In recent years, Cape Town’s hotel scene has been flourishing. A crop of new design-led boutique stays take full advantage of the city’s natural beauty and thriving restaurant scenes. Meanwhile, some of the city’s old favorites—like Tintswalo and the Belmond Mount Nelson—were refreshed or rebuilt. Read on for some of the best places to stay in Cape Town.
Dorp
会发生什么: A escape within the city in an unexpected location
Neighborhood: BoKaap
Unless you’re a Cape Town local, it’s likely you’ve never ventured pastDorp,位于陡峭的道路底部of Signal Hill and above the residential part of BoKaap, known for its colorful houses. Translating to “town” in Afrikaans, Dorp feels like its own little village within Cape Town. Bordered by a wild garden, and centered around a main courtyard and café, the rooms are in various buildings that climb the hill and lead off down rambling garden paths. Instead of a lobby, there’s a check-in desk next to a grand dining room and lounge filled with fringed sofas and inviting wingback chairs. Each room is entirely different and ranges from cozy spaces to giant stand-alone suites with kitchenettes; some have dipping pools, while others have terraces and steam rooms. One room even leads onto the rooftop garden, offering the best views of the entire City Bowl and Table Mountain at Dorp.
Labotessa Hotel
Photo by Alain Proust
Labotessa
会发生什么: A chic stay in Cape Town’s revitalized downtown
Neighborhood: Central business district
A few years ago,Labotessa’s location on Church Square in downtown Cape Town, long a nondescript business district, would have been less than desirable. But recently, creative investments have turned it into a lively, more leisure-oriented hub, reinvigorating the area’s attractive heritage buildings with internationally recognized restaurants (including the Japanese- and South African–inspiredFyn) and locally owned shops. When it opened in 2019, Labotessa was the area’s first boutique hotel arrival, and the property’s six handsome signature suites are kitted out with thick draped curtains and artwork by artists like Emma Aspeling. On property, there’s also a fragrance boutique and a restaurant serving fortifying meals like bobotie (a Cape Malay curry dish).
Courtesy of La Grenadine
La Grenadine
会发生什么: A slice of France in the middle of one of the city’s buzziest areas
Neighborhood: Tamboerskloof
Walk into the courtyard ofLa Grenadine, shaded by pomegranate, guava, avocado, and olive trees, and it’s as though you’ve been transported to a farm in Provence. This is especially surprising because the hotel is near one of Cape Town’s buzziest strips, Kloof Street, putting guests within walking distance of creative locally owned businesses likeAshanti Design. Owned by a French couple who fell in love with Cape Town, La Grenadine is set in a 19th-century farm building with five rooms and a two-bedroom cottage, all centered around the main courtyard. The inviting, unfussy rooms are adorned with white hand-embroidered linens, vintage furniture, and clawfoot bathtubs. Even the breakfast of fresh croissants, pain au chocolate, baguette, and homemade jams will transport you to a French country house.
Ellerman House
会发生什么: A discreet refuge with world-class art and staggering views
Neighborhood: Bantry Bay
Lucky guests staying atEllerman Housebetween July and September may spot southern right whales swimming off the sparkling coast from the pink and white terrace of Ellerman House. Inside this Edwardian mansion, tucked behind an unassuming wall on a busy road along the city’s Atlantic Seaboard, lies another wonderful surprise: The property houses one of the country’s largest private collections of art with pieces by South African artists like William Kentridge and Sam Nhlengethwa. There’s also a wine cellar with more than 9,500 South African wines to try. The 13 rooms and suites all have wingback chairs and chandeliers; the two modern-feeling villas feature private pools. While each space is different, there’s one thing they all have in common: a brilliant vantage point from which to watch the sun sink.
Location: Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. Client: Belmond Hotels. Marketing Director: Louise Pheiffer. Stylist: Julie Kenney. Photographer: Mark Williams. 9-11/04/14.
Photo by Mark Williams
Mount Nelson, a Belmond Hotel
会发生什么: Old-school charmer near the city center
Neighborhood: Oranjezicht
Known to many as “The Pink Lady” for her blush-colored exterior,Mount Nelson, a Belmond Hotel开普敦是一个机构。富有的本地人甲型肝炎e been frequenting her terrace and manicured lawns for high tea and fancy picnics for decades, and the Librisa spa has long been a favorite for massages or manicures. Those fortunate enough to stay at this grand palace can spend time at the long pool fringed with daybeds and the 198 guest rooms and suites lined with patterned curtains and windows opening onto the garden. Some of the best rooms are the Victorian garden cottages, along a rose-lined path in the garden. (Be sure to have breakfast on your private terrace.) On the hotel’s doorstep is the Company’s Garden, the green space and heritage site that’s home to cultural institutions like theIziko Museums of South Africa.
