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WanderSleeps: Cape Town
Escape to the Cape
Make the most of South Africa’s striking coastline, dramatic mountains and cultural life with these perfectly placed Cape Town stays
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Reviewed by Tebogo Pin-Pin
Sitting by the dock of the bay
The habourside setting of Cape Grace and many of Cape Town’s luxury hotels offers a window on the city’s still-working waterfront
Accor; Belinda Amoedo; Dook
CAPE GRACE
From its location, on a private quay between the V&A Waterfront and the yacht basin, Cape Grace more than lives up to its name. Its setting certainly helps, with guests cheerfully removed from the busier shopping areas of Cape Town’s wharf. Instead, mountain-facing rooms give visitors the feeling of being a world apart, while balconies with views of the working harbour offer something else: a sense that you’re on a real city waterfront and not some tourist replica. Artefacts, local paintings, sculptures, rare fabrics and original antiques narrate the Cape’s colourful past throughout the hotel and offer a break from the identikit design of most luxury stays. But it’s the details that impress. The spa has African-inspired treatments that let you unwind in peace, and if you aren’t tempted by the culinary delights of the city, the respected Signal Restaurant is reason enough to lure you out of your room; plus there’s a whiskey bar, a fully equipped gym and a swimming pool. Rooms from
THE WINCHESTER BOUTIQUE HOTEL
The Winchester is certainly hard to miss. The look of this pink 1920s Cape Dutch-style confection is eye-catching enough, but then there’s the setting. Its location, on the edge of the busy Sea Point Promenade on Beach Road, means the swell of the Atlantic is an ever-present companion, while both Table Mountain and Signal Hill form a backdrop to remember. Ocean views from the restaurant’s terrace continue a coastal vibe that also takes in a pool and Italian-style courtyard surrounded by palm trees and fountains. Rooms channel the 1920s design theme that runs throughout to add a distinguished feel to any stay.
THE BAY HOTEL
Cape Town’s upmarket suburbs offer an altogether different take on city life, with Camps Bay being one of its more picturesque fringes. On one side lies the lapping waters of the Atlantic; to the other is the rocky grandeur of the Twelve Apostles. In between, The Bay Hotel puts both on full show. Each of its rooms gazes out over the sands running the coast, which are also the focal point of this rather chi-chi beach community. A spa, a large tennis and squash club, and ample fitness facilities evoke an outdoorsy spirit, while membership gets you access to a few more perks (beach club, etc). But why do anything at all when the shore is this close by? Rooms from £295 per night, including breakfast; thebayhotel.com
THE CAPITAL 15 ON ORANGE
Location is everything at this stylish urban escape. On its doorstep lies Cape Town’s Company’s Garden, which has roots that date back to the mid-1600s and the arrival of the first Dutch settlers, when the area was turned into a pit stop for ships to pick up fresh produce. These days, this part of town is etched with galleries and museums, making this a great base to explore the city. The hotel isn’t short of amenities, either, and a range of rooms and apartments come with designer furniture, plush carpets and every mod-con you can imagine, while the spa and a fully-equipped gym take care of the more relaxing side of things. And despite its inner-city location, you can still see where the rocky landscape of the Cape skirts the town. The restaurant, pool deck and some of the rooms offer fine views of Table Mountain and Signal Hill. Rooms from £122 per night, excluding
breakfast; thecapital.co.za/15-on-orange
THE TWELVE APOSTLES HOTEL & SPA
The Atlantic Ocean is the star at a hotel which squeezes every last drop of magic from its coastal setting. Backed by the glowering presence of the Twelve Apostles range, this five-star stay revels in its close proximity to Camps Bay, while still being only a short hop from the beaches of Clifton, Table Mountain Cableway and the city centre, making it an easy jumping-off point for those who want to skip between Cape Town’s beachy fringes and the shops and museums of the city. There’s even a shuttle service that can ferry you to Camps Bay or the V&A Waterfront. Inside, a wide range of luxury boutique rooms await, many offering the ocean views that you come here for, while the surrounding trails can take you out into the wilds of Table Mountain National Park when you’re simply tired of watching the ocean drift by. Rooms from £474 per
night, including breakfast; 12apostleshotel.com
THE SILO HOTEL
The Silo District is both old and new at the same time. This huge grain complex has stood on Cape Town’s harbourside since 1924, when it first opened as the tallest building in sub-Saharan Africa. But it’s only over the last few years that this area has been transformed into one of the slicker additions to the V&A Waterfront. The Silo Hotel is a luxurious centrepiece, built in the grain-elevator area of the complex and occupying six floors above the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA). Having the continent’s largest collection of contemporary African art a lift ride away is only part of its appeal. The hotel has a spa and 28 rooms, including a spectacular one-bedroom penthouse. Each also has its own private balcony and a unique collection of African art. It almost seems a shame to leave, but there’s so much to do in the area – museums, dining, shopping – that you won’t stay put for long.
