Cape Town has no shortage of hotels. Slick ones. Historic ones. Ones with spas, sea views, or beds you’ll seriously consider shipping home. And clearly, we’re not the only ones paying attention – Travel + Leisure’s latest “World’s Best Awards” saw luxury hotels in Cape Town sweep the top spots. Four of the top five? You’ll find them on our list too. Because when it comes to places that feel personal, intentional, and anything but mass-produced, we’re unapologetically picky.
Cape Town mornings served with a side of elevation, Image Credit: Belmond Mount Nelson
1. Ellerman House
Ranked No. 2 in the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2025, Ellerman House overlooks Bantry Bay from a private terraced estate, with Atlantic views that stop conversations mid-sentence. The art collection spans heavyweight names and South African legends, and the wine gallery – part cellar, part installation – is a destination in itself. Service is polished, the pace is unhurried, and the entire experience feels immaculately composed.
What Makes It Special
One of Cape Town's most prestigious hotels with panoramic ocean views, a contemporary South African art collection that rivals national museums, and a granite-hewn wine gallery designed to age bottles and blow minds.
Perfect For
Art collectors, wine nerds, and anyone whose idea of indulgence includes space, silence, and serious detail.
Views designed to hush even the most talkative guest, Image Credit: Ellerman House
2. One&Only Cape Town
Ranked No. 3 in the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2025, One&Only Cape Town is where the city does scale – and somehow still gets detail down to perfection. Think private-island spa, soaring ceilings, and oversized suites with Table Mountain framed just so. Nobu restaurant is here (yes, that Nobu), and Ochre serves contemporary South African cuisine that’s thoughtful, well-executed, and far from forgettable – let's just say skipping them would be a rookie mistake.
What Makes It Special
The only urban resort of its kind in the realm of luxury hotels in Cape Town, with rooms starting at 63m², an award-winning spa, and two standout restaurants that make booking a table feel as essential as booking a room.
Perfect For
Travellers who like the volume turned up: bold design, standout food, full-service everything, and absolutely no need to leave the property if you don’t feel like it.
Bold, sprawling, and unapologetically Cape Town luxe, Image Credit: One&Only
3. Camissa House
Camissa House is the kind of place that makes you wonder why you ever bothered with “just fine” hotels. Tucked beneath Table Mountain, it offers an intimate, design-led experience that somehow feels both deeply personal and effortlessly cool. Some suites have the coveted city, ocean and mountain views; others lean into lush garden calm. Either way, it’s the kind of space that makes you take deeper breaths.
What Makes It Special
A boutique sanctuary when it comes to luxury hotels in Cape Town with slick interiors, standout views (from many corners), and a team that nails the line between attentive and invisible.
Perfect For
Guests who like their space intimate, their views considered, and their bubbles chilled and continuously refilled.
Cape Town luxury, redefined at the foot of giants, Image Credit: Camissa House
4. Mount Nelson Hotel
The pink façade is the first sign you’re somewhere with a sense of occasion. Mount Nelson Hotel has been hosting royals, revolutionaries, and regulars since 1899 – and it still runs like clockwork. The gardens are expansive, the rooms are generously sized (a rarity these days), and the staff operate with the kind of finesse that comes from decades of getting it right. It's no wonder it's ranked No. 4 in the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2025.
What Makes It Special
An original grande dame that still delivers. Think sprawling gardens, well-trained staff, historic gravitas, and a sense of ease that newer luxury hotels in Cape Town can’t manufacture.
Perfect For
Travellers who appreciate a bit of theatre, exceptional service, and waking up somewhere that’s actually earned its reputation.
Grande dame glamour with a dash of retro cool, Image Credit: Belmond Mount Nelson
5. Cape Grace
Ranked No. 5 in the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2025, Cape Grace has always felt like Cape Town’s old-money matriarch – dignified, polished, and fully aware that she doesn’t need to shout to impress you. After its recent makeover, it’s somehow even more refined. The location? Steps from the V&A Waterfront. The service? Practically psychic. And the whisky bar? Well, let’s just say I’ve lingered there longer than intended.
What Makes It Special
It’s the grand dame of the V&A – historic charm, crisp modern interiors, waterfront views, and a whisky list that reads like a novel.
Perfect For
Travellers who want a sense of place and polish – and who know the value of a well-poured dram.
