FIVE STAR LUXURY AT CAPE GRACE HOTEL, CAPE TOWN

Standing on the marina at the V&A Waterfront, overlooking Signal Hill and Table Mountain, the five-star Cape Grace has one of the best locations of any hotel in Cape Town.  On a sunny day you can see both mountains clearly, and gaze out over the water’s edge to the nature beyond.

Designed in the style of a luxury ship docked in the bay, the hotel has a modern seafaring theme, with nautical paintings, striped wallpaper, old maps, chandeliers and hand-painted fabrics.  But the thing you notice most is the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.  Staff greet you with a warm “welcome home” whenever you return from sightseeing, and everyone is always happy and smiling.

Guest rooms are plush, comfortable and homely and either face the mountain or the docks behind.  The hotel also contains one of the most important and comprehensive private collections of antique furniture and artefacts from the Cape.

Downstairs is the Library bar, where you can enjoy complimentary port wine and sherry between 6-11pm (nice touch), Signal restaurant, which has a fine-dining menu, and, below-deck, the Bascule bar.  If you’re a whisky fan, you’ll be in heaven her,e as Bascule boasts one of the biggest whisky collections in the Southern Hemisphere.  Otherwise, the bar is a great place to come for cocktails and tapas, either in summer when you can sit outside on the marina’s edge, or in winter when the fire is lit.

The 4th-floor spa isn’t large, but it makes use of the space well, and does have amazing views.  Among the range of treatments and massages, I can recommend the Rolling Sands massage, which uses scented Kalahari oils and will have you walking on air.

One of the benefits of staying at the Cape Grace is that the waterfront is a very safe area in which to walk around, even in the evenings.  The food market does excellent curries, juices, burgers and ice cream, and the Watershed sells locally made handicrafts, jewellery and clothes from local labels such as Mungo & Jemima and Pichulik.  Or you can find more high-street names in the Victoria Wharf mall.

If you do wish to sight see (and you absolutely must), the hotel offers a complimentary luxury chauffeur transfer service within a 10km radius – a real bonus.

And don’t leave without visiting the soon-to-be-opened Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA), set to be one of the biggest modern art galleries in Africa, and taking a spin on the Cape Wheel. The views from up there are spectacular.

Room rates start at 7945 ZAR Euro 550 (U$ 590) (£460) for a double room, inclusive of full English breakfast and tax, exclusive of Tourism Levy.

 Rates & Rooms for the Cape Grace Hotel, Cape Town

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The Silo hotel is finally opening in Cape Town

Opened on the 1st march in a repurposed grain elevator in Cape Town, the Silo (the latest brainchild of the Royal Portfolio) pays homage to South Africa’s agrarian roots.

Formerly the tallest building in sub-Saharan Africa, the grain silo’s elevator facility has been converted into a luxurious boutique hotel. Perched above the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, the building was updated by designer Thomas Heatherwick of London-based Heatherwick Studio, who was tasked with transforming the tower while also maintaining its status as a cultural landmark.  

Heatherwick overhauled the original edifice with bulging glass bubbles that protrude from the rooms, creating the illusion of lanterns in the harbor at night. Functioning as eye-catching art pieces, the floor-to-ceiling glass spheres offer panoramic views of the city. The double-height main lobby showcases a whimsical chandelier silhouetted against the original grain hoppers—an effortless marriage of old and new.

The posh property features 28 well-appointed rooms, including a 2,012-square-foot (187sqm) penthouse suite with a sizable balcony. Designed and decorated by hotelier Liz Biden, the rooms fuse handmade crystal chandeliers, deep soaking tubs, playful colors, curated art pieces, and full-height window bays to create spaces that are both lavish and livable. An array of over-the-top amenities await just outside the rooms.

The Granary Café and the Willaston Bar (located on the sixth floor and managed by executive chef Veronica Canha-Hibbert) greet guests with flavorful fare and craft cocktails. The Vault, a private art gallery located in the basement, displays a biannual rotation of works from emerging and established African artists. A sumptuous spa showcases five treatment rooms and a sauna, and a rooftop pool overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and Table Mountain. A trip to South Africa would not be complete without a wine tasting, and the rooftop bar is the ultimate place to sip varietals and admire a bird’s-eye view of the Mother City.

The haute hotel (starting at around $1,400 /Euro 1320 per night) is the perfect home base for those who want to explore Cape Town’s most iconic destinations, from Lion’s Head to Robben Island. The reimagined grain complex will also house the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA), a non-profit contemporary art museum that is scheduled to open in September. Established as a joint partnership between Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and art aficionado Jochen Zeitz (whose pieces form the initial bulk of the display), the museum will house the world’s largest collection of contemporary African art.

By Naj Ryklief

Rooms & Rates for The Silo

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The Marly, Cape Town, South Africa

The Marly, 11-suite, five-star boutique hotel in Camps Bay, Cape Town, takes its name from Chateau de Marly, built in the 17th Century for the leisure activities of Louis XIV and his family, says it all.

It’s a real five-star showpiece with a contemporary beach ambience. Elaborate mirrors of varying shapes and sizes reflect the uninterrupted ocean and mountain views. It is Camps Bay luxury accommodation at its finest.

Camps Bay, under the Twelve Apostles mountain range, is a chic suburb on the trendy Atlantic Seaboard. Sidewalk cafes, bars and a casual, relaxed atmosphere make this spot a beachcomber’s paradise; while the sparkling nightlife attracts the young and the young at heart. It’s a mere seven minutes from the centre of Cape Town, one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

Camps Bay gives its name to one of the city’s largest and most picturesque beaches.

By Naj Ryklief

Rooms & rates for The Marli

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AB De Villiers hits fastest ODI 150 in South Africa - ICC World Cup 2015

AB De Villiers took 64 balls to achieve 150, beating the past best, set by Australia's Shane Watson, by 19 balls. He scored unbeaten 162 off 66 balls, setting 408-5 on board for South Africa, the second-highest total in World Cups.

Imran Tahir took 5-45 as West Indies were 151 all-out  with heaviest World Cup defeat by runs.

Just a month ago, De Villiers hit the fastest-ever ODI hundred against the West Indies in Johannesburg, from 31 balls.

In that same innings, South Africa's caption likewise set the record for the fastest fifty in ODIs, from 16 balls.

The Proteas made a lazy begin and were 87-1 after 20 overs, before De Villiers went to the wrinkle in the 30th over with his side 146-3.

De Villiers put on 134 with Rilee Rossouw (61 from 39) and South Africa scored 222 from the last 15 overs, with De Villiers' 73 from the last five an alternate ODI record.

West Indies skipper Jason Holder's last two overs strove for 64 runs, with one over striving for 34. De Villiers completed with 17 fours and eight sixes, more than he had spot balls.

South Africa's aggregate was the most elevated by any group in Australia and just India's 413-5 against Bermuda at Port of Spain in 2007 (which additionally completed in a 257-run triumph for India) is higher in World Cups.

Hashim Amla (65) and Faf du Plessis (62) likewise made fifties for South Africa, while Holder, who yielded only nine runs in his initial five overs, completed with figures of 1-104 off 10, the most lavish in World Cup history.

West Indies opener Chris Gayle, who scored the first 200 in World Cups against Zimbabwe on Tuesday, scored just three preceding he was rocked the bowling alley by Kyle Abbott.