would cost to ship it to Boston. And besides, I have no outdoor space in which to put it. So I put that out of my mind quickly, and just made sure to grab a picture that I would want to frame of it later.

This statue, which was much smaller, I fell in love with as well. It reminds me of Bail, Frogger and myself. Back when we worked together at a travel company, we were the three outspoken rebels. I was certainly the loudest one, which would make me the woman on the left giving the "aw, hell no!" look away. Bail was right behind me, so she'd be the one in the middle with the "What the what?" look and her hand raised. And Frogger, ever the diplomatic and sophisticated one, would be the woman on the right.... Listening, but not tolerating the BS she is hearing.

(Perhaps I SHOULD buy this one!)

But my favorite sight of the exploration... Was Table Mountain.

Gorgeous with the clouds covering the top of it. No reservations for that table on this afternoon! (But perhaps a hike of it later this week?)

Just as I was pondering how to make that visit happen, my phone rang. Two hours had passed, and my room was ready for check-in.

Just when my fun was beginning...