Helping you make one of the hardest decisions about visiting this fine city.
By Jane Broughton
One of the hardest decisions when you visit Cape Town just might be where to stay. The city and V&A Waterfront have an abundance of luxury hotels—including the Mount Nelson, Cape Grace, One & Only, and Silo—all of which are highly desirable, especially for first-time visitors. But the smaller boltholes, boutique hotels, and private villas in exclusive residential areas are just as popular, offering insider intel on neighborhood gems, from cafes to beaches. They've got access to a more authentic slice of local life—and, of course, greater privacy and flexibility. Not to worry, it doesn't matter what you choose: We've combed our sources to bring you our picks for Cape Town's best hotels, and you can't go wrong with any of them.
$$$ | Hot List 2018 Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
With 360-degree views that encompass both Table Mountain and the nearby V&A Waterfront, the Silo stands out for its industrial-meets-global collector chic décor, and its ideal location—which also includes sitting atop the buzzy new Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town’s Museum of Contemporary African Art. Bold artworks from the collection hang in the ground floor entrance and around the hotel; even if you don’t overnight here, you’ll want to stay for a meal at the bar or restaurant in the sixth-floor lobby.
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This former beach house, high above Clifton’s famous beaches, has five suites and two self-contained apartments. Think bleached wood, oversized sofas and armchairs in pale linen and cotton, cowrie shell treasure boxes and African beads and tribal sculptures. What you can see from the entrance does not prepare you for what is tucked neatly into five stories below street level. Original owner Jess Latimer transformed what was a family rental property into a chic lodge with a casual beach house aesthetic.
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
This elegant 15-room Georgian-era townhouse is tucked away in a residential street in Gardens, a fashionable, upbeat neighborhood known for its restaurants, bars, and interior design shops. Table Mountain forms a majestic backdrop, Lion’s Head beckons. From the outside, Cape Cadogan looks like a beautiful private home complete with crisp white paintwork, black shutters, manicured garden, and pool terrace. Step inside and you enter a world of Bohemian chic. It won’t be easy to find a smart room in such a brilliant location, as slickly managed, luxurious, or private at this price anywhere else in Cape Town.
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It’s all about location with a capital-L at this ultra-smart little hotel on the edge of a wooded ravine in swanky Higgovale. Extremely private, behind high walls, yet surrounded by natural beauty—tantalizing glimpses of the sky, Table Mountain or Lion’s Head from every room—yet minutes from the city’s best restaurants, party hotspots, shops and beaches. The courtyard-style walled garden has a small pool, and a number of outdoor relaxation areas with sun loungers or cafe tables and chairs for dining. The air is fragrant with citrus thanks to the well-established lemon orchard. In this location with five-star service and designer interiors, you can’t go wrong.
$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Like many of the properties in the residential greenbelt in Constantia, the Cellars-Hohenort is set back from the road—with 10 acres of gardens—the pride and joy of the late Liz McGrath, hotelier and formidable businesswoman. On arrival, the overwhelming impression is of masses of space, immaculate lawns, and mature trees that have been growing for decades, if not centuries. The whitewashed buildings are immaculate, and the staff are waiting in the driveway to welcome you. This is a sophisticated country house hotel set in 10 acres of gardens. You could call it the best of both worlds—halfway between the city and Waterfront, and the beaches and natural beauty of the southern Peninsula.
$$ | Gold List 2019, 2020 Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Twenty-six years on, Ellerman House is still everybody’s fantasy bolthole in Cape Town: minutes from the best beaches and the Table Mountain cableway, but close enough to the city and its dynamic food, art, and design scene. Sandwiched between Lion’s Head and the Atlantic Ocean, the Cape Edwardian mansion looks like a private residence from the road and that’s exactly what keeps guests coming back. Owner Paul Harris takes enormous pride in his country—his impressive collection of South African art spans original works from the turn of the last century to current contemporary art. An informal tour of the collection with one of the in-house art experts is a fascinating lesson in the country’s socio-political history. Then there are the 7,500 bottles of rare and vintage South African wines in the cellar, and the indigenous plants sourced from Kirstenbosch (Cape Town’s botanical garden) in the 1.5-acre terraced gardens. Besides the main house, there are two modern, minimalist private villas built into the granite mountainside, as well as a wine gallery, and an excellent little spa.
$ | Hot List 2020
No matter what design wizardry unfolds inside Cape Town hotels, the superlative views of Table Mountain always end up stealing the show. But this quirky stay in the heart of the still-rough-around-the-edges Central Business District, gives visitors a fresh perspective. Thanks to its vantage point above the richly textured architecture of the city bowl, the windows look out over neoclassical landmarks, observing gabled Cape Dutch rooftops in conversation with Art Deco towers. It took six years for the owners to seamlessly renovate an Art Deco structure and its Edwardian neighbor, and given this mishmash of influences, the result is a hotel that could exist nowhere in the world but in the heart of the Mother City. Designer Tristan du Plessis imbued the interiors with a strong “local is lekker” sensibility, to borrow a popular South African catchphrase, which prizes things made close to home. In the lobby this means blue-and-white Delft tiles by Capetonian ceramist Lucie de Moyencourt that map out the neighborhood and South African brands like the plush leather sofas from Artifact (cushiness quotient: high). Gorgeous George lives up to its name— it’s just the kind of clever, design-centric hideaway that the area sorely lacked. —Sarah Khan
Insider Tip: Ace mixologist Leighton Rathbone carries the local vibes through to the cocktail menu, with drinks using South African brands such as 4th Rabbit agave and fynbos-infused Inverroche gin. Doubles from $150
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024
The coastal road between Camps Bay and Llandudno is a conservation area, so it’s undeveloped—just fynbos-covered mountains to one side, and the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean to the other. Until you round a curve in the road and catch your first glimpse of the Twelve Apostles, named after the Twelve Apostles mountain range that runs parallel to the coast, that is: Built into the contours of the mountainside, there’s a lot of hotel packed into its relatively small footprint. The rooms are flamboyant, old-school glamour, either facing the sea or the mountains.
