Cocktail and champagne cruises in Camps Bay

Where Cape Town's answer to the Copacabana meets exclusive nightlife

What makes the nightlife in Camps Bay so unique? From every bar, night club and restaurant you see  a stunning stretch of beach, flanked by the Atlantic ocean. Camps Bay offers a slice of the highlife; luxury settings, food and wine, and the level of sophistication and celebrity status most strive for. It's the place to see and be seen; the ultimate hang out for the cool, the beautiful and the wealthy.

We at CapeTownMagazine.com took a week-long prowl through the cream of Camps Bay's night life, to arm you with enough know-how to cocktail, oyster and shimmy your way into Cape Town's elite crowd.

Friday night:

St Yves Beach Club is the ideal place to party your Friday night away. Regarded as one of the hottest nightclubs in Cape Town, St Yves epitomises exclusive partying and boasts an opulent interior. You relax on a nautical themed, outdoor deck, whilst sipping a cocktail and admiring designer label clad, beautiful people. A DJ is spinning sexy house music, which later has you up on the dance floor (St Yves Beach Club | The Promenade | Victoria Road | Camps Bay | Cape Town | +27 (0) 21438 7717).

Saturday night:

It's Saturday night, you're sporting a Camps Bay tan and you're dressed up to the nines. What's the point, if no-one is around to see it? You need a bar where the cool set hang out and that bar is Cafe Caprice. You're sipping on a Granadilla Lolly cocktail in Camps Bay's little Ibiza, whilst DJ Richard Dorfmeister spins smooth house grooves and you mingle with artists, models and sport stars. You notice that Cafe Caprice also has an intimate dining area, for salads, pastas, grills and tapas (Cafe Caprice | 37 Victoria Road | Camps Bay | Cape Town | +27 (0) 21 438 8315).

Sunday night:

Just because God said Sunday was a day of rest, it doesn't mean the partying has to stop. Sunday's rock! Straight from the beach you enter stylish and upmarket Karma Lounge, for uplifting house music and complementary cocktails for ladies, from 21:00-22:00. This contemporary, African beach bar boasts luxury lounges and themed bars: Moet and Chandon and Peroni Beach (Karma Lounge | The Penthouse Suite | The Promenade | Camps Bay | Cape Town | +27 (0)21 438 7773).

Monday night:

The best place to watch the sunset is, undoubtedly, La Med's deck. Nestled between the mountains and the sea, La Med offers you unrivalled, panoramic views. You order from their extensive menu of salads, grills and pizzas and browse their large selection of wines. Whilst browsing you notice their lounge bar, vibrant dance floor and vow to return for a weekend beach party (La Med | Victoria Road | Camps Bay | Cape Town | +27 (0)21 438 5600). Read more about sundowners at La Med.

Tuesday night:

You spend Tuesday evening at traditional pub, Dizzy's, with a large group of friends. You discover that karaoke doesn't have to be about your uncle crooning out 'I will survive'. In Camps Bay, you're in for a classy battle of the voices. You and your friends take advantage of Dizzy's pizza special, fired up in a classic pizza oven and of their R5 shots. At the end of the evening, you notice that the professionals, Mac Stanley (formerly Flat Stanley), will take to the stage later on in the week (Dizzy's Pub and Cigar Bar | 41 The Drive | Camps Bay | Cape Town | +27 (0)21 438 2686).

Wednesday night:

Wednesday is date night – you and your partner are looking for a little old fashioned sophistication and romance. The Grand offers you Parisian chic, with crimson reds, pink hues, antique candle sticks, red velvet chairs and a grand piano. You dine on sublime sugar salmon and sip on creative cocktails (The Grand | 35 Victoria Road | Camps Bay | Cape Town | +27 (0)21 438 4253).

Thursday night:

Your weekend will just have to start early, if there's a night at Eclipse you simply cannot miss. This stylish, third-floor, nightclub affords birds eye views of the beach and features two rooms with low couches, funky music and a good looking crowd to match. On Thursday's the DJ spins hip hop and house music deep into the night. It's time to get your groove on (Eclipse).

Cape Town is alive with nightlife possibility, once the sun has set. Be sure to read our overviews of Nightlife in De Waterkant, Nightlife in Green Point / Mouille Point, Nightlife in Woodstock and Observatory, Nightlife in the Northern Suburbs, Nightlife in the Southern Suburbs, Nightlife in the City Centre and our Top Ten Nightlife Venues in Cape Town.

By Lisa Nevitt