About Sea Point & Three Anchor Bay
Sea Point is a densely populated and affluent suburb of Cape Town, situated in the Western Cape province of South Africa, between Signal Hill and the Atlantic Ocean. It lies only a few kilometers west of Cape Town’s City Centre. Sea Point is a popular residential area for property investors and is one of the few Cape Town suburbs with significant high-rise development. The suburb used to be seen as dangerous, but with the recent surge in property values, many investors now see Sea Point as a place of urban rejuvenation. Today it is home to a diverse set of cultures with a cosmopolitan mix of local and international visitors.
Sea Point lies on a narrow stretch of land between the Atlantic Ocean in the northwest and Lion’s Head to the southeast. The characteristics of the Sea Point coastline vary from rocky parts to broad open beaches. It is a high density area with houses built in close proximity to one another towards the mountainside with apartments more common towards the beachfront and central area. One of Sea Point’s most famous landmarks is the beachfront promenade, a paved walkway used by locals and visitors for jogging, skating, walking or socialising. An Olympic-sized seawater swimming pool adjoins the Sea Point Beach. The pool complex also has two children’s pools as well as a diving pool. Several play areas for children with swings and roundabouts, as well as an adult workout “gym” at the Mouille Point end, provide fun outdoor activities for all ages.
Sea Point got its name in 1776 when one of the commanders serving under Captain Cook, Sam Wallis, encamped his men in the area to avoid a smallpox epidemic in Cape Town at the time. It grew as a residential suburb in the early 1800s, and in 1839 was merged into a single municipality with neighbouring Green Point. The area became Cape Town’s first “commuter suburb”, through the tram line linked initially to Camps Bay. The line was later augmented by the Metropolitan and Suburban Railway Company, which added a line to the Cape Town City Centre. Ships from the east coast of Africa have to round the coast at Sea Point, and over the years, many of them have been wrecked on the reefs just offshore.
Main Road in Sea Point, full of character and quirkiness, is filled with restaurants serving global cuisine as well as bars and shops. Schools in Sea Point include Herzlia Weizmann Primary, Sea Point Primary School and Sea Point High School. The primary school campus of the French School is also situated in Sea Point. Neighbouring areas like Mouille Point, and De Waterkant, and even the Cape Town City Centre, are easily accessible from Sea Point via the bus, or even on foot.
Moving from Sea Point to the Cape Town, you pass through the small suburb of Three Anchor Bay. The name of the suburb is believed to refer to the anchors securing chains stretched as defense across the bay. Three Anchor Bay is easily overlooked by visitors and situated right where Green Point and Sea Point meet. It’s small beach is popular with sea kayakers who paddle out from Three Anchor Bay along the coast to Clifton. Three Anchor Bay is home to some of the trendiest pubs and restaurants in Cape Town. It is at Three Anchor Bay where Ingrid Jonker, one of South Africa’s most famous poets, committed suicide by walking into the ocean.
Blog Posts About Sea Point
Where to Stay When Visiting Sea Point
5 Best Restaurants in Sea Point
Other Cities in the Atlantic Seaboard Region: Bantry Bay, Camps Bay, Clifton, Green Point & Waterfront, Hout Bay, Mouille Point
