4 Cape Town Hotels for Every Type of Traveler

Garden views for breakfast at the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel. Image by Mark Williams, courtesy of Mount Nelson Hotel.

Index Emma Glassman-Hughes

Whether you’re in Cape Town for business or pleasure, you’ll never be short on hotel options.

Below, the best places to stay depending on your individual travel needs.

Bedroom views of Signal Hill at AC Hotel Cape Town Waterfront.

The AC Lounge and Bar serves Spanish-inspired bites.

For the Business Traveler

AC Hotel by Marriott Cape Town Waterfront

Just because you’re in Cape Town on business doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy yourself—and the beautiful scenery. This 4-star hotel is conveniently located in the city’s Victoria & Alfred Waterfront neighborhood, next to the Silo District, where contemporary art lovers can experience the thrill of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MoCAA). If you’re on a time-crunch between meetings, the Spanish-inspired menu at the AC Lounge and Bar will more than suffice—try the “corn ribs.” And when you’re finished, head up to the rooftop pool area to enjoy a gin and tonic made with local Geometric Drinks gin.

Dockrail Road, Foreshore, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa

The atrium, which houses the lobby, bar, and restaurant, at 15 on Orange, Autograph Collection. Photo by Hamish Niven.

A bedroom at 15 on Orange, Autograph Collection. Photo by Hamish Niven.

For the Urbanite

15 on Orange Hotel, Autograph Collection

15 on Orange is a spacious-yet-sleek property located in the Gardens section of the city center. It captures so much of Cape Town’s magic, not only with the staggering beauty of Table Mountain and Signal Hill battling for your attention right outside mountain-view, floor-to-ceiling windows, but also the exceptionally rich culture—you’re walking distance from museums such as the Iziko Slave Lodge, the South African National Gallery, and the Iziko South Africa Museum). Gardens is also one of the best neighborhoods for a night out, with busy Kloof Street serving as its main artery. Try Publik Wine Bar for a wide selection of local wines, or head next door to The Power and the Glory for casual beers.

Corner of Orange Street & Grey’s Pass, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa

Sleek furniture inside one of Labotessa's six Signature suites.

The view from Labotessa's Governor Suite.

Inside Labotessa's Governor Suite.

The perfumery in the lobby of Labotessa.

For the Modern Style-Setter

Labotessa

If you’re the kind of traveler in search of glamour—like, say, an elevator opening directly into your suite where electric bathrobe hangers and bottles of sparkling wine await you—the gleaming and new Labotessa Hotel, which opened in the second half of 2019, might be more your speed. Located in the city center near the Company Gardens, the property raises “boutique” to another level: A renovated and restored 17th-century congressional church with only seven suites and a literal perfumery boutique on the ground level (carrying brands like Diptyque and Dr. Vranjes) make Labotessa the opulent, and thoroughly contemporary, urban escape that it is.

5 Church Square, 37 Parliament St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa

The bright pink exterior of the Belmond Mount Nelson. Image by Mark Williams, courtesy of Mount Nelson Hotel.

Suites at Mount Nelson are extravagant. Image by Mark Williams, courtesy of Mount Nelson Hotel.

In the afternoon, go for traditional tea and scones either inside the tea room or outside in the garden. Image by Mark Williams, courtesy of Mount Nelson Hotel.

The iconic hotel stands out against Cape Town's green, mountainous landscape. Image by Mark Williams, courtesy of Mount Nelson Hotel.

For Nostalgic Luxury

Belmond Mount Nelson

At Belmond Mount Nelson,the opulence outpaces even Labotessa; but at Mount Nelson, the energy remains entirely and unabashedly old-school. The more-than-a-century-old campus, painted its signature baby pink back in 1918 to celebrate peace at the end of WWI, feels less like a hotel than it does a royal palace—plus it regularly hosts international celebrities, from Oprah to British pop group The 1975. The rooms are gigantic—enough to house a family of seven or, like, maybe a small traveling circus—and the gardens are sprawling. They do a real, proper high tea, which guests can take in the tea room or out on the sundrenched patio. Even here, you’re still walking distance from the major hits on Kloof Street.

76 Orange St, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa