SCAMMED in Santiago Chile

I never thought it would happen to me.

I’ve been travelling for so many years now, I thought I was quite a savvy traveller.  I can detect bullshit and send them on their way.

Not this time.

This time I thought I was protected and let my guard down.

Let me start at the beginning.

When I mentioned I wanted to travel to South America, my son told me it was dangerous for an old woman to travel there alone.  “Too many scammers and bad people,” he said. “Go online and find a tour that will take you to the places you want to go.”

And so I did. I went online and found many tour groups that went to the places I wanted to go to.  They were all quite pricey and for a budget traveller it was going to be a big undertaking.  I did my research and eventually decided on a tour group that had small groups of around 10 and catered for people up to 65.

When I arrived in La Paz, Bolivia, I was quite surprised to see the group was a bit bigger than I expected.  There were 19 of us.  Also, all the others had started the tour in Peru.  I did not realise that an advertised tour was just one leg of a large tour.  My bad.  This meant that everybody had bonded and I arrived, the sole new group member joining in La Paz, as an outsider.

Still, as a fairly outgoing sort of person, I’d hoped I’d fit in.

The tour through Bolivia was great. At the Chilean border, I suddenly felt nauseous.  Maybe it was a premonition of things to come.  As soon as I arrived at the hotel in San Pedro I started vomiting and was eventually going at both ends.  Luckily, the upset tummy was over by the next morning.

The flight to Santiago was uneventful.  What followed was my horror story.

Our group gathered together by the conveyor belt to collect our luggage.  We each loaded our luggage onto a trolley and made our way to the exit.  I got stuck behind an old woman and couldn’t get past her.  By the time I got through the exit, my whole group had vanished.  Not a single familiar face to be seen.  At first, I felt mild annoyance that nobody had waited for me.  That soon changed to anxiety when I realized that I had no idea which way they had gone, or which level.  I walked the length of the airport, looking out of all the exits but could not see any of my group.  A man approached me and said he was the airport police and he showed me what looked like a legitimate ID security card.  He asked me in English what the problem was.  I explained that my group had left me behind and I was trying to find them.  He told me that groups leave on level 2 and he took me there.  Unfortunately, my group was not there.  By this time panic was starting to set in.  I did not speak Spanish, the tour guide had not given me his number, because I had joined the group late, I was not included in their Whatsapp group.  I literally had no way of contacting anybody in my group.  I didn’t even know the name of the hotel I was going to with the group.  If I had travelled alone and planned my own trip, I dare say that this would not have happened.

The ’policeman’ kept asking me for my tour voucher.  I told him repeatedly that I didn’t have a voucher.  Eventually, I remembered that I had the itinerary in my carry-on, and the hotel name would be there.  I dug it out and handed it to the ‘policeman.’  He scrutinized it, immediately recognized the name of the hotel and called them, confirming that our group was checked in there.  However, he spoke in Spanish and I don’t speak or understand any Spanish.  He told me that my group had already arrived at the hotel and had accidentally left me behind.  He said that the hotel reception said that I must take a taxi and they would refund me the cost.  He took my luggage from me and I was impressed that the Chilean airport police were so helpful.

As it so happened, there was a taxi waiting…

I was very surprised when the ‘policeman’ jumped into the passenger seat of the taxi.  But, still feeling unsettled because my group had left me behind, I dismissed it.

The ‘policeman’ was very friendly and pointed out the sights as we drove to the hotel.  He told me repeatedly not to worry.  Then he said, “You need to pay 400 pesos. We’ll stop at an ATM.”

I was confused.  “I thought the hotel was going to pay?”

“It’s easier this way,” he said.  “The hotel will refund you.”

Knowing that the adapter plug for my MacBook cost 3000 pesos, I thought 400 pesos sounded a little light for a taxi ride.  With a great deal of hesitation, I asked, “Do you mean 400 000 pesos?  That can’t be right.”

