Cape Town Suburbs: Greenpoint
This series is especially for those coming to Cape Town, and planning on staying for longer than the average holiday, and would like to know in advance which area they wish to stay.
Hopefully I can answer some questions you might have about which suburb of Cape Town is best suited to your interests, age group and tolerance level.
Greenpoint:
As far as being central is concerned Greenpoint is perfectly situated between town and the Atlantic Seaboard, which gives convenient access to the Waterfront, and our most popular beaches: Clifton and Camps Bay. Town is but a 5-10 minute walk as is the Waterfront and transport in the way of minibus taxis are constantly zooming up and down the main road.
From the main road you can hop on a taxi and be in Seapoint in 5 minutes, Clifton in 10 and Camps bay in 15, depending on traffic and catastrophic vehicle failure:)
Many of the cheapest central accommodation is in Greenpoint due to it’s proximity to the main road (noise) and because some of it less savoury elements (prostitution and drugs). Greenpoint main road is not a great place to walk at night by yourself. The street is not very well lit and can be a bit intimidating. If you have a hire car or moving around as a group you should not feel threatened.
Greenpoint is going through some rapid gentrification in time for 2010, with a new stadium and an all round facelift, so expect to see plenty building trucks and rubble for the next few years. The same could be said for most of Cape Town though, so don’t be put off.
The new “De Waterkant” and “Cape Quarter” area is a high end shopping “village” situated on the cusp of town, the Bo Kaap and Greenpoint and is home to some nice coffee shops, clubs, restaurants and design oriented showrooms.
In summary:
Greenpoint is a great place to stay for younger people (18-25) who don’t mind a bit of noise and want to be close to the action (or actually in it) it’s locality is hard to beat, but compromising scenery and a little security. It is/was the hub of the Cape Town gay community, but since the destruction of the infamous club Angels I may have lost the pulse of where “it’s at”. Please update my gaydar anyone. It is well suited to business travellers also who need to be close to, but not necessarily IN the city.
Recommended restaurants: Mario’s is not to be missed for truly authentic and unpretentious Italian food, more here. and here.
For accommodation options take a look at the Bootsnall Cape Town accommodation page.