Happy Places in Cape Town

Dominique Rinderknecht

In our last post we reported on the ex-Miss Switzerland model and her life in South Africa. Today Dominique Rinderknecht tells us about her happy places in South Africa. After more than one and a half years in her adopted country, she has discovered, experienced and seen a few things. We listen and show you what not to miss on your next visit.

But briefly about Dominique Rinderknecht and why she is stranded in South Africa? She has been engaged to South African pilot and musician Drew Gage since May 2021 and has found her second home in Cape Town. She recently moved into a new flat and runs her own business locally as an advertising ambassador and jewellery designer. The Zurich native still prefers to keep details about her relationship to herself.

Lions Head and Table Mountain

Dominique Rinderknecht: Lions Head and Table Mountain are Cape Town’s local mountains and two of my absolute favourite places. The view is breathtaking and from both points you can admire the great light the city is known for. I love this scenery, it touches my heart! Of course, I also took my father and sister here when they visited.

Clifton Strand

Dominique Rinderknecht: Clifton is one of the best beaches on the Atlantic coast of Cape Town, with white sand, clear water, beach volleyball and nearby bars and nightclubs. I love coming here two hours before sunset. The sea is very cold, but I usually go in anyway (laughs). The atmosphere is unique.

Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa

Dominique Rinderknecht: London designer Thomas Heatherwick built this museum in an old grain silo. It’s worth going to see it for the architecture alone. My father, who is an architect, took me there for the first time and it has had a place in my heart ever since. The roof terrace is an insider tip.

Karoo – semi-desert landscape

Dominique Rinderknecht: I love the South African desert! It is my happy place. In the Karoo, as it is called, it is so quiet that you can pick up the buzz of a mosquito. It’s a great place to switch off. There is no mobile phone connection, but an incredible starry sky. Magical!

Clay Café 

Dominique Rinderknecht: The Clay Café is a special place where I like to go with friends or family. Besides food and drink, it also offers the opportunity to paint clay vessels. This means that you can drink coffee or champagne for hours as a group and be creative together. It’s interesting what kind of dynamic and atmosphere is created in the group.

De Waterkant

Dominique Rinderknecht: One of Cape Town’s chicest and hippest neighbourhoods, with its famous colourful semi-detached houses and cobbled streets. It’s a great area with cool restaurants and bars and great views of the harbour. I like to go here to stroll, shop or even eat out.

The Athletic Club and Social

Dominique Rinderknecht: One of my absolute favourite bars in Cape Town. It extends over three floors in an old colonial building. You really do feel like you’ve been transported back to the 1920s in The Great Gatsby. I like to have an after-work drink here with my fiancé or with my friends.

Old Biscuit Mill Market

Dominique Rinderknecht: The city’s biggest market and the South African answer to London’s famous Camden Market. Here you can eat or drink anything your heart desires, from breakfast to dumplings to gyros and locally brewed beers. There are also small shops by local designers and on Saturdays there is always a flea market. I love browsing there and enjoying the food from all over the world.

Camps Bay

Dominique Rinderknecht: Tourists and locals like to call the white sandy beach of Camps Bay the Côte d’Azur of South Africa. It is perfect for a sunset drink with a view of the Twelve Apostles mountain range. The beach and the promenade with its fine seafood restaurants, cosy cafés and cocktail bars are unique, even if it sometimes gets a little too turbulent (laughs).

Kalk Bay

Dominique Rinderknecht: There are lots of sea lions in Cape Town, and in a fishing boat place like Kalk Bay they sometimes just come out of the water, as my grandmother found out on her last visit (laughs). We both love encounters with animals. The picture is symbolic of how often you come into contact with wild animals in South Africa.

Township Help

Dominique Rinderknecht: This is a children’s home in South Africa that I support. Children are very close to my heart. Helping them – especially when they are in such need – is a great concern for me. What particularly touches me is how these children always greet me with a beaming smile despite their difficult fate.