Simons Town, Cape Town

 
by mvtouring
 
  •   Simons Town
    by mvtouring
  •   Simons Town
    by mvtouring
  •   Simons Town
    by mvtouring
  •   Simons Town
    by mvtouring
  •   Simons Town
    by mvtouring
 

24 Reviews of Simons Town

Sort by: Most recent | Most helpful

Write a Review
simon town and stones
hebaemam profile photo

3 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

hebaemam 133 reviews

dont dont dont buy stones from there.... i paied a lot of money and later i discovered i paied almost 10 times its reall value
really stones in south africa are very expensive specially inthe tourisitc areas

Written Nov 3, 2010

Was this review helpful?

Simonstown - Boulders Beach
mvtouring profile photo

1.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

mvtouring 3750 reviews
1 more image

Just around the corner from Simon’s Town visit Boulders Beach Penguin Colony where you can view these flightless birds at close range. For a more intimate experience, head to Boulders Beach where you can swim with the Penguins!

Written May 1, 2010

Was this review helpful?

Simonstown - Historic Mile
mvtouring profile photo

1.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

mvtouring 3750 reviews
1 more image

The area known as the "Historic Mile”, is the heart of the town, boasting a great variety of architecturally interesting buildings, good restaurants (seafood is the speciality), antique shops and fine walks.

Written May 1, 2010

Was this review helpful?

Simonstown - Just nuisance
mvtouring profile photo

1.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

mvtouring 3750 reviews

While at Simontown's waterfront area you may find yourself contemplating the statue of a large dog. The explanation will make for an interesting dinner table anecdote.

In 1814 the English colonial governors of the Cape turned Simonstown into a Naval Base and it has remained one ever since. In 1940, when the sailors' favourite Great Dane dog created a nuisance of himself on the trains, a request was sent to the British parliament asking for him to be enlisted in the Navy. Permission was granted and the dog was brought to the Recruiting Officer, who inquired: "Name?"

"Nuisance, Sir", the sailor replied.

"First name?"

"Just Nuisance, Sir," the sailor stated.

Able Seaman Just Nuisance was the only dog ever to hold rank in the Royal Navy and he became a legend in his own lifetime. He died prematurely after a boisterous leap from a moving vehicle but is immortalised in the life-sized statue in Simonstown's Jubilee Square.

Written May 1, 2010

Was this review helpful?

Simonstown
mvtouring profile photo

1.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

mvtouring 3750 reviews
1 more image

Simonstown (Afrikaans: Simonstad) is a village and a naval base in South Africa, near Cape Town. It is located on the shores of False Bay, on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula. For more than two centuries it has been an important naval base and harbour (first for the Royal Navy and now the South African Navy). The town is named after Simon van der Stel, an early governor of the Cape Colony. The small harbour itself is not a particularly good natural harbour and is protected from swells by a breakwater that was built with thousands of huge blocks of sandstone quarried out of the face of the mountain above. Simon's Town is now in effect a suburb of greater Cape Town. It is the terminus of a railway line that runs south from the central business district of Cape Town. In places the railway line hugs the steep eastern shore of False Bay quite spectacularly and in bad weather foam from some heavy swells will fly up and wet the trains.

Written May 1, 2010

Was this review helpful?

Simons town
Luchonda profile photo

2.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

Luchonda 2339 reviews
Simons Town
2 more images

The town is named after Simon van der Stel, an early governor of the Cape Colony. The land rises steeply from near the water's edge and the picturesque village is boxed in along the shoreline by the heights above. The small harbour itself is not a particularly good natural harbour and is protected from swells by a breakwater that was built with thousands of huge blocks of sandstone quarried out of the face of the mountain above.

Updated Sep 5, 2008

Related to:
 Beaches

Was this review helpful?

Nice little ex-sailors town
longsanborn profile photo

3 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

longsanborn 421 reviews

Heard about the story of the dog that helped drunk sailors to get back home after a wanton night of boozing and womanizing. This happened in Simons Town!

Passed through this Simons Town on my way to the Cape Point.

Updated Jul 10, 2007

Was this review helpful?

Simon's Town
Jenniflower profile photo

2.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

Jenniflower 1567 reviews
Alongside the sea

For many years this was a British Royal Naval Base. It is still home to South Africa's navy, and has regained much of its historic splendour and character.

Many of the buildings here are national monuments, beautifully preserved.

I always take time to walk along the street, visiting the second hand furniture shops and the art galleries, sitting down for some coffee at the local coffee shop or having some fish and chips at the harbour.