Instead of replying to my question, the ‘policeman’ said, “Here’s an ATM and you can go and draw the money.”

By this stage I was feeling quite overwhelmed.  I had no idea what was going on.  In fact, I didn’t even know how much money I was supposed to draw out.  They had made me write down my name on the receipt when I first got into the taxi but had not yet put an amount on it.  Not having planned on taking a taxi as I was with a tour and they were responsible for all my transport, I had not researched how much taxis cost in Santiago.

I got out of the taxi and walked to the ATM.  Both the taxi driver and the ‘policeman’ followed me in.  I put in my pin, selected what kind of card and then the taxi driver selected 200 000 pesos which was the maximum that machine dispensed at a time, and the ‘policeman’ quickly removed the cash from the machine and told me to take my card.  To say that I was shocked was an understatement.  200 000 pesos is about $320!  It all happened so quickly!

Now this might not sound like a lot of money, but to me it is a helluva lot.  As someone who travels on a strict budget, it’s a huge amount.  (Remembering that I had been scammed out of $160 in Cuba! See my previous blog post!)

I got back into the car and just as I was going to start questioning the amount of money, my phone rang.  It was the tour company’s office in Peru.  They wanted to know where I was as the rest of my group were still waiting for me at the airport.  I explained what had happened and that this ‘policeman’ helped me and told me that the group were already at the hotel.  Then I told the tour group guy that the taxi driver and ‘policeman’ had taken 200 000 pesos out of my account and I thought that was way too much for a taxi.  I asked him to speak to the ‘policeman’ to find out what was going on and why they were charging me so much for the taxi.

At first, the ‘policeman’ refused to take my phone.  Then he tried to give my phone to the taxi driver who refused to take it.  Eventually, he took it but wouldn’t put it to his ear.  He spoke in Spanish and handed me back my phone and the receipt for 200 000 pesos and said the Peru office had ended the call.  Before I could even get my head around how strange that was, they had stopped the taxi, thrown my bags on the sidewalk and told me to get out.  Then they sped off.  Just then, the Peru office for the tour group phoned back again, saying that the ‘policeman’ had ended the call when I passed him the phone.  Then he proceeded to tell me that this is a common airport scam in Santiago.

Thanks for nothing.

I had to explain where I had been unceremoniously dropped off, and luckily it was only a short 2 block walk to the hotel.  The hotel reception were expecting me, so it seems the ‘policeman’ really did speak to them.  They asked where the taxi was and I explained what had happened.  They laughed and said I was scammed.

Yeah, big fat joke.  So sorry I don’t find it funny enough to laugh.

Maybe tomorrow, but right now I am angry.  Mega-angry.

You pay a lot of money for a tour to protect you from this kind of thing.  That’s why you take a tour.  You expect your tour not to lose you at the airport.

When my tour group eventually arrived at the hotel and met me in the lobby as our rooms weren’t ready, some of them thought the whole incident was funny.  Some sniggered.  One girl said sarcastically, “Well if you had given the tour guide your contact details he would have been able to call you.”

Not the right time.

Not the right thing to say.

I nearly slapped her.

I never knew I had so much self-restraint.

Actually, if they didn’t have my contact details, the Peru office wouldn’t have been able to phone me.  Also, when I first met the tour guide I had to fill in a form with my contact details, emergency contact, medical insurance 24-hour number etc.

I am not a moron.  Silly bitch.

At this stage, I feel as if my whole holiday is ruined.

I know I must not be dramatic but it’s hard.

I am angry at myself for being scammed, I am angry at the old woman for blocking my way, I am angry at my group for not noticing I wasn’t with them, I am angry at the tour guide for not doing his job.  And I am bloody furious at the scammers who think it’s okay to rip-off someone who is in an anxious state because they’ve got separated from their group.

I’m angry I don’t speak Spanish.

I’m angry that my son was right when he said South America is full of bad people.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

I hope.

