At the Winchester Mansions Hotel we welcome kids of all ages. We have a variety of amenities and services to make your family holiday a little easier.
We offer:
- Baby-sitting services
- A special kids menu
- Kids gowns to borrow and purchase
- Swimming pool
- The ocean at their doorstep
- A personalised gift on arrival and child friendly staff.
There's no reason why you can't combine a love of good food and wine with a family holiday, in a setting of great natural beauty. Cape Town has a lot to offer for your holiday with children. From amusement parks to educational tours, we have compiled a comprehensive list of things to do for you and your children in and around Cape Town.
Tip: Bear in mind children need a holiday too! Besides all the exciting adventures for children on offer, let them play by the hotels pool or take them to one of the near by beaches to enjoy themselves.
POLICY:
Children under the age of 6 stay FREE of charge, but please note that our Classic rooms cannot accommodate children older than 2 years of age or a third person. Children of 6 years and older constitutes a third person and will pay a supplement if sharing with two adults OR will pay the double room rate if sharing with one adult.
We recommend the following destinations in and around Cape Town:
Butterfly World (Klapmuts)
Located at Klapmuts, a few kilometres further along the N1 highway from the zoo is the butterfly park at Butterfly World. The park is located on over 1000 m2 of covered garden and boasts one of the largest live butterfly displays in the world with specimens from over 3 continents.
Phone: 021 875 5628
Monkey Town (Somerset West)
http://www.monkeys.co.za
A memorable interaction with exotic monkeys from the rain forests of Africa and the Amazons awaits you at Monkey Town. As a primate sanctuary, tourism destination and wildlife conservation centre, it is one family outing that you will not forget.
Two Oceans Aquarium (V&A Waterfront)
This is the largest aquarium in South Africa, housing more than 300 marine species in impressive and informative displays. Watch seals playing underwater or the calm swaying of kelp forests filled with fish. Shark feeding time is 3:30pm daily, and the best day to go is on a Sunday when large ragged-toothed sharks are fed.
Phone: +27 21 418 3823
www.aquarium.co.za
Open Hours: 9:30am-6pm daily
Canal Walk Shopping Mall (Century City)
With more than 400 shops to choose from, Canal Walk is Africa's largest and most exciting retail and entertainment centre, offering the most compelling, comparative shopping experience under one roof on the continent.
It has however been designed to offer more than just an unbeatable shopping experience. From its breath-taking architecture, to the live events and promotions staged regularly in its state-of-the-art promotions court which also boasts its own television station to its 40 restaurants, coffee shops and pubs, Canal Walk has been designed to entertain.
www.canalwalk.co.za
Children's Garden at Spier
Spier, on the R310 on the way to Stellenbosch from Cape Town, offers beautifully manicured grounds around a lake: you can picnic here, buying your food and wine from the classy deli on the estate. A great lunch option. There's also a Cheetah sanctuary on the estate (free admission).
www.spier.co.za/children.asp
World of Birds
The World of Birds, in Hout Bay, was founded over 25 years ago, initially as a commercial breeding venture but it soon became a haven for for sick and injured birds. Over 3000 bird species can be viewed in landscaped, walk through aviaries. A gift shop and restaurant are available.
Tel 021 790 2730
www.worldofbirds.org.za
Drakenstein Lion Park
The Lion Park acts as a sanctuary for captive born lions that cannot be reintroduced into the wild. The lions all come from captive environments where they were kept in small zoo type cages. It is the Lion Park's mission to provide these animals with a safe haven and ensure that they never end up on hunting farms or in circuses. Our lions are housed in large sprawling camps with plenty of natural vegetation in as natural conditions as is practically possible. The lions can be viewed from our open air viewing deck or from the 150m catwalk that extends over the lion camps. Here you can wonder above these magnificent beasts in complete safety. We are open daily from 09H30 to 17H00.
MTN Science Centre (Century City)
www.mtnsciencentre.org.za
Beaches: Boulders Beach (Simons Town), Clifton and Camps Bay Beach
Camps Bay Beach is a broad stretch of palm tree-lined white sand bordering the bracing waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Set at the foot of a spectacular series of mountain peaks, the Twelve Apostles, yet only 10 minutes from the city centre by car, it is one of Cape Town's most popular beaches. It is not a sheltered beach, so if the wind is blowing it is advisable to head for Clifton, another breath-taking and more secluded beach just around the corner. The beachside road has a festive atmosphere with a good variety of cafes and restaurants affording great sea views.
Ratanga Junction (Century City)
Ratanga is a fantastic playground with something exciting for everyone. Experience the great selection of rides for adults and children. Thrill seekers will love the hair-raising Cobra roller coaster or the 18,5 metre drop down Monkey Falls. A rider ticket allows unlimited access on all of the 30 rides.
The evening entertainment includes spectacular laser shows and live performances from comedy to cabaret and dance parties. There are also a variety of restaurants, shops, pubs and the Casablanca MegaVu cinema, which features 3D movies on a giant screen. Be prepared for a full, fun day.
