If ever there was a peculiar excuse to have a drink, it's surely got to be the sundowners one. The whole point is to be there, drink in hand, in time for the sun to go down.

Post-work and pre-dinner time may be when more responsible people head off to the gym, or jump onto their bicycles, or put in a few sensible domestic chores before sitting down to a nice cup of tea.

But regular sundowner types are generally a happier bunch (in spite of the love handles from all the wine, salty snacks and forfeited gym memberships), forever rounding up friends, waifs and strays to share in this most convivial of customs. It's for good reason that happy hour is called happy hour. Barring the two-forthe- price-of-one drinks thing, it normally kicks in around sunset.

Cheers to another shitty day in paradise! Really, what's not to like about raising a glass to the end of your day's labours, or simply toasting the fact that the sun's about to dip into the sea or sneak behind that picturesque mountain range?

It's not just about finding any old bar and ordering any old drink. Oh no. Aesthetics, ambience and a great view to gaze at while the windingdown process plays out are quintessential to the sundowner experience, as is having something pleasant and wet to wash it down with.

Western Cape people are pretty smug about the fact that "their" sun sets into the ocean and, indeed, it's a rather wonderful sight to behold - even though most people are still waiting to catch that famous "green flash" that's said to occur just as the last bit of sun slips into the silvery water.

But you do not necessarily require a sea to have great sundowners, as you'll find in our guide to this summer's best spots, from the Cape to Gauteng, brought to you in the spirit of holidays and happy hour and, well, just because...

WESTERN CAPE TABLE MOUNTAIN CAFE

Table Mountain, Cape Town, Tel: 021 424 0015

While Capetonians are cynical about doing touristy things, some of the city's best experiences do require joining the ranks in their safari clothes - and there is no better place to watch the sun go down than the top of Table Mountain with its gobsmacking 360? views.

Throw in a dinky bottle of not-too-bad Cape wine, served in a perfectly good plastic wine glass, and a hunk of cheese and packet of crackers, and life's as good as it gets (you can also take along your own bottle and some real glasses...).

At the height of summer, the sun sets at about 20h30, but you really want to get in that queue as early as possible (and the last cable car goes down at 22h00). The good news is that the Table Mountain Cafe is remarkably well stocked with drinkable local wines and bubbly, with self-service snacks galore.

Take advantage of the Cableway's Sunset Special (from 18h00, Nov to Feb, half-price return tickets, R80) and marvel as the city turns into a twinkly toy town.

CAFE CAPRICE 37

Victoria Road, Camps Bay, Cape Town, Tel: 021 438 8315

Complain all you like about the superficiality, expensive drinks and bad food, but there's no denying that the palm-fringed Camps Bay beachfront strip is sundowner central.

In the heady '90s, the only place to be seen was at nearby Blues (Tel 021 438 2040) with its signature turquoise-hued cocktail and beautiful people, but then came a host of others to accommodate the tanned and buff throngs, including Baraza (Tel 021 438 1758) and Caprice.

Pretty young things in skimpy little nothings spill out onto pavement tables and the cocktails flow to a never-ceasing Cafe del Mar-type soundtrack. Don't even think of ordering wine unless you're content with the lowest-common-denominator stuff guaranteed to leave you with heartburn.

But, then, you'll stop caring about such trifl es as shoddy winelists as you sip your rum-based Tropical Breeze while the sun's last rays shimmer on the white sand just metres away...

LA PERLA

Beach Road, Sea Point, Cape Town Tel: 021 434 2471

In its heyday in the '70s and '80s, La Perla was the haunt of celebrity playboys and beauty queens, and it still oozes nostalgic French Riviera-esque cool. The same oldschool waiters in white jackets have served seafood and Italian fare for decades, with diners fighting for tables at the windows or on the now-expanded terrace overlooking the Sea Point promenade and ocean beyond.

It remains one of the choicest spots on the Atlantic Seaboard to soak up the sunset, slouched on comfy couches under giant white umbrellas, with a bottle of good chilled white from an expansive list, including by the glass, at not-unreasonable mark-ups.

Oversized shades or Panama hat and plenty of attitude are de rigueur. And don't forget the oysters.

WAFU

Corner Beach & Surry Road, Mouille Point, Cape Town, Tel: 021 433 2377

Upstairs from sushi and seafood restaurant Wakame, Wafu with its sprawling deck overlooking the kelpy waters of Mouille Point, lazily plied by a battalion of white yachts, is heaven - if you can secure one of the shaded, softly cushioned ottomans and couches, that is. They're hot in demand, especially around sundowner time.

Get stuck into the exotic Asian-inspired cocktails or, better yet, peruse the well-considered winelist for something rare and expensive (there's more French bubbly than MCC available) in keeping with the luxurious feeling of it all. The dreamy views are well matched by tasty seafood tapas as the sun makes another dramatic exit.

LEOPARD ROOM BAR

Twelve Apostles Hotel, Victoria Road, Cape Town, Tel: 021 437 9000

Driving anywhere is not a favourite pastime of Mother City residents, so it's often out-of-towners who do some of the coolest stuff - like zipping along the gorgeous Bakoven stretch for drinks at this well-appointed establishment, perched like a white-iced wedding cake between fynboscovered mountain and an endless stretch of Mediterranean- blue sea and sky.

The five-star hotel's drinking hole is all luxurious camp, with its plush sofas and bar staff kitted out in leopard print waistcoats. A live band keeps the tempo upbeat, while one of their claims to fame is their offering of 72 different martinis.

If wine's more your thing, you won't be disappointed either - you can even nip down to the Vinoteque to pick something special in time for one of the best sunset displays you're likely to see.

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