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My Cuban Mistake(s)

I suppose no holiday can be 100% perfect. When you book holidays over the internet, you always take a bit of a risk. I was excited to visit Cuba. I’d seen friends’ photos on Instagram and thought it would make a wonderful holiday destination. While I don’t regret visiting Cuba, I think I could definitely have planned it better.

As Cuba was just one small part of a big summer holiday, I made the decision to spend my whole stay in Havana.  This was my big mistake.  Well, mistake number 1.  I made more than one mistake!  While Havana is great to explore and there are awesome photo opportunities, you can do it all in just two days.  The problem was, I had booked six nights in Havana.  Six nights was way too long and just became excruciating.  I have never wished a holiday to be over as quickly as I did this one.  Which brings me to my second mistake.  In the interests of saving money as I had a long holiday in many countries ahead of me, I booked a room in someone’s home rather than a room in a hotel.  Never again, that’s all I’m saying.  While the owner herself was very sweet and made great breakfasts, she didn’t stay in the house.  Instead, she rented out the other rooms to some of her family members.  They were loud, like really seriously loud.  My bedroom was next to the lounge.  The lounge was busier than a New York railway station, with visitors coming and going all day until late at night.  They enjoyed watching TV which was obviously put on full volume so that they could still hear it above their loud chatter.  My advice, pay extra and stay in a hotel.  Especially if you like privacy and you want to rest and relax on holiday.  Also, make sure the hotel has a pool.  Havana is hot.  I feel like I spent 6 nights in a sauna.

Maybe I wouldn’t have felt so stressed if I didn’t constantly have people in my face.  I had visits from different family members all trying to sell me cigars, curios, tours, you name it.  Everything except water.  Now water was one thing I would have happily bought.  The heat makes you thirsty, but water was in short supply.  Corner shops ran out of water.  Sodas and ice-creams were hard to get because of Trump’s embargo on Cuba.  In fact, I never saw a single ice-cream.  You had to replace ice-cream with a mojito.  Some restaurants had limited supplies of soda, but they were starting to run out.  There was no shortage of mojitos though.

What I should have done is spend two days in Havana, and the rest of my time in a beach resort.  But as I had prepaid for my accommodation, I was trapped.  Stuck in a situation that just caused me undue stress.

One of the family members offered to organise me a tour of Havana in a horse and cart.  Special price, she said.  The guide showed me a card with the price $45.  I thought it was a bit pricey, but felt  that it would at least get me out of the noisy house.  The tour was great, the guide was excellent.  Unfortunately, as they dropped me off at the house the price changed somewhat.  He had accidentally covered up the fine print with his thumb when he initially showed me the price on the card.  Mistake number 3.  The lesson to learn is always take the price card in your hands and look at it carefully.  That way their thumb cannot hide important information – like the words ‘per hour.’  So you guessed it.  Instead of what I thought was an expensive $45, I had to pay $160!  I felt sick.  I had budgeted so carefully for the holiday.  For the next two days I saved my breakfast rolls and juice to eat for dinner so that I didn’t have to go out and spend more money.  Fitting punishment for not reading the fine print under the guide’s thumb!

Another thing to remember when planning a holiday to Cuba, is that there is no free WIFI.  I’m not sure if hotels offer their guests free WIFI, but you definitely do not have access to any in restaurants or public places.

So, do I regret coming to Cuba? Definitely not.  Havana is worth a visit.  However, don’t be cheap and stay in someone’s home and also only plan two days in Havana and spend the rest of your stay at a beach in Cuba.  At this stage I would give my eye-teeth for a beach, a pool, anywhere I can do my hippo impersonation!

Cindy Vine is a South African author and teacher currently living in Norway.  She is the author of numerous novels including Not Telling, Defective, Hush Baby, CU@8 and The Freedom Club.  All her books are available on Amazon.com in both ebook and paperback format.  The Freedom Club is available in Spanish and Portuguese.  You can find out about her novels http://cindyvine.com.

