Simonstown South Africa information

For places to eat there are some fantastic restaurants in the surrounding area – obviously we recommend our very own Bay Cafe on Glen with the gourmet burgers, but there are other excellent venues for your culinary pleasure.

The picture is from the deck of our sister restaurant at Boulders Beach Lodge, home of the Boulders African Penguins.

The unit of currency is the South African Rand (R). R1 = 100 cents.

For up to date exchange rates click on www.xe.com.

Most international credit cards are widely accepted and foreign currency can be exchanged at airports, commercial banks, Rennies Travel or American Express outlets. Most banks are open from 09h00 – 17h00 Mondays to Fridays and 09h00 to 13h00 on Saturdays. Tipping is standard procedure in South Africa with an average being 10- 15% of the total bill in restaurants. We do tip at petrol stations too!

The country code for South Africa is +27 for all telephone calls.

To make an international call from South Africa: dial 09 and the country code, area code and telephone number you require.

Public telephones accept coins (blue boxes) or phone cards (green boxes). Cards are available at post offices and most shops. Simon’s Town Post Office is open from 8.30am – 4.30pm on weekdays and Saturdays from 8am – 12pm. Tel.: 021 786 2114

To get to The Glen Lodge and Pub from the Airport:

Exit the airport following signs for N2 Cape Town. The freeway splits and follow the signs left for M3 (direction Muizenberg) ; you are headed southbound and not north to the city centre. Continue along the M3 until the end of the freeway and turn left at the traffic lights. At the next set of lights, turn right in the direction of Muizenberg on the M4. Follow the coastal road, through Muizenberg, St James, Kalk Bay until you reach Fish Hoek. At the traffic circle in Fish Hoek, keep to your left and follow the directional signs "to Simon’s Town". Pass through a set of traffic lights indicating the M6 to Ou Kaapse Weg and turn an immediate right into Glen Road, take the first slip road left into the parking area. The Glen Lodge and Pub is the large orange building with the Charcoal roof.

To get toThe Glen Lodge and Pubfrom Cape Town City Centre: Follow directional signage to De Waal drive and the M3 southbound (direction Muizenberg). If you are near the V & A Waterfront, get onto the freeway towards the N1 Paarl but KEEP RIGHT, following signage to M3 Muizenberg as the freeway forks. Continue as above.

Cape Town International Airport is serviced by all major airlines and is a major domestic hub for national flights. Cape Town International Airport flight information number is 021 934 0407. (www.airports.co.za) The airport is 42 km away from The Glen Lodge and Pub and takes approximately 45 minutes by road.

Boulders Beach penguin colony down the road is a fantastic place to go to when you get here. Check out www.bouldersbeachlodge.com for more information.

For sporting enthusiasts, Cape Town has two of the most famous sports grounds in the world – Newlands Rugby Stadium (home of Western Province Rugby- www.wprugby.co.za) and Newlands Cricket Ground (home to Western Province - Boland Cricket - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

There is an endless supply of sporting events in the Western Cape from the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour in March (www.cycletour.co.za), Two Oceans Marathon in April (www.twooceansmarathon.co.za) , rugby all winter, cricket and soccer all summer.

They say that Cape Town is a weather-obsessed city and being near the tip of the African continent, weather can change pretty rapidly and dramatically.

However the warm dry summers and moderate, moist winters will no doubt pleasantly surprise you. Average summer day temperatures are in the high twenties (Celsius) and average winter temperatures are in the upper teens. Summer can see the infamous South-Easter wind transform an otherwise beautiful day.In winter the crisp cool days can be altered by the North-Westerly wind which dumps much needed rain upon the Cape.

The “secret season” in the Cape is Autumn (May – June)- although it is not quite so secret any more. surf-body-board-kommetjie With warm days, minimal wind and fewer tourists it really is a fabulous time to visit. For a detailed daily or 5 day forecast (www.weathersa.co.za) or call the Cape Town weather forecast on 082 231 1640, the wind report on 082 234 6300 or the surf report on 021- 788 1350. South Africa works 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. What that actually means is we are 1 hour ahead of Central European Winter Time and 7 hours ahead of the USA’s Eastern Standard Time.