Phone: +27 861 200 300
www.ratanga.co.za
Open Hours: 10am-5pm Wed-Sun & all public holidays
West Coast Ostrich Show Ranch
For a unique experience only 20 minutes from Cape Town's City Centre, visit an ostrich farm offering informative tours. Also on-site is a high quality, great value leather and curio shop, and an ostrich meat restaurant. A major attraction is the tour around the well-equipped education centre.
Phone: +27 21 972 1955
Open Hours: 09h00 to 17h00 everyday
Lazerquest
The largest indoor survival game centre in South Africa, Lazerquest, offers excitement and a challenge to children over the age of eight. 1.5 kilometres wide, three storeys high, a smoke machine and some of the best club music in town makes for action-packed entertainment. Shoot, or be shot, by your fellow teammates as you enter this adventure fantasy.
Phone: +27 21 930 2214
Email: lqx@mweb.co.za
Open Hours: midday-5pm Mon-Fri; 10am-10pm Sun; 10am-11pm
Circe Launches
What better way to spend your Saturday afternoon than to hop on a boat at Hout Bay harbour and enjoy a trip out to sea? If you're lucky, and visiting in season, you'll cruise past whales frolicking in the bay before heading out to Duiker Island, where a huge seal colony awaits you.
Phone: +27 21 790 1040
Open Hours: Daily depending on weather and season
Bo Kaap Museum
As a satellite of the South African Cultural Museum, this museum features exhibits on the Cape Town Muslim community and historical insight into the city's diverse inhabitants. The museum is situated in a restored home in the historic Bo Kaap style, surrounded by other Cape Dutch architecture patinted a spectrum of colors. Exhibits feature educational explanations and artifacts from the 18th century.
Phone: +27 21 424 3846
www.museums.org.za/bokaap
Open Hours: 9:30am-4:30pm Mon-Sat
Waterfront Adventures
Fully qualified whale guides will take you on a boat trip to spot some of the oceans most graceful and majestic creatures, whales, in their natural environment off the South African coastline. They begin arriving around May and June each year and hang around in pairs and families along the Cape coastline's bays and inlets.
Phone: +27 21 419 1780
www.robben-island.co.za
Open Hours: 8.30am-5.30pm Mon-Sun
Simon's Town Steam Train
The train trip out to Simon's Town is known for its beauty and stunning view of the coastline on one side and the mountains on the other. It's a comfortable ride with lounge areas, carpets, couches and a bar. This is a great outing for children. Pack a picnic and set off on a train trip, which lasts one and a half hours.
Spend from 11.30am to 3pm looking around the historic and interesting village and enjoy your picnic on the beach there. The train leaves for Cape Town at 3pm. This trip only happens approximately once a month, so plan ahead.
Phone: +27 21 419 5222
Open Hours: 8am-5pm Mon-Fri
Robben Island
A leper colony, an asylum and a prison are some of Robben Island's incarnations during its turbulent history. It is located about 11km from Cape Town's harbour and is most famous as a penal institution that incarcerated many of South Africa's well-known political figures, including Nelson Mandela. It was opened to the public in January 1997 and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on 1 December 1999. Tours of the island depart from the Clock Tower at the V&A Waterfront and cost R100 for scholars and R70 for students and pensioners. Each tour lasts approximately 3.5 hours (including the crossings) and consists of a bus trip around the island and a guided tour of the prison. The guides are all ex-inmates and provide personal accounts of prison life.
Phone: +27 21 419 1300
www.robben-island.org.za
Open Hours: 8am-6pm daily (subject to change)
Tygerberg Zoo
Tygerberg Zoo is located in a rural area, 39 km from the city alongside the N1 highway near Paarl. The zoo is on 24 hectares and a large variety of wildlife, some of it rare and seldom seen can be viewed. The zoo is more of a wildlife park than a traditional zoo with the animals being free to roam about spacious enclosures rather than being confined to cages. On view are a large variety of animals including the big cats (lion, leopard and cheetah), numerous antelope, crocodiles, birds, monkeys, baboons and chimpanzees among others.
Tel: 021 884 4494
www.tygerbergzoo.co.za
Scratch Patch
Children of all ages will have hours of fun searching for their favourite gemstones at the Scratch Patch in Simon's Town or the V&A Waterfront. South Africa is one of the leading producers of gemstones in the world and apart from being able to scratch through the thousands of polished stones that cover the floor, visitors can also take a guided tour through one of the largest gemstone factories in the world.
Tel: 021 786 2020 [Simon's Town]
Phone: 021 419 9429 [V&A Waterfront]
Planetarium
Sound and light are combined to reproduce the southern heavens on the domed ceiling of the Planetarium, alongside the SA Museum in the Gardens, Cape Town. The instruments used can reproduce the night sky at any point 13 000 years before modern times or the same period in the future. A state of the art audio system ensures a never to be forgotten educational experience.
Tel: 021 424 3330
www.museums.org.za/planetarium
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