For her musings http://cindy-vine.blogspot.com

Follow Cindy on Facebook https://facebook.com/cindyvinefanpage

Follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest @cindyvine

And, if you enjoy travel and travel videos, subscribe to my Youtube Channel http://www.youtube.com/c/CindyVine

My Big Fat Summer Holiday Itinerary

I had a basic idea of what I wanted to do.  And yes, it did involve visiting and exploring countries I had never been to before.  I booked my initial flight to Fort Lauderdale and my 19 day South American tour, but didn’t book anything else until the week before the summer holiday started.  You might be thinking that I was a bit disorganized in leaving all the bookings until the last possible minute.  And in some respect you may be right.  However, travel is not cheap even if you secure great deals.  It all adds up.  Sometimes you just have to wait for the funds to come in before booking the rest of the holiday.

So here it is! My big fat summer holiday itinerary.  As I am writing this, I am at the beginning of this itinerary.  Whether it’s too hectic and will be my demise remains to be seen.

21 June

Take the airport bus from Gjøvik to Oslo Gardemoen Airport.  Spend the night at an airport hotel because the airport bus times have become so sucky of late, that even though my flight is 11 am on the 22nd, the earliest bus would not have me arrive in time to check-in for my flight.  An unnecessary expense.  I hate Nettbus.

22 June

Fly to Fort Lauderdale via Stockholm with Norwegian Air. Check in to Tara Suites 5 minutes walk from Fort Lauderdale Beach.  After my last visit to Fort Lauderdale when I stayed in the middle of nowhere far from everything, I was prepared to pay a little extra not to make that same mistake again.

24 June

Check out of Tara Suites and check into the Residence Inn Mariott in Plantation, Fort Lauderdale.  This is because it is near to the IRS office in Plantation and I have an 8.30 am appointment the next day.

25 June

8.30 am Tax office appointment.  Check out of the Residence Inn.  Fly with Jet Blue to Havana Cuba.  Get a visa from Jet Blue.  Check in to Casa Alfaro in Havana Cuba.

1 July

Check out from Casa Alfaro. Fly to San Jose Costa Rica via Panama City with Copa Air.  Check into Fleur de Lys in San Jose.

2 July

Check out of Fleur de Lys. Take a shuttle bus to Monteverde.  Check into Cabanas El Pueblo B&B.

3 July

Explore the rainforest at Monteverde.

4 July

Check out of Cabanas El Pueblo.  Take a bus to Manuel Antonio.  Check in to Natural Pacific Suites in Quepos.

8 July

Check out of Natural Pacific Suites and take a bus to San Jose.  Check in to Fleur de Lys.

9 July

Check out of Fleur de Lys.  Fly to Lima, Peru with Latam Airlines.  Check in to Beds and Rooms near the Airport.

11 July

Check out from Beds and Rooms and fly to La Paz Bolivia with Latam Airlines.  Check in to Hotel Madrid.

12 July

Check out from Hotel Madrid.  Meet up with tour group from Tucan Tours at Hotel Sagarnaga. Check-in.

13 July

Fly from La Paz to Uyuni Bolivia.  Stay Tonito Hotel.

14 July

4WD Salar de Uyuni.  Stay in a hostel.

15 July

4WD to Laguna Colorada. Stay in a hostel.

16 July

4WD to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile.  Stay at Hotel Don Raul.

17 July

4WD to Valley of the Moon.  Stay at Hotel Don Raul.

18 July

Fly to Santiago Chile.  Stay at Hotel Libertador.

19 July

Explore Santiago. Stay at Hotel Libertador.

20 July

Explore Valparaiso. Stay at Hotel Libertador.

21 July

Fly to Mendoza. Stay at Urbana Suites.

22 July

Explore Mendoza vineyards and wine tasting. Stay at Urbana Suites.

