Car hire, accommodation, buses, trains and hot air ballooning

Cape Town Hotels suitable for Rovos/Blue Train bookings

Rovos Rail and Blue Train guests demand a high degree of luxury and convenience. Here are some top-tier hotels in Cape Town which are well-suited for passengers planning to board the Rovos Rail or the Blue Train (or are disembarking in Cape Town, perhaps after a Pretoria to Cape Town train trip). They are reasonably close to the embarkation/disembarkation points. To package a luxury train trip together with a luxury hotel stay in Cape Town, email rob@southafrica.to

  1. The Silo Hotel
    • Location: V&A Waterfront
    • Highlights: Steeped in history, the old grain silo was once South Africa's tallest building, in 1920. A unique design in a converted grain silo, luxurious rooms, and a rooftop pool with panoramic views.
  2. 15 On Orange Hotel
    • Location: Gardens
    • Highlights: Chic and modern design, offering spacious rooms and a great spa.
    • Corner Grey's Pass and Orange Street, Cape Town. Close to attractions and a short drive to the Cape Town train station.
    • 15 on Orange is very easy to get to from the airport, it's very easy to get from it to the restaurants & pubs in Long Street & Kloof Street, as well as the Company Gardens & the South African Museum; but you'll need to hire a car/taxi to get to the V&A Waterfront (there are also chauffeur services). It's near to a stop for City Sightseeing's hop-on hop-off bus (walk towards the Mount Nelson Hotel). Chose a day when it's not windy to use the roof top pool, from which to enjoy the top view of Table Mountain (if it is windy take a walk to Cape Town's historic Long Street Baths!). Ask for a room as high as possible and facing Table Mountain. Definitely worth a visit.
    • Tel: 021 469 8000

      15 on Orange Hotel in Cape Town

  3. Cape Grace Hotel
    • Location: West Quay Road, V & A Waterfront
    • Highlights: Elegant and charming, with beautiful views of the harbor. Offers a refined atmosphere and excellent service.
    • Room tip - choose a room at the back of the hotel facing Table Mountain.
    • Close to Cape Town's cruise ship terminal
    • Tel: 021 410 7040
  4. Victoria & Alfred Hotel
    • PierHead, V&A Complex, Dock Rd, V & A Waterfront
    • Tel:21 419 6677
    • Make sure you get a room facing the harbour and Table Mountain. The rooms facing the plaza not only have a worse view, but can be noisier. The hotel is situated in the heart of the Waterfront, close to a plethora of shops and restaurants. Your biggest risk staying here is that you find it difficult to tear yourself away from the Waterfront!
  5. Southern Sun Cape Sun
    • Known for its glass lifts which tower high up above the city.
    • Strand Street, Cape Town City/CBD (close to the train station)
    • Tel: 021 488 5100
  6. The One & Only Cape Town
    • Location: V&A Waterfront
    • Highlights: Lavish accommodations, renowned restaurants, and a stunning spa.
    • Ph: 021 431 5800
  7. Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel
    • Location: 76 Orange Street, Gardens
    • Highlights: Historic elegance with beautiful gardens, fine dining, and a luxurious spa.
    • The 30 rooms in the Oasis wing of the Mount Nelson have been refurbished and were reopened at the start of March 2013. The wing has a view of the swimming pool.
    • The Nellie offers the classic luxury Cape Colonial experience, within walking distance of Kloof and Long Street. Often frequented by celebrities. The afternoon tea is worth going to. Decide whether you prefer the view overlooking the gardens or Table Mountain.
    • Tel: 021 483 1000

      Drive by shooting at the Mount Nelson Hotel - using a camera, not a gun, and taking this photo! Note the vehicle driving out of the Nelly - this is the typical type of customer the hotel attracts.

      Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town

  8. The Cullinan Hotel
    1. Location: 1 Cullinan Street, Cape Town CBD

      Southern Sun The Cullinan HotelThe Cullinan Hotel in Cape Town forms a distinctive part of the city's skyline, and is easily visible by ships travelling into the port.

