De Waterkant

De Waterkant is a small, historic quarter on the lower slopes of Signal Hill, wedged between the city centre, Green Point and the harbour. It is one of the oldest and most distinctive neighbourhoods in Cape Town, a tight grid of narrow cobbled streets lined with restored Cape Georgian and Dutch terraced cottages, each painted a different colour. Few parts of the city have as much character packed into as small a space.

This is a walking neighbourhood. At its centre is the Cape Quarter, a cluster of shops, delis and restaurants set around courtyards, and the surrounding lanes are full of boutiques, design stores, cafes and bars. In the evening it is one of the liveliest and most sociable corners of the city, long a centre of Cape Town’s nightlife, and it stays busy and friendly late into the night.

What De Waterkant is not is a beach suburb. It sits above the working harbour rather than on the open coast, and the pleasure of it is the village itself: the cobbles, the colour, the restored houses and the ease of stepping out into shops and restaurants on foot. It has the feel of a small European quarter dropped into the middle of the city.

Its position is the other draw. The V&A Waterfront is a short walk or a few minutes’ drive down the hill, the city centre is right alongside, and the Atlantic Seaboard proper, Green Point, Sea Point and the beaches beyond, begins just to the west. You can base yourself somewhere full of character and be at the Waterfront, in the city or on the coast within minutes.

There is real history under the paint. De Waterkant grew up as a working neighbourhood on the fringe of the old town, and the little houses that were later restored and repainted are what give it its look today. Walking it is the pleasure: the streets are too narrow and too steep to rush, so you slow down, wander between the shops and courtyards, and stop for coffee or a long lunch.

The homes are mostly the restored terraced cottages and a scatter of stylish apartments, characterful, compact and built for a walk-everywhere stay rather than for sprawling grounds. De Waterkant suits people who want the city, the history and the nightlife on their doorstep, and who value character and walkability over a sea view.

Havenluxe does not currently manage a home in De Waterkant itself. The nearest villas sit a short drive away along the Atlantic Seaboard, and the closest are below.