23 July

Fly to Buenos Aires.  Stay at Hotel TWO.

24 July

Explore Buenos Aires.  Stay at Hotel TWO.

25 July

Explore Buenos Aires. Stay at Hotel TWO.

26 July

Fly to Iguazu Falls. Stay at Hotel Taroba Express.

27 July

Drive to the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls. Stay at Hotel Taroba Express.

28 July

Fly to Rio de Janeiro.  Stay at Hotel Regina.

29 July

Explore Rio. End of tour.

30 July

And here is where things get a little fuzzy.  I booked a flight from Rio to Sao Paulo.  The wrong destination! I’m going to try and change it to Curalita, the correct destination.  At this stage, I can’t do it as I don’t have WIFI in Cuba.  Hopefully, I can change it and visit my friend for a few days.

And then, of course, I have to end up again in Sao Paulo to start the great trip home to Norway.  Fuzziness adds to the adventure, don’t you think?

3 August

Fly from Sao Paulo to Buenos Aires. Check in to Holiday Inn Ezeiza Airport. Ethiopian Air.

4 August

Check out of the Holiday Inn, fly to London Gatwick. Norwegian Air.

5 August

Fly from London Gatwick to Gardemoen Oslo. Norwegian Air. Check into P-Hotel in Oslo.

See PINK live in concert in Oslo.

6 August

I had a basic idea of what I wanted to do.  And yes, it did involve visiting and exploring countries I had never been to before.  I booked my initial flight to Fort Lauderdale and my 19 day South American tour but didn’t book anything else until the week before the summer holiday started.  You might be thinking that I was a bit disorganized in leaving all the bookings until the last possible minute.  And in some respect, you may be right.  However, travel is not cheap even if you secure great deals.  It all adds up.  Sometimes you just have to wait for the funds to come in before booking the rest of the holiday.

So here it is! My big fat summer holiday itinerary.  As I am writing this, I am at the beginning of this itinerary.  Whether it’s too hectic and will be my demise remains to be seen.

Travel Bug Merch

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Complaints from Travel Customers

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

This was posted by Arabella Beaumont. in the 40+ Travel Group on Facebook. It gave me such a chuckle, I had to share it on this blog.

The Huffington Post shared this list back in 2013. Made me both laugh and despair at peoples ignorance and stupidity (if indeed, it is for real). 

These are actual complaints received from dissatisfied customers by Thomas Cook Vacations (based on a Thomas Cook/ABTA survey):

1. “I think it should be explained in the brochure that the local convenience store does not sell proper biscuits like custard creams or ginger nuts.”

2. “It’s lazy of the local shopkeepers in Puerto Vallarta to close in the afternoons. I often needed to buy things during ‘siesta’ time — this should be banned.”

3. “On my holiday to Goa in India, I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry. I don’t like spicy food.”

4. “We booked an excursion to a water park but no-one told us we had to bring our own swimsuits and towels. We assumed it would be included in the price.”

5. “The beach was too sandy. We had to clean everything when we returned to our room.”

6. “We found the sand was not like the sand in the brochure. Your brochure shows the sand as white but it was more yellow.”

7. “They should not allow topless sunbathing on the beach. It was very distracting for my husband who just wanted to relax.”

8. “No one told us there would be fish in the water. The children were scared.”

9. “Although the brochure said that there was a fully equipped kitchen, there was no egg-slicer in the drawers.”

10. “We went on holiday to Spain and had a problem with the taxi drivers as they were all Spanish.”

11. “The roads were uneven and bumpy, so we could not read the local guide book during the bus ride to the resort. Because of this, we were unaware of many things that would have made our holiday more fun.”

12. “It took us nine hours to fly home from Jamaica to England. It took the Americans only three hours to get home. This seems unfair.”

13. “I compared the size of our one-bedroom suite to our friends’ three-bedroom and ours was significantly smaller.”