      Cullinan Hotel and other tall buildings in Cape Town

  9. The Table Bay Hotel
    • Location: V&A Waterfront
    • Highlights: Five-star luxury with direct access to the waterfront, excellent dining, and stunning views.
  10. Radisson Blu Hotel & Residence
    • Location: Cape Town City Centre
    • Highlights: Modern luxury with a rooftop pool and business amenities.
  11. The Westin Cape Town
    • Location: Foreshore, close to the International Convention Centre
    • Highlights: Contemporary design, a wellness center, and great dining options.
  12. The Table Bay
    • Quay 6, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
    • Tel: 021 406 5000
  13. Hotel Verde
    • Location: Near the airport
    • Highlights: Eco-friendly luxury with modern amenities.
    • Though a bit further from the city, it's convenient for travelers who are departing on a flight from Cape Town International Airport.'

Each of these hotels provides a luxurious stay with easy access to Rovos Rail and Blue Train departures.

If you are enjoying a Pretoria to Cape Town luxury train trip and want to overnight at the start of your journey, navigate to our page on Pretoria hotels for luxury train travellers.

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V&A Waterfront

Other Cape Town Accommodation

Don't choose too good a hotel, as you want to be able to tear yourself away to see Cape Town's attractions! (Johannesburg has the money, but Cape Town has the treasure). Want to try something different? How about the Houw Hoek Inn, which is Cape Town's oldest running hotel (well, it's a bit out of the city but close enough to count) - we had a marvelous family holiday there.

List of hotels & guest houses

Scroll down to see a list of hotels in Cape Town. We have software which checks that links are still active, and we endeavour to keep it up to date, but if you spot something which needs to be updated let us know at cheapflights@southafrica.to

Pinelands hotels

 

Somerset West hotels

Chelaya Country Lodge

 

Tableview hotels

Aerial view of Dolphin Beach hotel from a drone, taken by FPV South Africa.

Elements Hotel

49 sandpiper crescent Tableview
Cape Town
Western Cape
7441
South Africa

info@elements-capetown.com

www.elements-capetown.com

Tel: 021 557 8847
Fax: 086 683 19 72

Protea Hotel Dolphin Beach

Marine Drive, Tableview
Cape Town
Western Cape
7441
South Africa

dolphinbeach.res@icon.co.za

Proteahotels

Tel: 021 557 8140
Fax: 021 557 8147

 

 

Latest News

Backpackers on Castle in Cape Town

Top hotels in Bantry Bay
Top hotels close to Cape Town City

How to decide on an area to stay in

Cape Town is large and diverse, so in order to decide where you want to stay you need to decide what's most important to you:

De Waterkant, Fresnaye, Greenpoint & Three Anchor Bay

Rockwell Hotel in Greenpoint, Cape Town

This photo of the Rockwell Hotel was taken from the deck of the MSC Sinfonia cruise ship as it cruised into E-Berth in Table Bay Harbour in the early morning of the 14th December 2012. If the views of the Rockwell Hotel from there are so good, I'm sure the Rockwell Hotel must have good views of the harbour too & V&A Waterfront too, and some of the rooms of Table Mountain & Lion's Head; and there are large balconies from which to enjoy it. The hotel is within walking distance of the V&A Waterfront. Eat at nearby Beluga Restaurant, or one of the other plethora of restaurants in the vicinity. There's a lot of nightlife in this area - pubs & bars. Book a room on a higher floor for better views and to avoid the street-level noise.

