Table Mountain's steep drop into the ocean along much of the western Peninsula forces the suburbs along the Atlantic seaboard into a ribbon of developments clinging dramatically to the slopes. The sea washing the west side of the Peninsula can be very chilly, far colder than on the False Bay seaboard. Although not ideal for bathing, the Atlantic offers mind-blowing views from some of the most incredible coastal roads in the world, particularly beyond Sea Point . The coast itself consists of a series of bays and white-sanded beaches edged with smoothly sculpted bleached rocks; inland, the Twelve Apostles, a series of rocky buttresses, gaze down onto the surf. The beaches are ideal for sunbathing, or sunset picnics - it's from this side of the Peninsula that you can watch the sun sink into the ocean, creating fiery reflections on the sea and mountains behind as it slips away.