Where the Waterfront meets Cape Town’s quiet grandeur, Image Credit: Cape Grace
6. POD Boutique Hotel
POD Boutique Hotel is all clean lines and coastal restraint – a low-rise, grown-up retreat right across from Camps Bay’s curve of sand. It’s the kind of place where the sound of the waves replaces a playlist, and the architecture does most of the talking. Inside, there’s poured concrete, polished wood, and glass that disappears when the light hits it just right. With just a handful of rooms, service feels immediate but never intrusive. It’s cool, but not cold – and that balance is harder to pull off than it looks.
What Makes It Special
Low-slung and unbothered, POD sits just above the beachline with sea views that steal focus, minimalist interiors that stay timeless, and just enough rooms to feel personal without being precious.
Perfect For
Design purists, honeymooners, and anyone who’d rather watch the sunset from a lounger than over a bar tab.
Sundowners taste better with Camps Bay on the horizon, Image Credit: POD Camps Bay
7. The Silo Hotel
Carved into a 1920s grain silo above the Zeitz MOCAA, The Silo Hotel is a structural showstopper with pillowed glass windows and interiors that feel more Rothko than restrained – bold, expressive, and perfectly curated. Inside, you’ll find art everywhere and floor-to-ceiling windows that turn the Atlantic, harbour, or Table Mountain into part of the décor. The rooftop? Reserved for guests, with a cantilevered pool and the kind of views architects dream about.
What Makes It Special
A masterclass in industrial reinvention, this standout among luxury hotels in Cape Town features six-metre-high windows, museum-worthy art, and the city's finest rooftop views.
Perfect For
Think milestone birthdays, high-fashion honeymoons, or anyone who wants the skyline with a side of spectacle.
Art, architecture, and Cape Town all in one view, Image Credit: The Silo Hotel
8. Tintswalo Atlantic
If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to live inside a nature documentary – but with underfloor heating and a wine pairing – this is it. Clinging to the rocks below Chapman’s Peak Drive, Tintswalo Atlantic is one of those rare places that actually earns the adjective “dramatic”. Sea spray hits the deck. The smell of fynbos drifts through your window. And the sound of the waves? Well... let's just say they'll lull you asleep.
What Makes It Special
Built into boulders on the ocean’s edge with only a handful of suites, no street noise, and water so close it feels like a private soundtrack. There’s a fireplace in every room and binoculars on the bedside table – you’ll likely use both.
Perfect For
People who want the full cinematic, sea-thrashed, no-one-can-find-you-here escape, without having to leave Cape Town.
Suspended between sea, sky, and solitude, Image Credit: Tintswalo Atlantic
9. Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa
Some luxury hotels in Cape Town have a view. This one’s practically built in it. The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa is what happens when someone builds a hotel in a spot nobody else was bold enough to try. Hemmed in by cliffs and sea spray, the Twelve Apostles feels like a coastal outpost masquerading as a luxury spa. It’s a little grand, a little nostalgic, and prone to spectacular late-afternoon light. You’re close enough to dip into Cape Town – and far enough to pretend you’re not.
What Makes It Special
A spa with panoramic ocean views, outdoor jacuzzis built into the rocks, and one of the best sunset-watching decks in the city.
Perfect For
Spa days, sunset rituals, and anyone wanting to do Cape Town’s seaboard without roughing it.
Where cliffs, sea spray, and indulgence meet uninterrupted, Image Credit: Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa
10. Dock House Boutique Hotel & Spa
Tucked behind the Waterfront’s high-energy sprawl, Dock House feels like it belongs to someone important. Housed in what was once the harbour master’s private residence, this boutique bolthole offers just five rooms and a suite, all surrounded by crisp lawns, shady palms, and a kind of intimacy you rarely find in the city’s busiest postcode. It’s less “design hotel” and more “private club you didn’t know you had access to”.
What Makes It Special
A 19th-century heritage property with just six individually styled rooms, hidden gardens, and access to sister property spa perks – all steps from the Waterfront but blessedly buffered from the foot traffic.
Perfect For
Travellers who want V&A Waterfront convenience without the cruise-ship crowds, and one of those luxury hotels in Cape Town that feels like a local secret someone let slip.
A secret garden retreat in the Waterfront’s backyard, Image Credit: Dock House Boutique Hotel
Choosing the Right Luxury Hotel in Cape Town
Cape Town has no shortage of places to stay. But if you’re after personality, polish, and a location worth casually name-dropping later, these are the luxury hotels in Cape Town that actually deliver.
Still undecided? We have stayed at every property and know the hallways, suites, and views like an elephant knows its trunk. From mountain, ocean, or vineyard views to planning a honeymoon, a family escape with little ones, or a multigenerational trip, with us by your side, choosing the right luxury hotel is effortless. Reach out to our Wilderness Guides to start planning.
