Valentine’s Day is a day that most people use to spoil their loved ones, often going the extra mile to make them feel extremely loved and special! This can take the form of a romantic candlelit dinner at a fancy restaurant, where you could re-enact the infamous and iconic spaghetti scene from The Lady & The Tramp.
While planning a fun and unique date with your partner, friends or yourself on Valentine’s Day may be the goal, it is no easy feat; and if that is something you are dreading, this article is for you! We have compiled a list of ten fantastic, romantic and fun things to do in Cape Town on Valentine’s Day this year!
A romantic picnic at Kirstenbosch Garden
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is one of South Africa’s botanical gems, boasting five of South Africa’s six different biomes! The garden is any botany enthusiast’s dream come true, and is nestled at the foot of Table Mountain, making the scenery something straight out of a movie. Visiting the garden is quite inexpensive, especially if you are planning to bring along your own picnic goodies. If you want to, the garden’s restaurant, Moyo, also provides picnic baskets ranging in prices from R265 to R500 and include a wide variety of delectable treats for you and your loved ones. The standard ticket fee to the gardens is R200 for adults, R80 for adults with a South African ID, but with a student card, you only pay R40!
Image from: City Pass Cape Town
A movie date at the Labia Theatre
Want to take yourself or your loved one on a movie date, but need it to be special? The Labia Theatre in Cape Town’s City Bowl is the way to go! The Labia is one of Cape Town’s oldest theatres, showing independent and foreign films. The theatre also has a movie special for two, which is perfect for anyone taking their partner out on a romantic date. The movie special runs from Monday to Wednesday and includes two meals (pasta or pizza) and two movie tickets for about R120-R130. If you’re just interested in seeing a movie, all of the theatre’s tickets are priced at R70 each, but if you are a student, they cost only R50!
A romantic and scenic sunset cruise in Cape Town
Cape Town is arguably one of the most beautiful cities in South Africa, so taking a scenic sunset cruise along the M62 is undoubtedly a great date idea! The M62 provides views of both the beautiful Cape Town mountains as well as the sea. Park alongside the road and watch the sun set: it creates a naturally romantic atmosphere that will definitely be unforgettable for both you and your date.
Crafty Date at the Clay Café
The Clay Café is the perfect place to go if you love being creative and don’t mind getting your hands a little dirty. According to the Clay Cafe website, visitors are able to choose from a wide variety of already-made pottery pieces, and a vast selection of colourful paints and tools to create crockery that is both personal and completely unique. These items are also functional: all items once fired are dishwasher proof, microwave proof and oven proof. The standard studio costs of a date at the Clay Café is R40. This includes the cost of your paint, tools, firing and glazing; however, you will need to factor in the price of the pottery piece you choose to design. It is also important to note that it takes up to three weeks for your piece to be fired and ready for collection!
Go for a Romantic Bicycle Ride Along the Sea Point Promenade
Up Cycles is an amazing bicycle renting business, located on the Sea Point Pavilion. With various routes that you can take, this serves as a perfect Valentine’s Day date with a spark of adventure! For Valentine’s Day, I would recommend an early afternoon cycle, however, Up Cycles offers renting of a bicycle at any time before sunset (you can contact them directly for exact times for the day, as they vary!) Pricing options depend on the time period you would like to hire the bicycle for, as well as the type of bicycle! All of this information can be found on the Up Cycles website.
In closing, I’d also like to just add a disclaimer and say that even though, in today’s culture, Valentine’s Day is the day to show off your appreciation and affections for those you love, there is no pressure to go above and beyond what you can afford financially, and there is also no pressure to do things you are not comfortable with! If you prefer to have your Valentine’s Day spoils at home, over Zoom, or not have any Valentine’s Day celebrations at all, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that either.
And if you do decide to venture out into the world to celebrate with your loved ones, be mindful that we are still in a pandemic, so it is essential that you remain safe by practicing social distancing and wearing a mask!