False Bay

Dotted along the western coast of False Bay are the towns of Muizenberg, Kalk Bay, Fish Hoek and Simons Town. The area lies about 25km from the centre of Cape Town and is linked to the city by the railway and the N4 motorway. Simons Town has long been the home of one of South Africa's principal naval bases, whilst the rest of the area started life as the summer retreat of Cape Town's propertied class. The legacy of the coastline's haughty past is a faded grandeur, with 'faded' being the operative word. But with the motorway bringing the area within easy reach of the city, False Bay is now enjoying a revival. New properties are springing up in the vicinity of Muizenberg, whilst the elegant Victorian buildings of trendy Kalk Bay are slowly being revamped. Amenities such as shopping and schools are not yet quite up to scratch, but are within driving distance. False Bays leisure activities revolve around the ocean - despite the growing number of shark attacks - and the great outdoors, but there are also plenty of passable bars and restaurants around Kalk Bay.