Cape Town

Now the geography bit - with Table Mountain as a very obvious focal point, South Africa's 'Mother City' has spilled out of the so-called City Bowl to colonise the various bays around the mountain (Clifton and Camps Bay being Cape Town's classiest beach-burbs), creating a city of villages.

In recent years the city has become somewhat of a hub for an eclectic mix of characters, a world away from its troubled past you'll now find rugby mad Springboks, bearded bohemians, glamourous celebrities and uber cool musicians happily coexisting in this melting pot city. So what's drawn such a disparate crew to one particular place? There's that drop-dead beautiful scenery for one, and endless ways to explore it, but also a great cultural scene for the less sportif inclined.

Best of all, given this is the country that gave the world the crime against cuisine that is banana as a pizza topping, things on the food front have moved on considerably - Cape Town and the nearby Winelands can now justifiably claim to be Africa's finest gourmet and fine wine destination.

Venturing out of the city to Cape Peninsula is also a must and can be easily arranged on a self-drive day out or private tour. From spotting penguin colonies on Boulders Beach to reaching the most south westerly point of Africa at Cape Point, the wild flora and fauna rich landscapes here are a world away from the city buzz and yet within just a two hour drive - a further example of why we love this deeply diverse city.