Updated May 23, 2006

Address: Main Rd, Simon's Town

Related to:
 Beaches
 Romantic Travel and Honeymoons
 Historical Travel

Was this review helpful?

Penquins
cleocat profile photo

4 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

cleocat 225 reviews
Penquin at Boulders Beach
1 more image

They everywhere on the beach, on the rocks on their eggs. The best part was walking around on the outside from the swimming beach to the other side. There were many penquin's on their eggs between the bushes. They are very tame and inquisitive.
Entry fee is around R20 per person. Seems to be a very popular area. A lot of people around on a weekday.

Jackass Penguins are the only species of penguin that
colonise on the African continent. 100 years ago there were still many of them on the Cape West Coast with its cold waters.

Since penguin meat is apparently edible, they were mercilessly hunted. Later the overfishing of the sea and the loss of breeding spots resulted in near extinction of the species. The present stock is still threatened although the colony in Simon's Town has grown, in a few years, from 1500 to 3500 individuals. The colony's growth is already causing trouble with the human residents in the vicinity.

Written Apr 16, 2006

Address: Boulders beach Simons Town

Website: http://www.southafrica-travel.net/westcape/cape_04.htm

Related to:
 Family Travel
 Birdwatching
 Beaches

Was this review helpful?

Just Nuisance
MikeAtSea profile photo

2.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

MikeAtSea 2923 reviews
Just Nuisance

This monument Just Nuisance honours the only dog that was ever enlisted into the Royal Navy. During World War II Just Nuisance accompanied sailors to and from the Naval Base here in Simonstown and made sure that after some ‘busy’ nights the sailors would find home again. To make sure Nuisance would get rations he was enlisted in the Navy.

Written Feb 21, 2005

Related to:
 Arts and Culture
 Historical Travel

Was this review helpful?

Top 3 Hotels in Cape Town

Cape Grace Hotel  Cape Town

 5 Reviews and 368 Opinions  Rooms are very nice, and service is spendid. However, the hotel is simply too expensive. 

 Hotels in Cape Town

12 Apostles Hotel & Spa Cape Town  Cape Town

 4 Reviews and 277 Opinions  I booked us at the 12 Apostles for the first four nights of our honeymoon. We just wanted to relax... 

 Hotels in Cape Town

An African Villa  Cape Town

 1 Review and 454 Opinions  An African Villa is tucked away in Tamboerskloof - this area on the slopes of Signal Hill is... 

 Hotels in Cape Town

The Place

Simons Town

Simons Town tips and photos posted by real travelers and Cape Town locals.

  Write a Review  
Experience Cape Town
 

The People

822 Members Live Here
 
Our Members Say
 profile photo

 This monument Just Nuisance honours the only dog that was ever enlisted into the Royal Navy. During World War II Just Nuisance accompanied sailors to and from... 

822 members live in Cape Town

 

Questions and Answers

RicharddeHeus profile photo

Q:  > Hello All we (Richard, Henriet, and Juliusoure son of 2) are visiting south Africa in august. In short we want to travel... 

CatherineReichardt profile photo

A: Hi Richard Congratulations on finding the correct forum - repsonses coming! Regards Cathy 

Read 15 Replies

postQuestion_button

Top Cape Town Writers

1

Cape Town

mvtouring profile photo

 Cape Town, the mother city of RSA. A lot of new things are happening in and around Cape Town for which we have to thank the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Living in Cape Town, probably makes me one of the... 

2

Cape Town

cokes profile photo

 For me personally , this is one of the best places in South Africa for a vacation. If you looking for a very relaxing vacation Cape Town is the place to be. Cape Town is a place which has everything... 

3

Cape Town

paradisedreamer profile photo

 Cape Town is a spectacular place with something for everyone. Best of all is that it is cheap for overseas tourists. The scenery is fantastic, the people are friendly and it is rich in culture. The... 

4

My Home town - Additions under construction

jo104 profile photo

 It’s a bit hard to build a page of travels on Cape Town as this is where I grew up & spent a great deal of my life. Now that I live in London I go back home to visit my family and friends regularly. I... 

5

Electrifying Cape Town

glennkasner profile photo

 No matter what the weather, Cape Town has something to offer. Electric storms are not frequently seen here but even then, Cape Town is absolutely stunning! I took a series of these pictures earlier... 

View all rated pages

View newest pages

Build your own Cape Town page

Travel Editors for Cape Town

paradisedreamer profile photo