Cape Town for The Romantics: a Friday-to-Monday weekend

Drive up with a bottle from the shop below and park facing the Atlantic; the city lights come on under Lion's Head while the light turns pink.

French-leaning bistro in an old Gardens house, with a quiet courtyard table and a short list of Western Cape wines by the glass.

South Africa's oldest wine estate, Cape Dutch gables and oaks; a tasting of the sweet Vin de Constance is the reason to come as a pair.

Cape Malay curry and slow lamb shank under the oak trees in the estate's old Jonkershuis; sit outside and order a bottle of the house Sauvignon.

A restored hunting lodge above Camps Bay with a terrace at dusk and a tasting menu; the splurge of the weekend, worth the booking.

Long sourdough breakfast tables at the harbour end of Kalk Bay, with fishing boats rocking outside; arrive before eleven or queue on the pavement.

African penguins in coves of granite boulders; walk the boardwalk, then slip onto the sheltered beach and share the sand with them.

A small boat out past the Green Point lighthouse as Table Mountain goes pink; take a jersey, the wind off the bay is cold.

Walk the Boomslang canopy and the proteas on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain; the path is gentle and the benches are well placed.

Lunch on a garden terrace before the flight, with cold local rosé and a view across the lawns to the mountain.