Go for coffee with classic cars
Club 9 restores and sells classic cars, including Porsche 911s, Alfa Romeo Spiders and E-Type Jags. They aren’t cheap, but it may be enough for him just to look while he enjoys a coffee at the on-site Dapper Coffee Co.
Club 9: Matrix Building, cnr Bree and Strand Streets. +27 (0)21 422 2994. club9.co.za
Dapper Coffee Co: +27 (0)21 823 2444. www.dappercoffeeco.co.za
Get a true love tattoo
Nothing says ‘Till death do us part’ like permanent body art. The Cape Town CBD has a trio of tattoo studios to choose from. Metal Machine is the most established, Wildfire the best known, and Sins of Style specialises in the hand-poked style favoured by the likes of Die Antwoord’s Ninja.
Sins of Style: 35 Buitenkant St. +27 (0)21 461 0854. www.sinsofstyle.com
Wildfire Tattoos: 192 Long St. +27 (0)21 424 0877. www.tattoo.co.za
Indulge in a burger bonanza
It’s the ultimate guy food, but women dig it too – all hail the hamburger. Which establishment serves the best in town though? Let him be the ‘burgermeester’ and decide. Admittedly, this may take more than a weekend.
Clarke’s Bar & Dining Room: 133 Bree St. +27 (0)21 424 7648. www.clarkesdining.co.za
Easy Tiger: 120 Bree St. +27 (0)21 426 4659. www.facebook.com/EasyTigerBurgerBar
Inside & You’re Out: 103 Bree St. +27 (0)21 422 1313. iyoburgers.co.za
Latitude 33: 165 Bree St. +27 (0)21 424 9857. www.lat33.co.za
Royale Eatery: 273 Long St. +27 (0)21 422 4536. www.royaleeatery.com
Enjoy a few drinks with you as designated driver
Pub crawls are not just for bachelor parties, but the CCID does advise that you volunteer to be the designated driver for the night. With that being said, there are ’99 bottles’ at Beerhouse alone, so you might want to buy him a taster platter to get his bearings – or should that be ‘beerings’? It includes 12 different 120ml beers – the equivalent of roughly three draughts. You could leave it there, or move on to Tiger’s Milk down the road or The House of Machines, which is also a motorbike workshop.
Beerhouse: 223 Long St. +27 (0)21 424 3370. www.beerhouse.co.za
The House of Machines: 84 Shortmarket St. +27 (0)21 426 1400. thehouseofmachines.com
Tiger’s Milk: 44 Long St. +27 (0)21 422 0700. tigersmilk.co.za
Remember if you’re out on the town to keep your wits about you make sure you keep your valuables out of sight at all times. If you are in need of assistance in the CBD, you can approach a CCID public safety officer, recognisable by their green-bibbed uniforms.
Have a cigar surprise
If you want insight into what men do to celebrate, take him to one of the CBD’s cigar lounges. Keep it classy with a whiskey accompaniment.
Taj Cape Town: 1 Wale St. +27 (0)21 819 2000. tajcapetown.co.za
The Westin Cape Town: Convention Square, Lower Long St. +27 (0)21 412 9999.www.westincapetown.com
Marimba Restaurant & Cigar Bar: CTICC, Convention Square, Lower Long St. +27 (0)21 418 3366.marimbasa.com
Bonus: get a happening haircut
Book your guy in for a styling time at an old-school barber and saloon.
Widow Maker: 309 Long St. +27 (0)21 422 1209.Find them on Facebook.
Where does the tradition of women proposing marriage in a leap year come from?
According to the Huffington Post, it is alleged that in Scotland Queen Margaret enacted a law in 1288 allowing women to propose on a leap year day. And in Ireland, women are advised to propose only on 29 February for good luck.