Courtesy of The Silo
The Silo Hotel
会发生什么: Bright and lively interiors inside a brutalist building
Neighborhood: V&A Waterfront
Positioned above the Thomas Heatherwick–designedZeitz MOCAA Museumin a former grain silo at the V&A Waterfront, theSilo Hotelmight have the most spectacular location in Cape Town. The hotel has a 360-degree view of the city, with Table Mountain, Lion’s Head, Signal Hill, and the glimmering Atlantic Ocean all on display. Naturally, the place for a sunset drink is on the open rooftop. The 28 bright rooms, designed by Liz Biden of the Royal Portfolio, showcase those stellar views through multifaceted, geometric windows and feature printed sofas with colorful fabrics, glass chandeliers, and stand-alone tubs. The hotel also serves as a mini art gallery; scattered throughout the property are notable pieces by regional artists like South African–born Zanele Muholi and Jody Paulsen and Swaziland artist Nandipha Mntambo. Continue the art immersion at the Zeitz MOCAA Museum—its groundbreaking collection of contemporary works from Africa and its diaspora are a few flights below.
Tintswalo Atlantic
会发生什么: An escape with ocean views a short drive outside the city
Neighborhood: Table Mountain National Park
Tintswalo Atlantic, which originally opened 15 years ago, has finally reopened following damage from an extensive fire in 2019. Though it’s always been a low-key hideaway that’s attracted high-end travelers, it’s now arguably better than ever. Given the hotel’s remote and picturesque location beside the ocean, wedged between Table Mountain National Park and Chapman’s Peak, this place is a showstopper. The spacious suites have private ocean-facing terraces, fireplaces, and chandeliers that dangle from exposed wood ceilings. This retreat is a 25-minute drive from Cape Town, but guests needn’t wander far for a fine dining experience. The hotel is home to a Chef’s Warehouse restaurant run by culinary king Liam Tomlin. Even if you don’t stay here, be sure to book a tapas tasting menu and enjoy such oceanic treasures as fresh oysters and seared tuna.
挪亚家
会发生什么: A restored 19th-century residence in a residential neighborhood
Neighborhood: Tamboerskloof
Located in a house that dates to 1860–typical of many Victorian homes around the residential area of Tamboerskloof—a stay at挪亚家immerses guests within the quotidian rhythms of the charming neighborhood. The 10 guest rooms in beige and white offer old black marble fireplaces, Malawi-style wicker chairs, and terraces with intricate balustrades. On weekends, locals swing by the café for house-made granola and avocado toast served on the street-facing terrace. One of the best perks of the hotel is that it’s minutes by foot from Kloof Street, lined with some of the city’s most exciting restaurants and shops.
Gorgeous George
会发生什么: A design destination in downtown Cape Town
Neighborhood: City Bowl
From local designer Tristan du Plessis comesGorgeous George, a superbly chic inner-city hotel filled with pieces by some of the country’s best designers, including a swing chair by Porky Hefer and steel tables by Gregor Jenkin. Set between two restored buildings (one Edwardian, one art deco) near St. Georges Mall, where a weekly market springs to life, the hotel has an inviting, contemporary feel, with oak floors, leather quilted sofas, and plant-filled corners in the public spaces. The 32 guest rooms have exposed cement ceilings and murals painted by Cape Town artist David Brits. At Gigi, the indoor-outdoor rooftop restaurant with a light-filled conservatory, guests can take a dip in the tiny pool or snack on plates of burrata and fish tartare.
Courtesy of Art House Collection
Art House Collection
会发生什么: A curated group of art-filled, one-of-a-kind homes
Neighborhood: Across the city
From creative powerhouse Elana Brundyn, former director of Zeitz MOCCA and CEO of Cape Town’s contemporary art–focusedNorval Foundation, comes a collection of stylish homes filled with the work of notable artists and designers, all available for rent. TheArt House Collectionportfolio of properties is like an exclusive version of Airbnb for serious aesthetes, with different home styles: six-room mansions, farmhouses in the nearby Cape Winelands, studios in the city center. A retreat on the Eastern Cape is filled with the works of such artists asNelson MakamoandMary Sibande, while an apartment in Cape Town showcases the acclaimed photography ofGuy Tillim. Leveraging Cape Town’s outsize reputation as an arts center, the Art House Collection team can arrange private tours of museums or galleries and even make introductions to artists.