Protea Hotel
Cape Castle

3 Main Road
Green Point
Cape Town
Western Cape
8001
South Africa

reservations@castles.co.za

Tel: 021 439 1016
Fax: 021 439 1019

Rockwell All-Suite Hotel & Apartments

32 Prestwich Street, Green Point,
Cape Town,
Western Cape Province
8001
South Africa

reservations@rockwellhotel.co.za

Ph: 021 421 0015

Barry Hall Self Catering Apartments

6 Irwinton Road
Fresnaye
Cape Town
Western Cape Province
South Africa

info@barryhall.co.za

www.barryhall.co.za

Tel: 021 448 6452
Fax: 021 448 6555

Cape Standard Guest House

Romney Road
Green Point
Cape Town
Western Cape
8001
South Africa

info@capestandard.co.za

www.capestandard.co.za

Tel: 021 430 3060
Fax: 021 439 6332

The Charles

137 Waterkant Street
De Waterkant
Cape Town
Western Cape
South Africa

res@thecharles.co.za

www.thecharles.co.za

Tel: 021 438 3972
Fax: 021 438 4433

De Waterkant Cottages

40 Napier Street
De Waterkant
Cape Town
Western Cape
South Africa

book@dewaterkantcottages.com

www.dewaterkantcottages.com

Tel: 021 421 2300
Fax: 021 421 2399

De Waterkant Village Hotel

1 Loader Street
De Waterkant
Cape Town
Western Cape
South Africa

res@dewaterkant.com

www.dewaterkant.com

Tel: 021 437 9706
Fax: 021 438 4433

De Waterkant Lodge

35 Dixon Street
De Waterkant
Cape Town
Western Cape
South Africa

www.dewaterkantplace.com

Tel: 021 419 2476
Fax: 021 421 2519

De Waterkant House Hotel

1 Loader Street
De Waterkant
Cape Town
Western Cape
South Africa

www.dewaterkant.com

Tel: 021 437 9706
Fax: 021 438 4433

18 On Crox Guest House

18 Croxteth Road
Green Point
Cape Town
Western Cape
South Africa

info@18oncrox.com

www.18oncrox.com

Tel: 021 439 3871
Fax:021 433 2318

De Waterkant House Hotel

1 Loader Street
De Waterkant
Cape Town
Western Cape
South Africa

res@dewaterkant.com

www.dewaterkant.com

Tel: 021 437 9706
Fax: 021 438 4433

esCape Guest House

163 Main Road,
Green Point,
Cape Town
Western Cape
South Africa

info@guesthouse-escape.com

Guesthouse escape

Tel: 021 434 7977
Fax: 021 434 7783

Graeme Hotel

107 Main Road
Green Point,
Cape Town
Western Cape
South Africa

info@hotelgraeme.co.za

www.hotelgraeme.co.za

Tel: 021 434 92

Fax:021 434 9283

Harbour view apartments

1 Harbour View,

14 Ocean View Drive,
Green Point,
Cape Town
Western Cape
South Africa

keenan@arrowwoodint.co.za

www.1harbourview-capetown.com

Tel: 021 425 2233

Fax:021425 1550

House on the Hill

5 Norman Road
Green Point,
Cape Town
Western Cape
South Africa

info@houseonthehillct.co.za

Tel: 021 439 3902

The House on the Hill in Green Point offers the option of a bed and breakfast or self-catering accommodation. Choose the self-catering unit which has 2 large beds, a kitchen, TV & a washing machine - perfect for families. It's in a quiet cul de sac, a couple of minutes drive from the Waterfront. There are a few restaurants around the corner.

Jambo Guest House

1 Grove Road
Green Point,
Cape Town
Western Cape
South Africa

jamb@iafrica.com

www.jambo.co.za

Tel: 021 439 4219
Fax: 021 434 0672

Kingslyn Boutique Guest House

No 8, Hillroad
Green Point,
Cape Town
Western Cape
South Africa

kingslyn@mweb.co.za

www.kingslyn.co.za

Tel: 021 439 9305
Fax: 021 439 9427

Romney Park Luxury Suites

Corner of Hill Road and Romney Road
Green Point
Cape Town
Western Cape
8005
South Africa

info@romneypark.co.za

www.romneypark.co.za

Tel: 021 439 4555
Fax: 021 439 4747

17 On Loader Guest House

17 Loader Street
De Waterkant
Cape Town
Western Cape
8005
South Africa

www.17loader.za.net

 

Tel: 021 418 3417
Fax: 021 425 6726

St Bedes Terrace

26 Antrim Road
Three Anchor Bay
Cape Town
Western Cape Province
South Africa

info@stbedes.co.za

Tel: 074 1821 444
Fax: 021 434 5970

Verona Lodge

11 Richmond Road
Three Anchor Bay
Cape Town
Western Cape Province
South Africa

info@veronalodge.co.za

www.veronalodge.co.za

Tel: 021 434 9477
Fax: 021 439 7872

Sundown Manor Guest House

2 Avenue Normandie
Fresnaye
Cape Town
Western Cape
South Africa

info@sundownmanor.co.za

www.sundownmanor.co.za

Tel: 021 434 7347
Fax: 021 434 7347

History of Hotels in Cape Town

Jan van Riebeeck recorded in his diary the appointment of the first inn-keepers: "We have daily a large number of people who come and fill at the Castle and these people, including officers of ships, ministers of the church, sailors, soldiers, families and even barbers take with them knives, forks and dishes thinking it belonged to the honourable company and that they could, therefore, help themselves." Van Riebeeck allowed Annetje Boom to open a tavern to provide accommodation to men from passing ships.

