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When I first visited the hotel in 2008, staff talked to me about their forthcoming refurbishment enthusiastically. I grew nervous as they described light fittings being made by a local metalworker and the preparation of local hand painted wall coverings, which all sounded a little as if they were going to look like the kitsch products of souvenir craft makers. The downside potential seemed high
In the end my fears were totally misplaced as the result is a stunning makeover of what was previously voted as the best hotel in Africa, with dozens of locally created products of the highest quality speaking volumes for the resources at hand for the talented local interior designers.
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Interior of the entrance area. Click to see the exterior across the Marina.
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"a sense of humour as well as a sense of style"
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One of the first hotels developed on the waterfront, the hotel has a prime position slightly away from the more touristy operations. In its old incarnation it was a luxurious but slightly staid hotel that had little to link to the history or its location on Cape Town’s waterfront. The latest refurbishment has drawn heavily on the history of the Cape with artefacts and images alike. Design exhibits a sense of humour as well as a sense of style and the overall result is contemporary and very comfortable, complimented of course by the service for which this leading Cape Town property is known.
I have written before, in relation to Bushmans Kloof and the Constantia hotels, Steenberg and Cellars Hohenort, of the high quality of interior designers South African hoteliers enjoy. The range and originality, also to be seen in Namibia in hotels such as Little Kulala, is remarkable and their confident handling of materials in creating a singularly African yet contemporary style of their own sets them apart from the rather predictable interior seen from practices in much of Europe and the US.
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View from the balcony shows the prime location on the V&A Waterfront Marina. Click to see the pool.
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Cape Grace
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