14. “The brochure stated: ‘No hairdressers at the resort’. We’re trainee hairdressers and we think they knew and made us wait longer for service.”

15. “There were too many Spanish people there. The receptionist spoke Spanish, the food was Spanish. No one told us that there would be so many foreigners.”

16. “We had to line up outside to catch the boat and there was no air-conditioning.”

17. “It is your duty as a tour operator to advise us of noisy or unruly guests before we travel.”

18. “I was bitten by a mosquito. The brochure did not mention mosquitoes.”

19. “My fiance and I requested twin-beds when we booked, but instead we were placed in a room with a king bed. We now hold you responsible and want to be re-reimbursed for the fact that I became pregnant. This would not have happened if you had put us in the room that we booked.”

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Why I’m Making Travel Videos

I’m not sure why some of us like to travel and others of us are content to never leave the town we were born in.  I don’t think it’s genetic.  I’m addicted to travel, but neither of my parents went out of their way to travel the world.  They did the odd few trips, but nothing that made me think that one day I’d like to be like them.  Somehow or other, as soon as I began teaching I became infected with the travel bug.

Seeing the world

It seems unbelievable, but I have lived and worked in 13 different countries.  I used my teaching to see the world.  I have lived in countries where there have been coups, protests and civil war.  Life has been pretty exciting at times.  Until my 3 children reached adulthood, they traveled with me.  So I have traveled with a family and traveled as a solo traveler.  All in all, I have visited 64 different countries, but there are still a lot more to go.  I’m not even halfway!  And it’s not as if I’m rich either, many years I just about had money to get by.  As a teacher, school holidays were always a great opportunity to travel to different places.  Holidays were always done on a tight budget and I always went with the cheapest options.  This included using local transport, staying in some suspect places and eating street food.  Looking back, I’m pleased that’s the path I chose.  If I was only going to travel when I had enough money for a resort, then I would never have traveled.  Now I travel alone, for the first time in my life I can afford to upgrade a little.  I can eat at decent restaurants, take tours, go on cruises and stay in 3 star hotels.  I should be saving for my retirement, but I’d rather keep traveling.  It’s all about personal priorities I guess.  I just want to live my life to the fullest and see it all.

Keeping a record

Photography has always been a hobby of mine as soon as I got my first Brownie camera as a young child.  I enjoy it even though my children often tell me that I’m not very good at it.  I quite like the photos I take and I guess that’s what matters.  I have this compulsive need to take photos of my travels.  It’s like I want to capture all the memories for the time when my memory fades.  Then I can look at my photos and remember.  I was there.  I did it!

Taking photographs is keeping a record.  Documenting my journey through life.  Unfortunately, over the years I’ve had several laptops, hard drives and cameras stolen.  All my digital photos lost with each theft.  Each time I was heartbroken.  Not so upset about losing the device as I was losing the photos and all the memories they held.  Those photos can never be replaced.  The last few years I’ve started saving my photos on Facebook in albums.  Not to brag about my travels, but to ensure that if my laptop or hard drive is stolen, I would still have my photos.  Keeping a record is important to me.  Like my collection of fridge magnets and Starbucks mugs from the places I visit.  Maybe I am psychic and know that I will get Alzheimers one day, and that’s why I have this compulsion to keep a record of my travels.

Starting a Youtube Channel

Just before my trip to Iceland in February 2019, I bought a GoPro Hero 7.  This was because I was going to snowmobile on a glacier and I wanted to record the experience.  The fact that the battery of my GoPro died just before I climbed on the snowmobile is besides the point.  Sometimes annoying things happen.  It’s just one of the unfortunate aspects of life.  But regardless, having the GoPro opened my eyes to the possibilities of video.  So i revamped my Youtube Channel I had started way back in 2010 as an avenue to market my novels, and had forgotten about for several years.

I was now an old fat woman Youtuber.