"Within 2 decades there were so many taverns in the settlement that the directors in Holland ordered all but nine to be closed. Guests were not allowed to carry knives but they drank Peter Visagie's local beer (regarded as a cure for scurvy) and they could watch cock-flights...Menus at the early taverns were not luxurious. Fish was often plentiful and there were penguin eggs from the islands. Seals and dassies provided some of the meat; other meat was usually salted. Smoked porcupine was a delicacy. Bacon, rice, flour and beans were not to be enjoyed every day. The meat shortage was so acute that even a lion was salted down. Cakes and biscuits were baked by 2 freemen 'for those who wish to live more daintily'. Tea and coffee were unobtainable - hence the strong demand for alcohol." Lawrence Green.

"The lodgings were private houses varying greatly in amenities. One of the best at the end of the eighteenth century was the widow Van den Bergh's inn at the lower end of Longmarket Street near the Castle and the company's stables. It was described as 'one of the most handsome and largest inns in the town'. Distinguished visitors stayed there and spoke of the courtyard with vines on a trellis."

And to get business Innkeepers would send out runners in rowing-boats to "meet ships entering Table Bay & to persuade the passengers to accompany them on shore...When they came alongside a vessel the runners stood up and shouted the merits of their establishments; some had dancehalls with slave musicians; harp & violin, flute and drum."

"Samuel Hudson & his brother Thomas appear to have been the English hotel pioneers in Cape Town. They had a 'family hotel' facing the Parade in 1802; and the following year they applied to the government for another private hotel permit, making it clear that they did not intend to run a tavern or gaming house. This was granted and Hudson's Hotel in the Heerengracht soon gained a good reputation. They advertised their meals, offering dressed ham, brawn, collared beef, potted venison and tongues and Colyn's red and white Constantia wines."

"The honour of opening the first licensed hotel must go to Edward George, a Londoner, whose George Hotel in Hout Street was regarded in 1817 as the best hotel in the town. George moved to the Heerengracht 12 years later & all agreed that his new establishment was 'smart & expensive'. Meanwhile a formidable rival had appeared, the St George's Hotel at the corner of St. George's & Church Street. The first St George's Hotel was a typical handsome old Cape Town mansion with 1 storey and a wide verandah. The 2nd St George's was built in 1872 & in the early 20th century was famous for its cocktail bar, presided over by Hildebrand; the longest bar in Cape Town...The St George's Hotel was pulled down a few years before WWII to make way for an extension to an insurance building."

"Back to the Heerengracht of the 1840s. William Parke, a confectioner who also ran buses to Wynberg, decided to enter the hotel trade. He had been running Papenboom, the old brewery in Newlands Avenue, as a boarding-house; now he opened Parke's Hotel at the corner of Heerengracht & Strand Street (later to change to the Grand Hotel site)...'Warm & cold baths are available at any hour of the day', Parkes announced - a novelty at that period."

"Another comfortable hotel was the Imperial in the Keizersgracht, facing the parade...The hotel moved to Shortmarket Street and then changed to the Green Hansom. For many years there was a Masonic Hotel near the Parade, a hostelry noted for gargantuan meals."

"Parliamentarians also patronised Poole's Hotel in Queen Victoria Street, an old double-storied, flat-roofed building. It was nearly a century old when it was demolished in the 1930s."

"Plein Street had a Hotel d'Europe in the 1860s, a grand old mansion with a high, broad stoep along the full length of the building...This hotel became the Royal, the famous Royal."

"When the International Hotel, Mill Street, opened in the 1880s, T.W.O'Callaghan the proprietor advertised the first hotel tennis court in SA."

"You may have noticed the number of Cape Town bars & hotels that came into the possession of seafarers. Nicholas Adelain, for example, was a Greek who exchanged the deck of a sailing-ship in 1890 for the hotel trade. He became proprietor of the Good Hope Hotel in Loop Street."

"The original Grand Hotel in Strand Street was bought by the Union SS Company & rebuilt in the 1890s in a style 'equal to London & Paris'. There were electric lights on the tables, Axminster carpets, a grand piano and a balcony promenade three hundred and fifty feet long and twelve feet wide. The site had cost the company 26,000 and the building about the same amount. Shop tenants were informed that "the front of the hotel is a popular Cape Town promenade where youth and beauty meet". Lunch at the official opening, prepared by the French chef, started with turtle soup and sherry and went on luxuriously to Scotch salmon, boiled turbot, lobster patties, cutlets, quenelles, pigeon, a claret sorbet, punch, capons braised in champagne, roast saddle of mutton, larded fillet of beef, grand special champagne, grouse, diplomat pudding and five other sweets. French apple tarts were offered, followed by caviar as a savoury and an iced pudding. It was a point of honour in those days, I gather, to serve only imported delicacies. What time, I wonder, did the lunch end."

