Where is your favourite destination and why?
Cape Town in South Africa. I was born in Johannesburg and now both my parents live in Cape Town. I go back a couple of times a year. As soon as you land, the warmth hits you; the smell; the colour. I think there is a real energy to it and it feels like a very happy place. I love it because it’s home, but I also love it because I think there are some amazing things going on there, in terms of restaurants. I think the vistas are incredible. All the views are like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Whenever I go back there it feels like I’m going home.
When was the last time you were there, and who were you with?
Last year. I used to go every Christmas, but since having my jewellery brand, I go when I have a bit of a quiet time — February and March. I sometimes still do go for Christmas, it just depends on my calendar.
Where do you like to stay?
I stay with my parents. I also love staying at an incredible hotel called the Dorp (dorp.co.za), which is gorgeous. It was started by this amazing lady called Gail Behr who we used to know quite well. She’s since passed away, which is really sad, but it’s a magical place. She’s created this very bohemian, very interesting, cool hotel to stay at. You can only go if you’re staying. You can’t go and book dinner, for example, you have to be a guest. There are hidden pools everywhere and it’s up in the mountains. So, it’s a very special place.
I also love staying at Babylonstoren (babylonstoren.com), a farm in the Franschhoek wine valley. It’s an incredible property with vineyards and amazing restaurants.
What has been your favourite meal?
I can’t handle spice. If you said to me, what was my favourite food, I’d say a bowl of pasta at my mum’s house. But in terms of vista and experience, there is a place called Chefs Warehouse Tintswalo Atlantic (tintswalo.com) which is just incredible. You sit outside and the views are insane. Go in the early evening, watch the sunset, have some drinks and have some amazing food.
What are your top three restaurants?
I think the food scene in Cape Town is really up and coming because a lot of young people are moving there. There’s a restaurant called Between Us (betweenus.capetown), started by twin sisters, which I love going to. It is a really great place for lunch or dinner. I also like the Pot Luck Club (thepotluckclub.co.za), which is an old biscuit factory. You go to the top floor and at night it has amazing views of the urban side of Cape Town — it’s much more industrial than you’d imagine. And the biscuit mill is a really cool place to hang out in general during the day. They have a fun market around there. I also go to this amazing restaurant in Green Point called Bao Down (baodowncapetown.com), which is a dumplings place. My boyfriend and I went straight from the beach to have dumplings. It’s just really low-key: a really cool, fun, nice vibe.
What would you do if you had only 24 hours there?
I would wake up early and I’d walk along Camps Bay. Camps Bay is very trendy, it’s where all the restaurants are and where a lot of tourists go. But if you walk from Camps Bay through to Sea Point, you can walk along all the different beaches. Then you can grab a coffee at Arthur’s or Kleinsky’s, which is a deli. Then, depending on the day, you should definitely check out the market. It’s called Oranjezicht and it’s phenomenal. It has amazing flowers, amazing food.
And there is a cool coffee shop called Lion’s Bread: I’d try to go there. Then there’s an area called Bo Kaap, which has loads of coloured houses. It’s like Notting Hill. I’d wander around there because there’s some cool shops in that area, but you have to be a little bit aware of your surroundings. Then if I wanted to do drinks on the beach at sundown, I’d go to a beach called Llandudno, which is where my parents got engaged.
What is the one unmissable thing you recommend doing?
Climbing the Lion’s Head, a 669-metre mountain. It’s quite a hardcore climb, but if you go all the way to the top you can see the whole of Cape Town. It’s unbelievable. I would start very early in the morning — at 6am maybe —because it takes three and a bit hours to get up there and back. And obviously you don’t want to do it during the day, because of the heat.
Is there a hidden gem you are willing to share?
I think it’s Llandudno beach. It’s a little bit outside the city and it’s very chill because there are no beach bars. So you have to be prepared to take your own drinks, but it’s very special.
Where do you like to let your hair down?
Because I’m a bit older now, I wouldn’t go out-out, but I think there are some cool restaurants that have bars attached to them. There’s a place that’s an old sporting soccer club, called the Athletic Club & Social, which is a cool restaurant-slash-bar, so maybe I’d go there and have some drinks.
What is the one thing you would bring home as a souvenir?
Anything beaded. There is an amazing company there which does beaded animals, called Monkeybiz (monkeybiz.co.za). They’re made by women in townships. It’s a charitable project and they are not cheap, but each one is unique. I’ve got a few in my office.
What is your packing essential?
A shirt — loads and loads of shirts. I just think they’re quite cool. They look smart when they need to, they are easy to throw on over a pair of shorts and you could wear one for a meal out, too. And sometimes I find wearing a shirt is a lot cooler than wearing a T-shirt on holiday, because it feels lighter.
What is the ideal dress code?
Very, very relaxed. Shirts, jean shorts. It’s really chill.
Do you have a top wellness tip for the area?
You can go to a hotel called the Mount Nelson, which is really fancy, with a spa. That’s probably where I’d go if I wanted to have a nice massage.
Roxanne First runs her own jewellery line at roxannefirst.com
