Hotels met Pools in Western Cape, South Africa

I stayed here for one night as I was transiting Cape Town with a flight the following morning. The check-in experience was pretty quick and seamless, as my booking was pre-paid. I stayed here being fully aware of the carbon-neutral moto. The hotel appeared clean and tidy. The free shuttle from the airport was trouble-free. The directions to the pick-up was simple to follow. The pick-up was on time, and it was a very short ride to the hotel - literally a matter of minutes. The room I was allocated - 233 - was spacious and clean. However, I was surprised by the bizarre layout, especially with the way the shower and bedroom is almost open plan - only a screen separate the two areas. The toilet is separated by a door, though. Other than that, I had no major issues with the room. The bed was large and comfortable, my sleep was not disturbed and it was generally a positive short stay. The shower worked fine, it took a little getting use to the water-saving feature in the sink tap. The toilet flush may have a malfunction, because it would stay stuck when pressed, and required tapping for the button to return from a pressed state. I felt safe during my stay, and was reassured by the security procedures in place when booking an Uber - drivers are asked to scan their driving licence at the gate when entering the grounds. The drive to the V&A Waterfront was about 25-30 minutes. I had a late lunch at the hotel restaurant - Nuovo. The menu was okay, but not spectacular. I visited the restaurant when it was relatively quiet with diners. However, I found staff were not particularly attentive. It took a while before someone approached me and provided a menu. The vegan burger I order was nice, even if it looked a bit dry. It was the only chargeable thing I incurred, which I put on the room (250 ZAR to pay on check-out). The breakfast is a decent buffet of hot and cold food, plus live omelette bar. There’s also pancake making facilities, automatic coffee machines and more. On check-out, to my surprise, I was informed of bills totally 600 ZAR. I explained that I only had one meal at 250 ZAR, which the reception staff accepted. However, a few days later, I received emails claiming that I had an unpaid bill for 350 ZAR, which I had to explain again in my response (I did not receive further contact after that). I think this was a case of staff incorrectly reading a room number when processing, or a guest deliberately giving the wrong room number. I caught the shuttle back to the airport after checking out, again trouble-free. All-in-all, a very good airport hotel, and one I could easily recommend to others.

I would like to share my experience of staying in this apartment. We lived there very poorly because it’s a self-service setup with only two plates. If I’m using one plate for something else and my partner is using another plate, I no longer have a plate to prepare another dish. We literally had two plates in the house, as if it were a hotel where they would cook for us—we wouldn’t need more dishes for anything. How can I buy groceries for two plates, with literally one spoon per person and one teaspoon to share in the morning for our coffee, and one cup per person? Additionally, we did not have a broom, and it was very difficult to clean after ourselves. We had to wait for cleaning/maintenance to come for at 10am while we skip the dirt or use a tissue to clean, even though we don’t want to invite anyone in we had to choice , We can’t even scrub the floor on our own; we had to wait until we sleep and wait for them. No shower caps , no toothbrushes to toothpaste to start the stay ,not even little enough to get comfortable when you check in ,,I don’t recommend it for travelers who land late at night , it’s not helpful at all you sleep dirty here until shops open , they run out of heaters and leave you freezing in the room , check out time is 10am so it your flight is 6pm on the same day be prepared to roam around the streets like a homeless while you Stayed a night with them , what happened to 12pm check out time and 2pm as latest ??? My partner was working night shift and had to be kicked out at 10am with his flight at 6pm ! He asked to rest for 2 hours and check out at 12 they charged 50% of room rate for sleeping for 2 hours not even half a day. This apartment is not helpful at all and they prioritize charging you more instead of availing themselves for help , bedsheets are changed after 3 days which means if you on your periods as woman and you mess up the bedsheets you have to sleep with blood for the next 2 days -Why ??? I believe beds should be changed everyday as per the room rate calculations for each day unless they mean we pack our own bedsheets for emergencies…additionally there was a construction that would grill the roof while you sleeping at 8am so again my partner couldn’t sleep after working night shifts WITHOUT A WARNING!!! We regretted staying here and one traumatic issue of plates : I wash after every meal because no extra plates to push for another day , washing using my hands since there was no scrubbing 🧽 . I felt like i didn’t pay enough to stay here .

