Ditch your keys & Uber it.

I've been into Uber since the get go. I attended the Cape Town launch in Camps Bay in 2013 and signed up straight away. It was a no brainer - you tap once to ride, the car takes minutes to arrive, you can get a fare estimate before you agree to the trip and best of all for me, it's cashless.  What's not to love?

Most people know I had a large frothy with Uber on New Year's Eve last year when surge pricing went through the roof. Long story short, I never dissed the service, just a particular incident and in fact I was back Ubering about the very next day. I'm someone who often has to go to meetings in the city centre. We all know that on-street parking is a 'mare and I personally hate having to hand over R12,00 an hour to those blue and orange clad parking attendants. If I could leopard crawl to my car and avoid them I would, but that's obvs not gonna happen. Being in town for up to 4 hours at a time racks up a painful cost so catching an Uber makes sense. It's often cheaper there and back from my office. When I'm away travelling (I recently Uber'd very conveniently in Paris and Berlin), or have an early morning work situation and can't get my younger son to school, it's Uber that replaces Mom's Taxi. And of course, very importantly, I can now enjoy a glass and a half of vino and not break out in a cold sweat every time I climb back into my car, feeling perfectly fine yet fretting about the possibility of being a smidge over the limit, failing a breathaliser test at a roadblock and then, horrors, landing my suburban ass in a jail cell. Uber means no more of that stressing, thank you very much.

And lastly, I'm out at night a lot- either working at a theatre, or attending a gig or event. I get very twitchy when I can't find parking right outside my destination. If I Uber it, I'm safer - there's no need to have to walk nervously down a quiet street back to my car. 

This month (June) Uber has a nifty #ditchyourkeys campaign going on that offers riders a cool price cut in celebration of the one year anniversary of Uber X. It's a deal. Take advantage. If you want your first ride free, use my promo code - vhlim - and voila! 

Two flights & a conversion

This past Friday has officially been clocked as one of my best days in Cape Town, ever. With two flights, a sublime food experience and an unexpected wine conversion, it was a gorgeous day and an unforgettable experience.

First stop on our outing was the five star 12 Apostles for lunch, a hotel & spa about five minutes from Camps Bay, perfectly positioned between the Atlantic and the Twelve Apostles mountain range, with superb sweeping views across an expanse of ocean towards Lion’s Head. Our gourmet meal was a delicious three course affair, made all the finer by the excellent service we received throughout at the airy blue and white Azure restaurant where Head Sommelier Gregory Mutambe, quite the expert, introduced us to the first flight of our day, a tasting of a selection of three amazing wines of our choosing. If it’s white wine I’m going to be having, then I’ll generally opt for a wooded chardonnay or chenin, but on this beautiful early winter’s day, let it be known that I was completely won over by the Bouchard Finlayson 2012 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve. Make no mistake, the other wines offered were wonderful, but that Reserve was something rather special and may just become my new favourite vino blanco.

After all that indulgent feasting that ended with panacotta and sorbet desserts and  'homemade' chocolates that were too divine for words, it was time for the second flight du jour, in a chopper, courtesy NAC Helicopters. We were escorted through the 12A, along a short trail behind the hotel that wound through aromatic fynbos (one of my best frangrances in life) to the helipad and then whisked off to the V&A Waterfront. What a breathtaking journey. We flew out over the bay, pulling up above Lion’s Head with Robben Island on the left and then cruised along the coast past Clifton, Camps Bay and Sea Point, coming in to land at the Waterfront facing Table Mountain flanked by Devil’s Peak and Signal Hill. 

Views to blow your hair back-it really doesn’t get any better than that. What a city we live in…it never ceases to amaze me.

This unique 12A offering costs R1650, and includes a one way helicopter flight (minimum two guests per flight) from the Waterfront to the hotel, a 3 course lunch at Azure with a flight of three wines, and a hotel shuttle back to the V&A. Spoil yourself with this…you deserve it. You may thank me afterwards.

An elegant entrance..

Foyer blooms...

A five star gourmet lunch...

A blue, silver-grey & white theme adds to the airy feeling of the Azure restaurant...

Bouchard Finlayson's Sauvignon Blanc Reserve, my conversion from Chardonnay is a fait accompli...

 Fans & fleurs...

Salads & sorbets...

Soft centred chocolates...

Masood Sadulla, Head Concierge, looked after us beautifully throughout our lunch and saw us safely on board...

Flight 2...ready for take~off...

In that...

Views...the scenic coast road, Lion's Head far left & the Twelve Apostles Mountains to the right..

Taking my Converse to new heights...

Looking down past a rotor blade onto the 4 blue flag Clifton beaches..

Sea Point...

Devil's Peak & Table Mountain, the City, & in front (right) the Cape Town Stadium...

Lion's Head & the V&A Waterfront in the foreground...

Back on terra firma with my fellow flighties, Janie van der Spuy (Five Star PR), Bianca Coleman (Saturday Argus), moi (Cape Town Diva/DIVA PR) & Hannah Deall (Cape Town Tourism)

All photographs by Allison Foat/DIVA PR

More About The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa

The five-star Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, situated on Cape Town’s – if not the world’s - most scenic route, recently celebrated its 10th birthday. Well established as the city’s leading boutique hotel, The Twelve Apostles Hotel is a member of Leading Hotels of the World and prides itself in offering guests that ‘personal touch’. Guests are five minutes from the most beautiful beaches and Camps Bay, 15 minutes from the city centre and V&A Waterfront, and within easy reach of many vineyards within the Cape Winelands. Helicopter transfers are also available to offer an exhilarating experience flying over the spectacular peninsula. Being at the water’s edge of a marine reserve means there are frequent whale and dolphin sightings in season. Surrounded by nature only, the hotel is flanked by the majestic Table Mountain and the Twelve Apostles mountain range within the Table Mountain National Park. The interior design is inspired by its namesake, creating a fresh, calming environment that artfully combines sophistication with simplicity, comfort and elegance. Guests are spoilt with spectacular views of the ocean and mountain views in each of the 70  bedrooms each superbly designed to provide the utmost comfort and style. The hotel has two swimming pools perched above the ocean; its award-winning health and beauty spa, Azure, the Café Grill, and the Leopard Room Bar & Lounge; a 16-seater private cinema; and meeting and events facilities for up to 90 guests.