But for first-time adventurous families — who may want to be independent-minded, but not perhaps to lose their little ones down a ravine on their first trip abroad — there is one long-haul destination that seems hard to beat. On the face of it, South Africa’s Cape region ticks all the right boxes for stress-free family thrills: direct flights with no jet lag, great weather (not too hot or humid), wonderful beaches, child-friendly accommodation, no-fuss food and loads to do for all ages. Perfect.

That, at least, is the theory. With our four-year-old twins in tow, we spent a fortnight on a self-drive holiday with prebooked accommodation, testing the region’s family-friendliness.

CAPE TOWN

The flight from London to Cape Town is about 11 hours — ample time for you to start questioning the wisdom of a long-haul holiday as your little darlings become increasingly bored and fractious. The good news is that most flights are direct. You arrive early morning and, with Cape Town just 2hr ahead of GMT, your children may be tired and irritable, but at least they won’t be jet-lagged.

The key to surviving that first day is to hit the ground running and make it as busy as possible. After collecting our hire car and dumping luggage at the hotel, we headed straight for the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (www.waterfront.co.za). There are some 400 shops here (from children’s-clothes boutiques to traditional craft stalls), but this was neither the time nor place to drag kids around a shopping centre. Instead, we explored the bustling boardwalks of the restored historic dockland, watching boats come and go and keeping an eye out for fur seals. At Fisherman’s Choice (00 27-21 421 4866) we devoured delicious fried hake and chips for £2.50 each before setting off to find fish of the “unbattered” variety.

The Two Oceans Aquarium (21 418 3823, www.aquarium.co.za; £5.70 per adult, £2.60 per child over four; open daily 9.30am-6pm) has a wonderful touch pool where children can stroke starfish and make their very own seaweed slime. There were also tanks pulsing with deadly box jellyfish or bristling with giant spider crabs. Best of all was the mesmerising three-storey kelp forest and the 2m-litre predator tank, where ragged-tooth sharks cruised inches from our faces.

With just three nights in Cape Town, it soon became obvious that we’d have to be choosy when it came to planning days out. Two of the area’s top attractions — wine tasting and a trip to Robben Island — were simply too “grown-up”. Joe and Ellie would probably have enjoyed the interactive exhibits at the Telkom Exploratorium (www.exploratorium.co.za) and the four-storey whale hall and dinosaur displays at the SA Museum and Planetarium (www.museums.org.za). However, after a brief family council and a flurry of brochures, the itinerary for our next two days was decided. “Swim with penguins!” said Ellie. “Go up there!” said Joe, flinging an arm out towards the flat-topped hulk of Table Mountain looming above the city.

The following morning, we set our sights on the 1,085-metre summit. If you can see the top, go for it. A frothy layer of cloud, known as the tablecloth, can obscure the famous landmark for days on end, so you should aim to get up there at the first clear opportunity. The revolving floor of the Cableway (21 424 8181, www.tablemountain.net; return family tickets £25.90, departures every 10-15 minutes) ensured that even our youngsters got a view of the city spread below. Of course, once at the top, world-class views took second place to rock hyraxes. But once we’d spotted the endearing little fur-balls that inhabit the mountain’s rocky ledges, we turned our gaze southwards to admire the Twelve Apostles marching towards Cape Point. Allow a couple of hours to walk to all 11 viewpoints (the paths are buggy-friendly) — and remember jackets, as it can get quite chilly.

Ellie’s request to swim with penguins was not as far-fetched as it sounded. Skirting the southern flank of Table Mountain, we paused at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens (21 799 8899, www.nbi.ac.za; £2.20 per adult, 45p per child over six; open daily 8am-7pm) to let the children cool off under the lawn sprinklers and explore the Dell — a mysterious tangle of Outeniqua yellowwoods and tree ferns. Then we headed towards Boulders (21 786 2329, www.cpnp.co.za, £1.30 per adult), where a boardwalk leads to the heart of a 3,000-strong African penguin colony at Foxy Beach — a wonderful spectacle, but a beach, to Ellie’s dismay, that was strictly for birds. Thankfully, at the adjacent Boulders Beach, you can build sandcastles and, if you’re lucky, swim with a penguin or two.

Continuing to Cape Point, we decided to shun the crowded car park and instead diverted to nearby Buffelsbaai. Flocks of terns and cormorants fished offshore, while fronds of kelp writhed in the surf like the flailing arms of sea monsters. The strand line was drizzled with shells, sea urchins and mermaids’ purses. It was a beach of discovery ... and we had it all to ourselves.

THE OVERBERG & LITTLE KAROO

Using the N2 highway, you can drive straight from Cape Town to Mossel Bay at the start of the Garden Route. However, not only is the direct four-hour drive mind-numbing for children, but you also miss out on two of the Cape’s best family-friendly activities — watching whales and riding ostriches.

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