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023
A wide, palm-lined driveway leads past lush lawns and flower beds to the grand porticoed entrance. What sets this venerable hotel apart is its distinct sense of place and prime location in the historical heart of the city between Table Mountain and Company’s Gardens. Painted pink since 1918, the ‘Nellie’ is Cape Town’s grande dame dating back to 1899. The entire property has been meticulously restored and updated several times over the years to keep everything looking perfect. The Mount Nelson holds many trump cards, not least its historic location, unique garden setting, and old-school vibe. But what really sets this venerable hotel apart is its distinct sense of place—a tough act to follow for newer contenders in the luxury arena.
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Labotessa has only six guest suites, two on each floor. They're all high ceilinged, generously sized, and elegantly decorated with French oak floors, petrol-blue walls, crisp white bed linens, jewel-toned velvet sofas, antiques, and commissioned art. Blue subway tiles, pale marble, and Diptyque products jazz up the tiny bathrooms. Above the suites is the Governor Suite, a two-story contemporary penthouse with three bedrooms, a large, open-plan kitchen for entertaining, and a plunge pool. This is the first small, luxuriously appointed, designer hotel in this part of the city, and its narrow townhouse architecture and historic square setting gives it an authentic European ambience—with the advantage of South African sunshine and [Lion’s Head](https://www.cntraveler.com/activities/cape-town/lions-head) views.
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Just off the main drag of Camps Bay beachfront is this hip, 17-room boutique hotel run on green architectural principles (it has its own water supply, for example). From the road, you enter a starkly modern architectural space that opens out into a smart, spacious indoor-outdoor cocktail bar with a lap pool and a sea view. Toward the back of the hotel is a Zen dining room—a cool, tranquil space to sip on a coffee before stepping out into the glare of a sunny day on the beach. Rooms are decked out with every home comfort imaginable. It's a conveniently located bolthole, set back from the busy Camps Bay beachfront without missing out on the cool vibe and ocean views, especially if you don’t want to hire a car. Everything is within walking distance, and you’re on the bus route into the city and to the Waterfront.
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This gem of a small hotel, housed in restored Cape Dutch heritage buildings, dates back to the late 17th-century. Steenberg is the oldest original wine farm in Constantia. Furthermore, it was the first farm in the Cape granted to a woman, Catherina Ras. From the entrance, a road winds up between prized vineyards against a rugged mountain backdrop (Steenberg translates to "stone mountain").
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2019, 2020, 2021
More Quarters offers the best of both worlds: apartment living with a slate of services and amenities. Suites feel like pied-a-terres, complete with kitchens, dining and lounging areas, and luxuriously appointed bedrooms and bathrooms. Breakfast is served in a plant-filled, botanical-themed space with magazines, newspapers, and a generous buffet of fresh juices, smoothies, and fruits. A daily-changing menu of hot specials ranges from fluffy omelettes to French toast.
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A stone’s throw from the Zeitz MOCAA, the Radisson effectively enjoys the same prime location as the Silo Hotel. But that’s where similarities between the two end. The Radisson is like the cheeky upstart in the swanky Silo precinct. Marketed as millennial friendly, it’s surrounded by aspirational local brands, including design-savvy accessory and fashion labels, and art galleries. The Radisson Red signature red modern facade, with its rounded corners, looks a bit like a giant piece of Lego fell out of the sky. Much like the fun, playground interior with a refreshment station (help yourself to complimentary caramel popcorn, coffee, and freshly squeezed OJ), and row of computers.
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Cape Town’s only urban resort, One&Only has a prime Waterfront location next door to the Two Oceans Aquarium and is within strolling distance of the Water Shed, an indoor market filled with must-have local designer brands. Much more of a resort than a hotel, it has space in abundance and everything is dramatically scaled, including the reception lobby leading into Vista Bar and Lounge, the social heart of the hotel where cocktails, high tea, and light meals are served in great style. Triple-volume glass windows frame views of Table Mountain, and the air is infused with a distinctive woody room fragrance—something you remember instantly as a returning guest. The spa is a destination in its own right, situated on its own island, with 12 treatment rooms, private wet areas, and a yoga pavilion in the garden. Make use of the spa thermal suites, even if you don’t book a spa treatment. His-and-hers hydrotherapy facilities each have a vitality pool, aroma-steam room, sauna, ice fountain and experience showers.
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2024
Read the original article on Condé Nast Traveler.
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