This hotel is a salmon-colored rectangle off by itself among the docks, yet just a short walk from the action. When it comes to personal pampering, this one is hard to beat. Valet parking is available at the modest entrance. Guests sit at a desk for check-in with a concierge, who serves as their contact throughout the stay, arranging complimentary transportation to nearby attractions and generally making sure every need is met. Fanciful fabrics and fine furnishings provide a patrician atmosphere where hushed conversation and reserved attention are the norm.
The red and green library right off the lobby is a warm, comfortable lounge with a fireplace, morning pastries and coffee, evening sherry service and various games. Tea is served here in the afternoons. The sophisticated main restaurant serves formal meals in evenings and more casual meals during the day, with terrace space to take in the views and a well-stocked bar. Breakfast buffets (included in most rates) are served here with sufficient fanfare. Guests can walk through the impressive 8,000-bottle wine cellar downstairs while making their way from the Bascule
bar to the popular clubby lounge area. The bar claims to have the largest selection of whiskies in Africa and has lockers for frequent guests to store their own.
The 15-m outdoor heated pool here is larger than Table Bay's, fully tiled in light blue. The impressive spa does not have the scale of that at Twelve Apostles, but it is a worthy competitor in terms of style and relaxation. The dry sauna, steam room, mineral spa baths and rainfall showers impress everyday spagoers. Well-designed lighting and fabulous city views complement the spa's bold color schemes and commissioned mosaics. The interest in guest education here is paramount with daily Cape history presentations and local wine tastings attracting significant attention. Fitness plans are not the main priority here, but free passes to a nearby gym are provided.
A communications center with computers and webcams is complimentary, offering guests something rare in South Africa: Internet access included in the rates. A small attached meeting 
room seating just 14 is also complimentary. Other meeting space is ad hoc, as this property receives few corporate groups. Despite the superior location, management still provides a shuttle to whisk guests to the beach or downtown addresses. Parking is amazingly complimentary.
Guest rooms have a number of surprising touches: doorbells, a selection of books, fresh flowers and laundry soap for delicate items in the toiletries selection. Even the standard rooms are spacious here, with separate sitting areas, desks, complimentary high-speed Internet, mint-green carpet, cushioned headboards and white cotton spreads that look like they came from Grandma's house. Minibars are among the best-stocked in town and contain local gourmet treats plus gourmet (and complimentary) coffee and tea supplies supplemented by fresh milk delivered each morning. His-and-hers closets line the walk-in dressing rooms, stocked with thick velour robes, slippers, shoe care kits, sewing kits, ironing boards and umbrellas. Marble baths have double basins, WCs, nice tubs, deluxe Charlotte Rhys toiletries and separate stall showers.
Superior rooms are more spacious than double and twin standards and come with balconies. The two-bedroom Penthouse Suite is perhaps the most romantic choice in Cape Town, with its huge terraces, complete with whirlpool tub, overlooking the city lights, the sea and Table Mountain. Suites also bring high-tech CD/DVD players and overstuffed picnic baskets. Lots of customized touches are available for all rooms: gym equipment delivered to the room, complimentary shoeshine offered nightly, special requests for the minibar, yoga mats and videos, or a regimen of healthy formula room-service food.
Turndown service arrives each night. Room service never takes a rest, and disabled accommodations are available upon request. The clientele is a mix of discerning leisure and business travelers. The Mount Nelson is the only competitor in terms of attentive lavishness with all the trimmings.
