Best Luxury Hotels in Cape Town

Cape Town is the finest city for luxury travel in Africa. Yes, Marrakech exists, and yes, someone will bring it up. But for the safari circuit, this is the one that actually works.  It’s also astonishingly beautiful, with that bloody mountain everywhere you look.

So, where to stay?

Ellerman House

One of the best city hotels in the world.  Not “in Africa.”  Not “for Cape Town.”  It’s brilliant, whether you’re in a base room category, or one of their three or five bedroom villas.

Perched above Bantry Bay, Ellerman feels like staying in an obscenely wealthy friend’s house.  All our friends have a private art gallery, a wine cellar, and pool with sweeping ocean views, right?  No?  Get better friends.  On top of this, the staff anticipate your needs before you’ve even admitted them to yourself.

With just 13 rooms (plus the villas, which are excellent for families or groups), it never feels busy, and never feels like you’re competing with anyone for attention.  You can sit here and do absolutely nothing and feel like you’ve achieved something. Or you can hand everything over to the concierge and they’ll orchestrate your life.

This is truly a unique, one-of-a-kind property that not only boasts an incredible amount of facilities and charm, but is completely dedicated on the service side too.

Downside?  None, you heathen.  Ok, you’re not walking to restaurants.  You’re committing to drivers or Ubers.  Personally, I don’t mind.  I’d rather have the Atlantic in front of me than a souvenir shop.

Best for: couples, privacy lovers, people who don’t need a scene to feel validated, anyone with a pulse.

The Silo Hotel

Also boutique. Also excellent. Could not be more different from Ellerman House if it tried.  Where Ellerman whispers, The Silo shouts. Liz Biden designed it, which means subtlety was politely declined at the door. And then beaten up and thrown down an elevator shaft.  It’s as dramatic as all her designs, which means his is a hotel that wants to be seen. Possibly from space.  I love the design, but it is not for everyone.  I don’t wanna say it was built for Instagram, but it was certainly not designed to be shy and subtle.

Built in the old grain silo above the Zeitz MOCAA museum, The Silo is bold.  The windows alone look like they were designed by someone who loves starring into other people’s homes.  Rooms are enormous.  Bathrooms are theatrical.  The rooftop pool has more of a “place to be seen” vibe. Location is excellent, especially if you want to be in the V&A area. Food is very good. Service… varies.

Best for: design lovers, wanting to be in the good part of town

One&Only Cape Town

The grande dame of “I want everything in one place”.  Huge rooms.  Proper spa.  Full gym.  Nobu downstairs.  Marina views.  It’s one of the safest bet for our American friends/clients who want familiarity with a bit of Africa added on top.  

But that is exactly why I don’t like it.  It’s so generic, it could literally be anywhere.  You could pick this up, drop it in Miami, Dubai, or Singapore, and nothing would feel out of place. It lacks the personality that makes Cape Town interesting in the first place.

Let’s also not pretend this is boutique.  It’s a resort in the city.  If it were not for the two hotels listed above, it would be a perfectly acceptable hotel – and it opened before them, so undoubtedly was the place to be at one point.  But just like polio, those days are gone.  

Best for: families (it does have a kids club), and those not wanting to spend a fortune but still get something semi-decent.

Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel

The pink one.  You don’t book Mount Nelson because it’s the newest.  You book it because it’s Mount Nelson.  And you book it because you’ve not read my review, telling you not to book it.

Set at the foot of Table Mountain, it has proper gardens, old-school glamour, and an ability to annoy you with every mistake they make, resulting in the inevitable death-by-a-thousand-cuts.

The grounds are what you’re paying for.  And the name.  And the hope you haven’t heard of Ellerman House.  

Best for: psychopaths.