Besides some of my book trailers, my Youtube channel is largely in the Travel niche.  I’ve started making videoas of some of my past travels, as well as making videos of all the trips I am currently doing.  Being a creative person, I enjoy the editing process.  But what I’m really enjoying is reliving magical memories as I sift through old photos of my travels.  It reminds me of how blessed I’ve been.  Many people wish they could travel to the places I’ve been to.  I am one lucky old woman!  That’s why I thought I would aim my Youtube Travel Channel at armchair travelers and older travelers.  In particular, solo travelers in the over fifty range.  But of course, you don’t have to be over 50 to watch the videos on my channel.  People of any age would derive benefit from it.

If you are interested in travel, like to find out more about the world and get handy travel tips, then you can subscribe to my Youtube Channel.  It costs nothing, it’s not a paid subscription.  All it means is that when I post a new video each week, it will appear on your Youtube news feed.  If you click on the bell which is to the right of the subscribe button, then you will be notified when I upload a new video.  You won’t be spammed to your email, it will just show up in your notifications when you log in to Youtube. You can subscribe to my channel when you click on this link to my Channel Trailer.  

You can find out more about my books on my author website www.cindyvine.com. You can follow me on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram @cindyvine. I also have a food blog inspired by my travels called Around the World in Eighty Plates. Here is the link for that. I would love for you to follow me on the different platforms, like – subscribe and comment. If you’d like one of the Travel Bug t-shirts I designed, you can find it here.

Cape Town for Foodies

So you consider yourself a food connoisseur, an expert on deliciousness.  If that is the case, then you need to be booking your next flight to Cape Town, South Africa.  Cape Town, besides having a fascinating history and lots to do there, is a melting pot of momentous meals.  There are restaurants representing different cuisines all over the place.  The choices are not only mindboggling, but also overwhelming.  Where will you eat?  What should you try first?  How will you choose just one?  Cape Town is like the foodie capital of the world. #justsaying

On a recent visit to Cape Town, I sat down with my daughter to compile a master list of some of our favourites. This list is by no means exhaustive.  There are plenty of exceptional restaurants in Cape Town with awesome food and outstanding service, all reasonably priced.  We haven’t tried them all, so I realise I might be missing out on some gems.  Apologies to the owners of those restaurants.  For the vegetarians and vegans out there – most South African restaurants have options on their menus for you, as well as gluten-free options.

Lekker Vegan

They specialise in ‘Vegan Gourmet Junk Food.’  They have two branches, one in Barrack Street and one in Kloof Street, and are open 7 days a week.  However, they are not open for breakfast. They advertise cruelty-free burgers, fries, gatsby’s (footlong submarine sandwiches), and a chocolate cheesecake that’s heaven on a plate.

Eastern Food Bazaar

The Eastern Food Bazaar is in Longmarket Street and is like a food court with different counters selling food from the Middle East to food from India to traditional Cape Malay food.  The food on offer is Halaal and there are plenty of vegetarian-friendly options.  Don’t be put off by the prices.  The food here is really cheap, but that doesn’t mean they skimp on quality.  Everything at the Eastern Bazaar is amazing!  They are open from 11am Monday to Saturday and are closed on Sundays.  They close at 10pm, so you can get a late night snack!

Saigon

Every time I visit Cape Town, Saigon is on my itinerary.  They specialise in Vietnamese cuisine and their food is exceptional.  Saigon is in Kloof Street.  Their wok-fried calamari starter is superb.  The best thing to do is if there is a group of you, order different starters and share, because it’s hard just to choose one.  For mains my daughter usually chooses the Pho Bo, and I try different items from the menu each time I go and am never disappointed.  They are open for lunch and dinner.  They are quite popular and get full quickly, so it might be an idea to book.

Tacos Locos

Tacos Locos is a Mexican Restaurant in Station Road, Observatory.  They are open from 12-9pm Monday to Saturday and are closed on Sundays.  Tacos Locos has managed to successfully combine Mexican street food with South African flavours, ending up with something unique that can’t be missed.