"A homestead on the Van der Byl farm at Woodstock became the Lord Milner Hotel. It stood in a vineyard and between the hotel and the sea were only the bushes and the dunes. Lord Milner and "Onze Jan" Hofmeyr stayed at this hotel. The farm dairy is now used as a wine cellar and the bar was the room where the Van der Byl children had their lessons. Woodstock has another celebrated hotel, the Altona, named after an old farm in the area. Jimmy Weight, a seaman from the cable steamer Great Northern, held the lease in the early years of this century. His son Bob gave up the lease fifty years later. On the last night Bob Weight received a gold watch from his regular customers. Drinks were on the house and more than three hundred "free loaders" attended the ceremony. Bottles of beer, whisky, gin and brandy were handed over the counter. Bob Weight and two friends who were with him at Delville Wood were escorted from the bar by Caledonian Society pipers. The hotel was then taken over by a brewery. It was the end of a long day's march for Bob Weight."

Featured accommodation : Mouille Point Village

Instead of spending a fortune to stay at a hotel in the Waterfront, the Mouille Point Village - what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts (literally!). It's a 30 minute walk to the Waterfront, you can get sea views, it's close to the Mouille Point Promenade, close to the Green Point Common (and its play areas for kids) and to Three Anchor Bay (where you can hire kayaks and go out into the bay). Get a 2 bedroom apartment for the family, with a kitchen to cook your meals. There are a couple of restaurants within walking distance. For views, we advise booking a top floor room - decide whether you prefer (1) a view over the sea and Robben Island or (2) of Signal Hill, Green Point golf course and the Cape Town Stadium.

Mouille Point Village

Westridge,
93 Beach Road,
Mouille Point
Cape Town
South Africa

info@mouillepoint.com

Tel: 021 437 9707

30 Day trips in Cape Town

Top Hotels

According to guest ratings on Hotelscombined & Tripadvisor & our own thoughts, the following are the top hotels in Cape Town.

Camps Bay, views of Atlantic & Table Mountain
Sea Point
 
Grabouw
On a Golf Course

Steeberg Hotel, Constantia (Good golf course, good food, good spa). Do walk the vineyards.

Constantia
Simonstown
Gordon's Bay

A directory/list of the official contact details of hotels in Cape Town (email address, website, phone number and fax number). If your establishment is not listed, email us with your details and a suitable date to come and review it.

Park Inn by Radisson

29 Heerengracht Street
Foreshore
Cape Town
Western Cape
South Africa

Tel: 021 427 4800

info.capetown@rezidorparkinn.com

Acorn House Hotel

1 Montrose Avenue
Oranjezicht
Cape Town
South Africa

welcome@acornhouse.co.za

www.acornhouse.co.za

Tel: 021 461 1782
Fax: 021 461 1768

Adderley Hotel

Situated in Cape Town city near the Company Gardens.

31 Adderley Street
Cape Town
Western Cape Province
South Africa

33 deg 55 min 27.59 sec S
18 deg 25 min 16 sec E

reservations@adderleyhotel.co.za<

www.adderley.ahagroup.co.za

Tel: 021 465 3530
Fax: 021 465 3377

Best Western Cape Suites Hotel

Corner of De Villiers & Constitution Streets,
Cape Town
Western Cape
8001
South Africa

info@capesuites.co.za

www.capesuites.co.za

Tel: 021 461 0727
Fax: 021 462 4389

Cape Town Lodge

101 Buitengracht Street,
Cape Town
Western Cape
8001
South Africa

internet@capetownlodge.co.za

www.capetownlodge.co.za

Tel: 021 422 0030
Fax: 021 422 0090

The Capetonian Hotel

Pier Square
Heerengracht Foreshore
Cape Town
Western Cape
8001
South Africa

raya-hotels@mweb.co.za

raya-hotels

Tel: 021 405 5670
Fax: 021 405 5660

The Colony Hotel

12 Brownlow Road
Cape Town
Western Cape
7441
South Africa

Tel: 021 506 3303
Fax: 021 506 3315

Ask questions about Accommodation:


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