Having friends in the travel business makes planning a holiday quite easy. In the instance of flying to Cape Town to see some friends (and take advantage of a fantastic Qatar Airways deal, never mind the money stolen off the DWB – DOH portion of the flight, more on that later…), I reached out to a friend who is an expert in arranging travel on the African continent (and is South African herself) and asked, “Where would you stay, if you were in Cape Town?” She gave me a list of three properties. After some research, I decided Cape Cadogan was the perfect choice for us.
What exactly went into my decision-making process?
- As tempted as I was by some of the waterfront properties, for our third trip to Cape Town, I wanted somewhere a bit off the beaten path. Kloof Street was the perfect fit for this requirement.
- I definitely wanted a boutique property and bypassed looking at some of the highly rated, but bigger hotel chains (sorry, One & Only!).
- I wanted to be close (walking distance) to bars and restaurants as we would not be renting a car the first day.
- I also wanted a hotel relatively close to the city center (read: easy to find) as we would be utilizing Uber to get around.
- Given the strength of the dirham vs. the Rand, I had a bit more flexibility for pricing (read: my money went pretty far!).
So, did I make the right decision? Yup! And what was I most impressed by at Cape Cadogan?
- A high rate of communication and engagement prior to my arrival. From the moment I booked the hotel, the team was involved in my requests and proactive in their response.
- Going above and beyond. Obviously, food is a big part of where I go when I travel. When I failed at obtaining a reservation for The Test Kitchen, I remembered I had asked the team at Cape Cadogan to try and make one as well. They had managed the impossible and helped coordinate a highlight of my trip.
- Personal touches. Although the term ‘birthday slut’ gets tossed around with me (and has for years), I appreciated not only the upgraded room, but also the handwritten card, flowers, and split of champagne waiting for me at breakfast (may all my birthdays begin as my 37th year started). Everyone at the property was genuine and professional.
A few photos, if you’d like to see…
There are a considerable amount of hotels in Cape Town, and we’ve been fortunate to stay at some of the best. If you are visiting this amazing city, I would encourage you to consider a smaller, boutique property rather than one of the chain establishments — and Cape Cadogan would be very high on my list. I would be happy to return to this location!
Where’s your favorite place to stay in South Africa?
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