THE TABLE BAY
This hotel is a fitting symbol for the ‘new’ Cape Town. Back in the mid-1990s, when the V&A Waterfront was first being redeveloped into a centre for shopping and entertainment, this hotel was opened (by Nelson Mandela!) as part of a large extension to the Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre. It’s since witnessed the working harbour slowly evolve around it into the beating commercial heart of the city, yet it still retains an air of pure contentedness. It has also moved with the times. A spa, gym and poolside yoga tick ever y required box for a luxurious modern stay. There are a choice of dining options, but high tea in the lounge offers the kind of serene escape that revs you up for heading back out into the bustling harbour. It’s the perfect city location for restless travellers.
ONE&ONLY CAPE TOWN
In claiming to have Cape Town’s largest hotel rooms, it’s hard to deny that this stylish offering from One&Only isn’t thinking big. It even has its own private waterway where you can go on early-morning SUP trips on a canal that wraps a pair of faux islands. It’s a setting that holds more than the odd surprise. From the surrounding windows and balconies you can see Table Mountain looming large in the distance, yet step outside the hotel and you’re just a few minutes from the museums, restaurants and shops of the V&A Waterfront. Like everything in this part of town, you get the convenience of having the city on your doorstep, but also the chance to just escape from it all for a while, whether lounging by the outdoor infinity pool or hitting the sauna and muchlauded spa. It’s the best of both worlds. Rooms from £608 per night,
RADISSON BLU WATERFRONT
Set slightly apart from the rest of the city’s harbourside stays, which tend to cluster around the V&A Waterfront, the Radission Blu feels a little removed – but in a good way. On a clear day you can see right across the bay and over to Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned), or watch the ferries shuttling to and fro. In every way it is a thoroughly modern stay, and while that means it’s shorn of a few of the likeable eccentricities that you will find at some of the city’s older establishments, it’s nevertheless a slick affair. The sight of boats bobbing in St Helier’s harbour and the rippling currents of the Atlantic certainly never get old. The hotel’s restaurant is also just a few steps from the waterfront, offering a welcome spot come sunset, while the pool, spa and steam room are a peaceful escape from the hot streets of the city. Rooms from £309 per
night, including breakfast; radissonhotels.com
BELMOND MOUNT NELSON HOTEL
What is a stay in Cape Town without visiting one of its grande dames? This stately pink hotel hails defiantly from another era, and has been sat smuggled beneath Table Mountain since 1899. It has the air of an Agatha Christie novel waiting to happen; a timegone-by glamour reflected in a list of past guests that include the likes of early movie star Marlene Dietrich. There’s certainly a dash old Hollywood about its decor. Each of the accommodation wings has its own character and a private garden, while facilities are far from retro, with the addition of two pools, tennis and padel courts, a gym, a spa and even its own salon. Afternoon tea (with a plantbased option) in the lounge sets the tone for a taste of the old world that has been fastidiously updated for the new. Rooms from £547 per night, includ-
ing breakfast; belmond.com
