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The Constantia Valley is the ideal Cape Town base and offers a variety of places to stay and things to do. Combining simplicity and sophistication, natural beauty and rich history, Constantia Valley, Cape Town’s Vineyard is where life is savored slowly. The Constantia Valley, is an abundant array of forests, hills, stately historical homes and vineyards - a heady mix of old and new that lies nestled in the shadow of the Constantia Mountain, just outside of the city center.
The valley of the vines as it is known due to the splendor of one of the Cape’s original wine routes, which today is one of the only wine appellation areas less than 20 minutes from a city center, is an effortless green lung of the southern suburbs. Its northern boundaries lie against Kirstenbosch and Wynberg Park, whilst the Tokai Forest lies to the south of the valley imbuing it with a rich lushness even in summer.
Groot Constantia, Steenberg (recently acquired by Graham Beck), Klein Constantia, Buitenverwachting and Constantia Uitsig are five world class vineyards that lie along the Constantia Wine Valley the route lined with huge, old trees that immediately add a sense of entering a past dimension.
Constantia valley still boasts farm land, smallholdings and little farms against the mountain, despite the increase in the area’s population growth, and catching a glimpse of riders on horseback is common.
Despite this proximity to open land and a sense of being outside of the city, the Constantia Valley is anything but in slumber. Restaurants and outdoor venues abound. There are local malls and sports clubs pampering ones every need. Excellent Private and government schools to choose from, Constantiaberg Hospital and Emergency care with in 3km, churches of most religious dominations within the Constantia valley, and the False Bay beaches such as Muizenberg, St James and Fish Hoek are all easily accessible from the valley as is Noordhoek, Hout Bay and the Atlantic Seaboard an easy 15 minute drive either way. Sort after golf courses to name a few, Steenberg Golf Estate, Westlake, Clovelly dominated by farmland and vineyards, Constantia lies in one of the greenest, leafiest parts of Cape Town, where ‘old money’ and style are the operative description for stately homesteads, long driveways and oak-lined streets.
In Constantia you still find a smattering of country lanes and horses and a number of green belts for walking the dog or stretching your legs - this is a suburb fiercely protected by its residents who have a very active ratepayers association.
Many parts of Constantia lie bordering or close to the original vineyards that make up one of the Cape’s oldest wine routes. It includes the cellars of Groot Constantia, Simon van der Still's original farm, which offers up its gardens for picnics - a popular weekend outing for locals and visitors; Klein Constantia, Buitenverwachting, Uitsig and Steenberg. a wide selection of places to eat and drink, whether it be sophisticated, romantic, informal or exotic, each has its own charm and special character and all celebrate good food and wine in great company.
