One&Only Cape Town

Cape Town is one of the most dramatically sited cities anywhere, and this resort makes the most of it: a low, contemporary spread of buildings around a private marina, with Table Mountain looming so close it feels theatrical. The best rooms look straight at it, so accept nothing less.

There's a real sense of place here, from the Cape wine cellar to the local artwork, and the location puts you a short stroll from the V&A Waterfront's restaurants and the boats out to Robben Island.

Waterfront convenience, resort scale

The V&A Waterfront is Cape Town's most frictionless visitor base: restaurants, shops, the Zeitz MOCAA precinct and Robben Island ferries are close, while secure public spaces remain lively after dark. It is also a managed district rather than a neighbourhood that reveals the city's full complexity. One&Only uses canals, gardens and a large pool to soften that commercial setting, creating a resort inside an urban itinerary.

The Marina Rise holds the grand lobby and Table Mountain-facing rooms; low Island accommodation sits around waterways closer to the spa and pool. The latter feels calmer and more residential, while the former delivers the hotel's defining mountain composition. Families should value proximity to facilities; first-time visitors may find the big view worth the busier building.

Rooms made for a longer city stay

The hotel claims some of Cape Town's largest rooms and suites, and the generosity is useful rather than merely impressive. Dressing areas, proper bathrooms and balconies make four or five nights comfortable, especially when weather rearranges plans. Mountain views depend on cloud as much as category; a clear morning should never be postponed because Table Mountain can disappear by lunch.

The resort was comprehensively refreshed in the early 2020s, bringing African art and warmer materials into spaces once defined by generic international luxury. It remains polished and large-scale rather than intimate. Travellers looking for the city's sharper design culture should visit galleries and independent restaurants, using the room as a highly capable retreat.

ROOI, Isola and the island spa

ROOI centres South African ingredients around fire, with meat, game and vegetables carrying the menu's sense of place. Isola handles poolside Mediterranean-leaning lunches; Vista Bar frames Table Mountain for tea and cocktails. The Wine Loft can deepen an evening, but Cape Town's restaurant scene is too good for full-board habits. Reserve outside tables as carefully as those inside the hotel.

The spa occupies its own island and supplies an unusually complete pause between mountain, winelands and city days. This is One&Only's strongest argument: not that it replaces Cape Town, but that it makes an ambitious Cape Town itinerary recoverable. Guests wanting nightlife at the door or a small-house atmosphere should choose differently; families and first-time visitors will appreciate the operational ease.

A city resort, with city-resort trade-offs

The marina position places the V&A Waterfront at the door and makes family logistics unusually easy: restaurants, boats, aquarium and shopping require little negotiation. It is less atmospheric than sleeping in the City Bowl and further from the neighbourhood life of Kloof Street or Bree Street. Road access to the Atlantic beaches is straightforward until Cape Town traffic and wind decide otherwise.

Marina Rise rooms are closest to restaurants and public energy; Island rooms sit around waterways near the spa and feel more residential. ROOI focuses on South African ingredients, Isola handles poolside Mediterranean meals and Vista occupies the lobby beneath Table Mountain views. The island spa and large pool justify the resort label, but wind can cool an otherwise bright day quickly. Pack layers, reserve a mountain-facing room only if the premium survives cloud, and use the concierge to plan around—not against—the weather.

The Verdict

A rare resort that gives you both a great city and a great landscape without making you choose. Use it as a comfortable launch pad for the Cape, with the Winelands and the coast an easy drive away.