A Beautiful and Peaceful Stay at Alkantmooi Private Nature Reserve, Keursee We recently stayed at Alkantmooi Private Nature Reserve, Keursee in Plettenberg Bay and had a lovely experience overall. When I booked, I didn’t realize that it was a fully self-catering property. On the booking site, it looked more like a nature resort with restaurants on-site, so it came as a surprise when we arrived and learned that we needed to bring or buy our own food. We ended up driving about 8 km into town to pick up some groceries, which turned into a fun little outing in the end. Still, it might be helpful for management to make this setup clearer on the booking sire for guests, especially those from abroad who might not be familiar with South African Travel habits. We arrived around 5:30 p.m. and were warmly welcomed by the owner, who gave us the keys and explained everything. The unit itself was amazing, very clean, modern, and well maintained, with a stunning view over the sea and Plettenberg Bay in the distance. At night, the lights from town were beautiful, and the whole area was peaceful and quiet. The environment felt safe, and we really enjoyed the fresh air and the sense of being surrounded by nature. One small note: when we arrived, the lady at reception asked my partner (who is Chinese) in Afrikaans if she spoke English or Afrikaans. It wasn’t a big issue, but it might be something to be mindful of when welcoming international guests, as not everyone understands Afrikaans and its not easy to decipher specially for those who do not speak English as a first language A few other suggestions for management: upon entering the unit, there’s a printed rule sheet. While I completely understand and respect the need for house rules, the way they’re written felt a little strict and unwelcoming. For example, it mentioned sanitizing hands every time you enter and reporting neighbors if they break rules, and more. The tone could perhaps be softened to feel friendlier and more guest-oriented. The only other drawback was the Wi-Fi, which was extremely slow during our stay. I wasn’t able to use it for basic browsing and had to rely on my phone’s international data via hotspot when I was using my laptop. Despite these small issues, I would still recommend Alkantmooi to others, especially those who enjoy self-catering and want a quiet, upmarket place surrounded by nature. It’s a wonderful place to unwind, cook your own meals, and enjoy the incredible views over Plettenberg Bay.

Disappointing — Not the Taj Experience I Expected I stayed one night at Taj Cape Town and, having stayed, worked, and studied at other Taj properties worldwide, I left feeling that this hotel does not deliver the signature “Taj” experience. Location: Excellent — centrally located and convenient for business and sightseeing. Rooms: Very good. The guest room was well-appointed, comfortable, and met the standard I expect from a five-star property. No complaints on accommodations. Food & Beverage: Below expectations for a Taj. The breakfast buffet was serviceable but average — acceptable for a quick meal, but nothing memorable in terms of variety, presentation, or quality. The on-site Asian restaurant is extremely small (about five tables) and suffers from poor ventilation: the exhaust does not appear to function adequately, so the space quickly fills with an oily cooking smell that lingers and detracts from the dining experience. The food itself was below the quality I would expect from a Taj-branded restaurant. Service & Brand Feel: This is where the hotel most noticeably misses the mark. While staff were professional, the overall atmosphere lacked the warm, polished service and attention to detail that distinguishes other Taj properties I have experienced. It felt more like a standard city hotel operating under the Taj name rather than a hotel delivering the full Taj brand promise. Value: Concerning. The hotel charges approximately INR 2,000 per day for parking — a steep add-on that should be clearly communicated up front and factored into the overall value proposition. Summary: The location and rooms are strong points, but the average breakfast, a small and poorly ventilated Asian restaurant, and an overall absence of the characteristic Taj hospitality leave this property short of expectations. If you are seeking the classic Taj experience, this particular hotel may not meet that standard.

Lovely stay at Pepperclub - recommended. We chose to celebrate a big milestone in South Africa to create some very special memories. We toured from Joburg, through Nambiti to Durban and then onto Cape Town, and we booked Pepperclub to have a pampered end to our trip. The location is great, near Bo Kaap, local markets and safe to walk around. We had no problem getting where we needed to go. The hotel is very clean including the communal areas, gym and of course the rooms. However, housekeeping was more 4* - simple requests like extra blankets needed to be chased, and the turndown of the room happened every day but was inconsistent (sometimes the bathroom was cleaned and restocked, sometimes not). Similarly, the service was inconsistent even through the reception/concierge was always well staffed - Godfrey always greeted us enthusiastically, and there was another duty manager that was very diligent and followed-up well. However, when Godfrey was not on shift the welcome was more muted, and the staff on reception weren't exactly warm and not always efficient. Restaurant staff were always very warm and friendly. Breakfast was great - with good selection of buffet and a la carte options served swiftly. Lunch options were good too, and room service was efficient. Spa was excellent with very good massages and treatments. The Gym is good, though a little small, and for clarity the pool is not heated (but is beautiful). We didn't get a chance to try the private Odeon cinema, but they only had older movies not the newer ones found at public Odeon cinemas. Great views of Table Mountain and Lions Head from the rooms. The hotel were able to grant our special requests of early check-in, inter-leading rooms and they dressed the room and provided cake and bubbly to celebrate our anniversary - lovely touches. You won't regret your stay, but you may not be compelled to stay again.

