How to Recreate the Made in Chelsea South Africa Trip – Including the AED37k a Night Villa
E4’s MIC headed to Cape Town and gave viewers serious travel-envy
22 May 2019
Maebelle
All Credits: PA
It’s not unusual for the Made In Chelsea cast to fly off to a luxury location on a whim but their latest jaunt was especially extravagant.
Monday night’s episode of the E4 show saw a group of eight from the show, including Jamie Laing, Verity Bowditch and Sophie ‘Habbs’ Habboo, arrive at an enormous villa overlooking Cape Town, South Africa, before sampling some of the sights the area has to offer.
If it made you want to book a trip there immediately, you aren’t alone.
SEE ALSO: Why Every Woman Should Travel Solo At Least Once In Their Lives
Here’s how to recreate the exact trip the cast took.
Moondance Villa
The cast stayed at the uber-luxurious Moondance Villa, based in Fresnaye, Cape Town, a suburb that’s popular with the rich and famous. Aside from the insanely spectacular terrace and outdoor pool, the villa also has four en-suite bedrooms with private balconies, a wine tasting room, 230 sq metre gym, a cinema, and a butler and private chef.
In peak season rates start at £8,477/AED39,436.28 a night with a minimum four night stay – a tad more expensive than most mini-breaks.
To book visit: 50moondance.com
A beautiful backdrop for a spot of wine tasting as the MIC lot discovered, the picturesque boutique wine estate of Constantia Glen is 20 minutes outside of Cape Town. Constantia is the oldest wine region in South Africa, dating back to 1685. It has a unique position between the Constantiaberg and Table Mountain ranges, with mostly north east facing slopes and late afternoon sun, which is ideal for slow ripening. This particular award-winning winery produces three blends including their flagship blend of five red grapes, and a sauvignon blanc. They’re also big on ecological practices and natural pest control.
Wine tasting starts from just £4/AED18.61. To book visit: constantiaglen.com
Chapman’s Peak
This has to be one of the most beautiful coastal roads. Chapman’s Peak and the surrounding areas are the gateway to the south peninsula. The route starts at the picturesque fishing harbour of Hout Bay and winds steeply up to Chapman’s Point before reaching Noordhoek.
For more info visit: chapmanspeakdrive.co.za
On the west coast of the Cape Peninsula is Noordhoek beach – an amazing place for horse riding as Jamie and Verity discovered in the episode. It’s an 8km stretch of unspoiled sandy beach, with national park-protected wetlands behind and mountains – the sunsets are said to be spectacular too.
Rural Noordhoek village is close by and it feels far away from city bustle. Another romantic road trip that takes you to this area (besides the Chapman’s Peak Drive) is the Ou Kaapse Weg mountain road, which passes through the Silvermine Nature Reserve.
Beach rides start from £40/AED186.09 for 1 hour, 45 minutes. To book visit: horseridingcapetown.com
The group headed to the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) – well, they went to the bar. The incredibly Instagrammable building is a converted grain silo and if that wasn’t cool enough, it overlooks the V&A waterfront and the ocean. It’s a non-profit museum collecting, preserving and exhibiting contemporary art from Africa – the world’s largest collection at over 100 galleries across nine floors.
Museum tickets are £10.30/AED47.92 for adults. For more information visit: zeitzmocaa.museum
Table Mountain
If you haven’t been to Table Mountain, you’ve most definitely heard of it. Cape Town’s iconic flat-topped landmark looms over the city, part of Table Mountain National park and it’s a must-do on any visitor’s list.
At 1,085m high it’s not an easy hike of one to three hours, but Made In Chelsea’s Liv, Habbs and Eliza managed it – there’s also a cable car option that takes five minutes. The mountain is also home to the richest (and smallest) ‘floral kingdom’ in the world, with a massive 1,470 different flower species. Don’t worry, leopards haven’t been seen here since the 1920s.
Cable car tickets are £18/AED83.74 return. To book visit tablemountain.net