Yindees

Yindees is located on the corner of Camp and Kloof Streets, across the road from Saigon.  They offer authentic Thai cuisine.  The restaurant is in an historical Victorian house which is quite beautiful.  The menu is quite extensive and offers many vegetarian options.  There is definitely something on the menu to please everybody.  It is hard to recommend just one dish as everything is delcious and will make you feel like you are in Thailand.  They are open for lunch and dinner Monday to Saturday, and just dinner on a Sunday.

Monks

Monks are located in Durban Road, Mowbray, and they are a Chinese Take-away that also do deliveries.  They are open every day from 12-9.30pm.  Cheap but good, sums up their food.  So if you are looking to get food delivered and are in the mood for Chinese, look no further than Monks.

Linko

Linko is another Chinese Restaurant but offers a sit down option and are known for their great specials.  They are located in Lower Main Road in Observatory.  They offer authentic Chinese food, as well as sushi, and have vegetarian options as well. The fun, vibey atmosphere and outstanding service makes this a restaurant not to miss out on.  Linko is open every day of the week from 11am-10pm.

Burger and Lobster

Burger and Lobster is a New York-style restaurant in Bree Street.  They are open from 11am-11pm every day of the week.  Besides amazing burgers, affordable lobster, decadent desserts, they also make the biggest monster milkshakes I have ever seen.  Make sure Burger and Lobster is in your itinerary.

Galbi

Galbi is a Korean Restaurant with an African Twist.  It is located on Long Street and is open Monday to Saturday from 5-10pm and is closed on Sundays.  This is one of my favourite restaurants to take a group of friends.  The tableside BBQ where you cook your food turns eating out into a great social occasion.  The Safari Set consists of Zebra, Warthog, Ostrich and Kudu. Don’t worry, there are also plenty of vegetarian and vegan options.  Galbi is highly recommended.

Den Anker

Den Anker is a Belgian restaurant on the Pierhead at the V & A Waterfront.  It is open every day from 11am-10.30pm.  Besides the amazing views, Den Anker is best known for their exceptional seafood and great selection of Belgian beers. And yes, you can order Belgian waffles!

Meloncino

Meloncino is an amazing Italian restaurant in the V & A Waterfront in the shopping mall.  They are open every day from 11am-11pm.  The food is authentic Italian with homemade pasta and wood-fired pizzas.  Tasty and beautifully presented, if you love Italian then Meloncino is for you!

Karibu

Karibu is another one of my favourite restaurants.  They are located in the mall in the V & A Waterfront and have a view of the harbour and Table Mountain.  The waiting staff are incredibly friendly and helpful and the cuisine is traditional South African.  They are open every day from 11am-11pm.  If you are wanting to try delicious bredies (stews) and treat your tastebuds to unbelievably tasty traditional desserts, then Karibu needs to be on your itinerary.

Willoughby

Willoughby is one of the best seafood and sushi restaurants in Cape Town.  It is so popular that there is invariably a queue for a table.  Willoughby is in the mall at the V & A Waterfront and is open every day from 12-10.30pm.  If you want to eat fresh seafood, then this is the place for you!

Biesmiellah

Biesmiellah is a Cape Malay Restaurant in Wale Street in the colorful Bo-Kaap area of Cape Town.  It is strictly Halaal and that also means no alcohol.  It’s closed on Sundays and open Monday to Saturday 12-10pm.  This is where you can eat bobotie, crayfish curry, koeksisters and samoosas, and all the food that has made Cape Malay cuisine so unique and delicious.

I haven’t even touched the surface of great restaurants in Cape Town.  My next blog post will bring you great restaurants in the suburbs of Cape Town.  As I said before, if you are a foodie then you have to visit Cape Town.

You can see my video review of Burger and Lobster here.

You can see my video review of Galbi here.