Wednesday 04 February 2026 5:34 pm
Inside South Africa’s Two Most Exceptionally Fabulous Hotels
By: Martin Williams
As London endures its characteristic grey drizzle, South Africa basks in the radiant glow of late summer sunshine, making it an ideal destination for a start-of-year escape. While the country boasts numerous excellent restaurants and wineries, an alternative approach is to immerse oneself in the comfort of its finest hotels. Here, we delve into two of the Cape's premier hotspots, so captivating that you may find yourself reluctant to depart.
One&Only, V&A Waterfront
My initial visit to the One&Only occurred approximately 15 years ago, long before an overnight stay was within our means, primarily to experience its renowned Nobu restaurant. At that time, the brand was at the peak of its innovation, introducing global classics such as black cod and rock shrimp tempura.
In the post-pandemic era, the property underwent a comprehensive refurbishment to compete with newer establishments like The Silo, Babylonstoren, and the recent re-imagination of the Belmond Mount Nelson. This renovation has re-established the One&Only as a benchmark for quality in hospitality, facilities, room design, and culinary offerings.
The hotel features unparalleled views of Table Mountain, best enjoyed from below with a martini in hand, avoiding the crowded tourist trails. It also boasts the largest penthouse suite on the continent, a gym with personal trainers, a health food hangout, a wine bar, a cocktail lounge, two signature restaurants, and waterside suites on man-made islands. These amenities surround a stunning lagoon-style pool, occasionally visited by a mischievous otter named Simon, and Isola restaurant, where guests can relax in swimwear for cocktails and light bites.
Highlights from Isola include the exquisite tuna crudo with cashew nut crumble, a saline and divine white anchovy pizza, and a zucchini salad overflowing with herbs, mint, pine nuts, and feta.
The rooms and suites blend luxurious 'island chic' design with a strong brand identity that elegantly reflects South Africa's heritage and terroir. Bathtubs and balconies offer magnificent vistas, making this a destination to savour rather than leave.
An outstanding activity is joining head sommelier Luvo Ntezo for wine tasting experiences. As a leading voice in South Africa's wine scene, Ntezo combines fun with education, teaching the 'art of sabrage', guiding tastings with native wines, and helping guests blend their own unique wine, which is bottled and delivered to their room.
The spa provides an oasis of calm with treatments like the African Journey, a 90-minute sensory experience involving dry body-brushing, exfoliation, and a sublime massage, concluding with a tea ceremony. Additional amenities include high-tech saunas, steam-rooms, and vitality pools with hydrotherapy jets.
The hotel's restaurant Rooi, meaning red fire, serves as a worthy alternative to Nobu, focusing on smoke and wood with a central wood-burning oven. Standout dishes include tender kudu bresola carpaccio and Josper-smoked yellow tail, featuring complex spiced sauces and fermentations. The King Clip fish, typically bony, was as soft as seabass with fantastic flavour, and dinner concluded with compressed melon, mint, and lime granita.
South Africa’s Best Hotels: The Belmond Mount Nelson
Established in 1899 by Sir Donald Currie, owner of the Union-Castle shipping line, the Mount Nelson has long been regarded as the grand dame of Cape Town. Famously painted pink after the First World War and repainted in 2018, it remains a recognisable Art Deco landmark with a unique Pantone reference hue, reminiscent of the Beverly Hills Hotel's confident glamour.
The hotel embodies the Belmond ethos, with staff stories of progression highlighting a culture of teamwork and charm. Facilities are generous and modern, including a high-tech gym, tennis courts, a herb garden, DIY cocktail kits, private screening rooms, and two exceptional pools perfect for relaxation.
Afternoon Tea at 'The Nelly' is a major draw, featuring 74 tea selections from around the world paired with pastry chef Vicky Gurovich's creations. Highlights include devilled eggs, sausage rolls, and a sublime coronation chicken sandwich, followed by scones with scandalously good butter and a buffet of meringues, gateaux, and tartlets.
The culinary centrepiece is Amura, overseen by Angel León, the celebrated 'Chef of the Sea' from Aponiente in Cádiz, who emphasises sustainability. Dishes include a rich fish offcut paste, yellowfin sashimi with herb and cucumber escabeche, and a tuna milanese served with caramelised onions and potato purée.
Head sommelier Lucian enhances the experience with a Hemel-en-Aarde flight of Burgundian-style whites, such as Tesselaarsdal Chardonnay and Hamilton Russell, along with a Chenin face-off between Ken Forrester's FMC and a Raats bottling.
The Red Room, created by Liam Tomlin's Chefs Warehouse, offers standout dishes like tuna tartare with seared yellowfin and puffed rice, charred sweetcorn gyoza with miso crème, and a prawn and pork dumpling with kefir lime. A jumbo prawn red curry evokes memories of Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Spice Market.
Both the One&Only and the Mount Nelson serve as havens of hospitality, where the noise of modern politics fades into the background, offering a reassuring escape from daily chaos until it's time to return home.
