I have a love affair going on with our Mother City, and in fact, I cheat on Joburg with Cape Town any chance that I get. I fell in love with Cape Town last year, when I visited it properly for the first time in years. I love everything about Cape Town- the food, the people, the sunsets and even its windy weather. I am a frequent visitor to the Mother City whether it is for work or play, and I try to come down to Cape Town every 2 months or so. With every visit I always stay somewhere new, so over the last year, I’ve stayed at 10 different hotels and apartments. With that in mind, I compiled this list of my favorite accommodation in Cape Town- where to splurge, where to spend and where to save!
Where To Stay In Cape Town
Please Note – Cape Town is still undergoing a major water crisis so please be as mindful of it as you can when visiting. Take 2-minute showers (or less!), use hand sanitizer where possible, and do not waste a drop of water unnecessarily. I am super mindful when I visit Cape Town and make sure to pack my hand wipes, sanitizer, dry shampoo and keep water saving on top of my mind.
Splurge
One of the gems that is located near the V&A Waterfront is the gorgeous One&Only Hotel. I stayed there last year and boy did I have an amazing experience at this hotel! Stay here if you are looking for a romantic mini-break or you are celebrating a special occasion.
READ MORE: ONE&ONLY HOTEL REVIEW
The One&Only has everything your heart desires- delicious food(I still often dream about their breakfast buffet), a state of the art spa, beautiful places to lounge around at, shopping, high tea, and rooms that overlook the Table Mountain. The One&Only does not come cheap, with a night there costing anything from R7000-R10000 for two people. It’s a real splurge and a real treat, so if you are in a proper “Treat Yo Self” mood then I suggest you book yourself and a partner a night at this heavenly place.
While I have not gotten to spend a night here, I have visited the Twelve Apostles for a High Tea and for a dinner before, and it was simply divine. Nested in the 12 Apostles Mountains, this luxurious hotel offers amazing views and amazing service. You can chose from mountain facing or ocean-facing rooms, there is an amazing restaurant inside the hotel and the view is to-die- for: it feels like you are sitting in the ocean yourself! Something like The Twelve Apostles is perfect to mark a special occasion such as graduation, wedding anniversary or birthday.
Spend
On my most recent trip to Cape Town, I stayed at Sunset Paradiso for 3 nights, and fell completely in love with Llandudno! Sunset Paradiso is an Air BNB, so you get the whole house to yourself! The property is massive and this is best for a fun girl’s getaway or for a proper couples retreat! Situated in the beautiful neighborhood of Llandudno, this two-story house has five bedrooms, so it can sleep up to 10 people. The bottom floor has two bedrooms plus its own kitchen and lounge, so this is the perfect place to summer vacay with your friends!
The view form here was simply amazing, and watching the sunset from this deck was a highlight for me. It is very close to the Sandy Bay and the Llandudno Beach(about a 10 minutes’ walk) but the shops are a little far, we had to either drive 15 minutes into Hout Bay or into Camps Bay(depends which one you want to go) so I suggest that you stock up on all the food essentials before going into Llandudno. This place goes from R3000 a night(in off season, and goes up to about R6000 in peak season) but you can split that between 10 people! Alternatively, you can rent the whole house for yourself and have a romantic time (which is what we did!)
The new hotel is right in the heart of the Silo district at which I stayed in February and you can read my full review of the Radisson Red over here. It’s a lovely hotel, and if you are visiting out of season you might even be able to snap up a room for as little as R1500. Given its amazing location, the Radisson Red is great if you are visiting Cape Town as a tourist, because you have everything so close to you. The V&A Waterfront provides great shopping and amazing food, you can take a ride to Seal Island right from the Harbor or have a spin on the Cape Wheel. The breakfast at the Radisson Red is nice, and there are two restaurants that you can choose from for lunch and dinner right inside the hotel.
This is often my go-to when staying in Cape Town and one of my favorite places to stay at. Firstly, I love that is it is situated in Sea Point, a part of Cape Town that I really enjoy. It is close to the City Bowl but it is located on the promenade, and I love walking down it in the evenings- especially because there is a delicious pancake bar right at the bottom of it ;). The Hyde is an apartment-style hotel, meaning you get a whole little apartment to yourself, while still feeling like you are in a hotel. The rooms each have a bedroom with a huge bed in it (and an electric blanket for the winter time) as well as a spacious lounge and a kitchen! Super handy if you want toself-cater for the lunches and dinners.
Breakfast is included and served buffet-style and The Hyde is a walking distance to some great restaurants like Postichinos, the Three Wise monkeys and The Mojo market. It usually goes for about R1400 a night for two people, and I recommend this to anyone that is looking to stay in Cape Town.
Save
When I visited Cape Town in February, I stayed at The Radisson Red, but because we decided last minute to fly in on a Friday night rather than a Saturday, we needed to book some cheap, last minute accommodation. The Mojo Hotel is located within the Mojo Market in Sea Point and it’s budget accommodation at its best. It is nothing fancy but it is very clean and modern, which gives it a heads up on any other “backpacker” like accommodation of its kind. The check-in desk is open 24 hours, you can grab something to eat the Mojo market and there is secure parking available. It is everything you need for a base in Cape Town on a budget. The price for 2 people a night starts at R880, so as little as R440 per person.
I stayed here last year August because we needed a place close to town and everything was already booked out. It is located in Woodstock, which is really, as town as you can get, and while I thought it looked dodgy on the outside, it is actually very lovely inside the hotel. You are treated with a warm cookie when you check into the hotel, and the whole décor of DoubleTree is very nice. The rooms are not too big but have everything that you need, and the breakfast that is provided is impressive. There is also a VideE Café inside the hotel in case you want to grab a cup of coffee on your way out.The price for 2 people starts at R800 a night, so R400 a person.
I hope that this list helps you when choosing accommodation in Cape Town!
[…] the Western Cape. There are many things that I love about Cape Town, and you can read my post about where to stay in Cape Town over here and fun things to do in Cape Town over here. I love this town because of the ocean, the beautiful […]