Camps Bay Today

Camps Bay is an affluent suburb of Cape Town. It is both a village community and a tourist destination. The back of Table Mountain and the 12 Apostles Mountain range form a backdrop to the Camps Bay family beach.

Arguably In the last 8 years there has been a shift in tourism interest towards Camps Bay from the neighbouring Clifton, perhaps because of the easier access, more parking and beach road shops, restaurants and hotels.
The summer months see an influx of tourists mainly from Europe. Many have now bought property here, when the Rand fell sharply against the Dollar and Pound (not much has changed!). Property prices rose and with it rates and taxes, putting many original, now ageing resident families, under pressure.
Prior to this however Camps Bay was an established neighbourhood, rich in families who had for several generations been born and grown old in this beautiful bay.

As a result there has often been a dynamic tension between tourism- and property-centred development, and the desire to neighbourhood preserve the spirit in Camps Bay.
Recent years have seen more local development initiatives and a desire to preserve aspects of the village environment and green belt areas. The Camps Bay Ratepayers Association despite having many absent landlords (foreign owners of property who only arrive for summer), is fairly active.
In the last couple of years a local neighbourhood watch program has really engendered community involvement. MASSAGE ON THE BEACH is a voluntary participant in this program. This has further developed into a Camps Bay Community Security Initiative between private security firms, community members and the police service.

There are 4 divisions to Camps Bay namely Glen, Rontree, Bakoven and Village, with approximately 3000 addresses and 5000 families living in the suburb.
The Village is the heart of Camps Bay, bordered by the Camps Bay soccer-club, and the Sandbar restaurant. Still rich in family dwellings, there is sometimes tension between the hustle and bustle of summer activities and the desire for a peaceful neighbourhood.