Cape Town
South Africa


The Experience

Located on the bustling Victoria & Albert Waterfront, with dazzling mountain, harbor and ocean views, the Table Bay merges a classical Victorian facade with contemporary-chic interiors that include a state-of-the-art spa, a hi-tech mezzanine-level business center and a terraced waterside restaurant serving sushi and oysters -- for breakfast. Formal and somewhat straightlaced, it may lack the vintage exclusivity of the Mount Nelson or the refined elegance of the Cape Grace, but its easy access to the city, the harbour and the shops of the adjoining Waterfront Mall make it a convenient yet classy alternative.

The Rooms

From standards to suites, decor is pretty uniform throughout, with green and reddish-brown bedspreads, dark-wood furnishings and high light-filled windows. Apart from the dramatic views from all floors, the rooms don't exactly evoke Africa, but then you could say that about the Waterfront itself, which combines all the glitz of a French Riviera harbor with the commerce of a Californian coastal town. Standards are decently sized at 344 square feet, but get one on the first floor and you'll have a balcony. Still, that's just a view of either mountain or ocean; to get a panorama of both, snag a 645-square-feet junior suite on the corners of the building.

The Service

While Table Bay lacks the intimacy of a boutique hotel, staff are unstuffy and efficient, with an ease and sense of assurance that comes from 10 years in business on the Waterfront. From a car service that runs you into town or the airport to housekeepers who carry baskets instead of pushing trolleys, everything is done on time with minimal fuss.

The Highlights

A refurbishment in 2005 vamped up the Camelot Spa, which does channel an African theme: Try the 90-minute African Signature exfoliation in one of the seven treatment rooms. A roof deck swimming pool adjacent overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and is a popular summer hangout, but it's the elegant flower-filled lobby with its high picture windows and mosaic-tiled floors where most of the action takes place. The Atlantic Restaurant here has a large alfresco terrace reached through wide swing doors and serves sublime seafood, including sushi and Knysna oysters at the breakfast buffet, while the Conservatory Restaurant inside is more intimate, ideal for couples seeking a cozy dinner with a fine bottle of South African red.

-- Douglas Rogers

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