Pros Great location - a short drive to the waterfront and close to Table Mountain, Lions Head and the Botanical Garden where Uber will get you there quickly and for a good price. Staff were very good Breakfast was cooked very well and with good quality ingredients and a varied selection. It would be better if they had soft bread rather than the heavier one provided (althouh this could be a more European variety i havent come across before). The room was homely, as is the whole building (a bit of a British Grade 2 listed building kind of feel). Nice views over capetown in some rooms and a mountain view from the back. Room has heating and air con for all seasons. Cons As mentioned in a previous review, the room is quite dusty so if you are messing around with plugs behind the bed or tv, it's a challenge not to breathe in the dust. I think this could be a SA thing rather than the hotel itself but they only provide 1.5l of water which for a week is not enough, even for a solo traveller. You have to pay for any more. I have never come across this in 25 years of travel across 35 countries but again, i know there is a water issue in SA sometimes and I believe the tap water is drinkable (although I wouldn't attempt this as a tourist). Bathroom towels not replaced - just left to dry which doesn't work particularly well in winter. The photo of the hotel being near blue water is a little deceptive - obviously it is not near a beach and they don't suggest so but the body of water across the road is a water storage facility (currently empty) so don't expect tropical views. Having said that, if you get a city view room, the sunrise is right in front of you and a perfect time lapse opportunity as the scenery changes dramatically during the sunrise. Stunning experience. Overall, I would stay again and recommend the hotel which is in a quiet location.

The Westin, Cape Town, is an old hotel, but it continues to maintain its presence, quality, and some high standard in Cape Town. We stayed here for 8 days, during a friend's 60th birthday celebration event in Cape Town. We occupied an executive room and were also given access to the executive club on the 19th floor. The room was very nice, with good linen, bed of high standard. That said, we had to lodge a complaint on the hurried nature of how our room was cleaned on our second day of stay. The bed was not made properly, the carpet floor wasn't clean, and the bathroom was half cleaned. It's not good for a 5-star hotel. After complaining, the housekeeper made amends, and the cleaning standard was raised to the highest standard for the duration of our stay. We also ordered food from room service and half of what we ordered were not brought - they gave us something else, but after waiting for 45 mins for the original order to be brought to us we reluctabtly accepted the wrong order, ate the food and then lodged our complaints later. The breakfast buffet was alright, but there weren't great selections of cold meats in the cold meat section. They really need to improve on this. Lastly, the overall service delivery by some of the staff really need serious improvement. Some of the staff in the restaurant are way too loud when talking to each other, and some of them even give out bad unwelcoming and nonchalant attitude/vibe to their customers. It is like they feel that they're doing us, their clients, a favour by serving us. Not good enough for a hotel of this standard, abd some of those staff need to be retrained. Overall, we enjoyed our stay at The Westin and we will definitely come back there when next we visit Cape Town.

We booked the same room again on the 25th. Then we requested to check out at 1pm. We didn’t hear anything from no one. This morning at 10am there was knocking on our door. The lady said its time to check out. I said mo cause we requested to check out at 1pm. She went ahead and said there are extra fees and she will ask the front desk. 5min later knocked again on the door. Says no we cant stay and have to check out at 11am(note this was at 10:20am) when she told me, I went ahead and told her this is on them and we requested to leave later. She left, next minute, a man came back. All arrogant. Told me why didn’t I pack up my bags the previous night. Also said that if I dont leave cleaners will come. I said its okah they can come but I might still be busy packing up. He said if thats the case they can help me put my stuff outside. I told him I dont like the tone he is using and being aggressive. He said hr not aggressive but he definitely was and threatened me with security that will escort me out. He left and came back(note I was in my towel) he said he left me in my towel and I am still the same( note I took a shower, busy packing up stuff in the room as we came from abroad and had a lot of baggage) he said he is calling security. Then my husband came out of the room and told him why he using that tone with me and he been listening to him the whole time! This man immediately changed his whole tune when he saw my husband. So inappropriate! And disrespectful! Will definitely will not be staying here again.

This is not my first time visiting this place but this time I don’t want to lie I was very disappointed. I got charged 200 rand cause my pillow had oil(hair oil) I have braids on and additional to that they said there was blood on the sheets which was so weird cause I did not bleed Mind you this blood was only mentions after I told them that I will come back tomorrow cause paying 200 Rand for small smudges of oil on the pillow cash didn’t make sense then the receptionist went on to say we saw blood Then they said there was food sauces as well ..I mean I’m staying there and I was here for 2 nights ain’t no way am I going to leave the place spotless But the receptionist was just being rude which was unnecessary Like I said this wasn’t the first time coming here I always come and never have I ever gone through this even after staying for more days with friends I just think it’s drama to charge me for oil on my pillow cause I slept on it it’s bound to happen a