It was by pure fate that I recently stayed in Cape Grace, Cape Town, during two nights and I could not have been luckier, because of the hotel itself, which is excellent, and its location.

The hotel is located on the so called Waterfront, a sort of city dock, and one of the first contacts I had with the hotel service was precisely a small tour aboard the yacht, which is the hotel’s property. At the time, lunch could not be served aboard, but we were not disappointed because the hotel bar terrace, where we ate some marvellous sandwiches, was very comfortable and invited us to stay there all afternoon.

The hotel is inspired by the sea, and thus each of its four floors has a motive connected to the nautical theme such as the fishing rods and moorings, amongst others. One of the details that stood out was the originality of its chandeliers, whose design integrated china-ware such as plates and others home objects.

The SPA, located on the last floor, is not very big, but is excellent for relaxing for a couple of hours, after having undergone a treatment or simply a Turkish bath, enjoying the view over the Table Mountain which at dusk acquires golden tones from the sunlight.

The rooms are quite big, with a dressing area and no lack of amenities, ranging from the basic gel and body cream, to the most sophisticated shaving cream and sewing kit with tweezers and scissors.

About the service there is nothing to criticise because the attention we received was meticulous. In the morning besides the local newspaper, I had news of Portugal and the check-in was made in the comfort of a sofa, drinking refreshments while someone made a photocopy of the passport and handled the luggage: specially conceived for relaxing clients.

The outskirts of the hotel are fantastic for whoever likes shopping. The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (it really is Alfred because the queen was there with her son Alfred and not with her husband Albert) is a commercial area with restaurants, bars, shopping centre, shops of the most various brands and everything within a five minute walk from the hotel. It is a very lively “in” but also safe zone where there is no lack of entertainment.

A hotel security detail is that from a certain hour onwards there is an entrance control. A glamorous hotel not to be missed on a next visit to South Africa.

Antónia Barroso is a journalist for PressTur - Online Magazine.