The Westin Cape Town

“An all round excellent 5 star hotel!”

Some say that the Westin Cape Town is a generic-looking 5-star hotel that can be found anywhere & everywhere in the world. And also that it sits in an awkward position in town, neither here nor there, next to the highway, and that it is not a very picturesque 15-minute walk to the V & A Waterfront.… more

Some say that the Westin Cape Town is a generic-looking 5-star hotel that can be found anywhere & everywhere in the world. And also that it sits in an awkward position in town, neither here nor there, next to the highway, and that it is not a very picturesque 15-minute walk to the V & A Waterfront. All of the above are true to some extent. But look past & beyond this, we felt that we had an excellent 4-night stay here after a few days of safari in Sabi Sand. 5 stars all around, from the rooms, to breakfast, service, executive lounge on the top floor, cleanliness, and decor. The rooms are large and more importantly, quietly luxurious & classy. I chose this over many other top-notch hotels either at the waterfront or in Constantia. Many of these in Cape Town are decorated in a 'country style' look. Think Mount Nelson, Table Bay, Cellars Hohenort....all 5-star hotels, but we prefer the more sleek, clean, and modern lines that is the Westin. We were upgraded from the Deluxe room, which is already very spacious, to a Grand Deluxe Family room. As a result, we had a generous sitting area and a walk-in closet, which we appreciated very much! Though it was technically a mountain view room, in reality, it was more of a 'Table Mountain hiding behind a tall building view'. No matter, because we spent all our time outdoors anyway, where the mountains are always in full view anywhere we went. If there were two minor points with the room, to an otherwise perfectly appointed one, it was firstly the shower door. It opens out but there is just no way one can place the bath mat in front of the door because opening it will push the mat away. There was no other area to put it either because the toilet door is right next to the shower. If they were to cut the door higher, this would immediately solve the problem. Secondly, the lighting (which was beautifully thought out in all other areas of the room) in the dressing table area was totally inadequate for one to actually see properly in the mirror. We had breakfast in both the restaurant downstairs and the executive lounge on the top floor. Both excellent, with the executive lounge having an option of cook to order in addition to the buffet. We also used the lounge for some snacks and drinks in the early evening, and even managed to have a light dinner there on our last evening. The lounge afforded a 270 degree view of the waterfront, town and table mountain, so we were able to appreciate sun set there as well. Location - as I mentioned, it is not 'right by the waterfront' nor 'right in town'. A quick and affordable 10-minute Uber ride will bring you to quite a few typical tourist places. We rented a car, so that probably tipped our decision to stay here. Besides, how many a time would one want to visit the waterfront, since many of the attractions are spread all over - Constantia, Cape Peninsula, Hout Bay, all these destinations will require some form of transport out of town. So, we really didn't feel the need to be based right at the waterfront at all. So, if like us, these two points are not a priority during your visit here, I would say that the Westin is one of the best choices in Cape Town, made more worthy by its leaning towards upper mid-range rates compared to the higher ones of Mount Nelson, Cape Grace, and gosh, the Silo Hotel! We couldn't be more happy with our choice!

less