As you drive into the city you’re greeted by all the hallmarks of the strong car industry. The road is flanked by major assembly plants and you could be forgiven for being a little wary.

But once you get to Beach Road you’re greeted with long stretches of pristine sand and a thriving restaurant scene. Most eateries have views for miles, so when enjoying a post-road trip beer at The Coachman  as the sun goes down, you know you’ve hit on the kind of gold most of the masses haven’t even considered yet.

What really drew us to PE is the architecture. Wow. It was almost hilarious how many times that we demanded our driver stop just so we could snap a workers cottage or a beautiful piece of 50s typography.

Stanley Street in Richmond Hill has been transformed from a run down no mans land to hub of the city. Stanley’s where you come for PE’s cafe culture and there’s so many to choose from. Greek, Italian, Japanese, classic European. You could come here every night for a week and eat from a different country each time. It’s also lined with such perfectly maintained Victorian Homes that you have to remind yourself you’re in Africa.

You need about 3 days to really get into PE’s undergrowth. We only had two and, like most cities, it only starts to reveal its personality in your downtime between tourist spots.

Some of our favourite shots were taken when we strolled and quietly watched. We spied some boys chasing and flinging sand on each other and the photos ended up so beautiful. We loved the smoke billowing out of heavy machinery as sweaty workers renovated some stunning old cottages. We truly understand how the relaxed energy of the place can work wonders for South African’s looking for a weekend getaway.

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