Pamo2

Booking a trip to Africa. Will be in Cape Town for several days. Wondering what area is best to stay in. We are tow 50-ish women. Looks like the V&A waterfront is the happening place. There are also hotels out Bantry Bay and further south. Recommendations???

dutyfree

For something reasonable and in a great area I would book the City Lodge by the V and A Waterfront.

christabir

If service is a top priority and your budget is not, the Cape Grace is outstanding. It is the nicest hotel i've ever had the opportunity to stay. The Commodore has been recommended, but I have not been. The Victoria & Alfred is the closest to (in) the waterfront.

The One & Only recently opened and the Mount Nelson gets great reviews.

As to area, are the beaches or nightlife your priority? Once you "do" the waterfront and a city tour, you're done. There's so much to do - Cape of Good Hope, wineries - just outside the city, I don't know if location is that important. I'm sure many will disagree. Don't miss Robben Island.

Pamo2

Thanks for the reply. We were kind of thinking it might be nice to be on the ocean side -- it looks pretty close to the waterfront. I have traveled a lot and have been to a number of city water fronts. They are nice to visit but seem pretty busy and touristy. Is that the case in Cape Town.

christabir

There's a hop/on hop/off bus in CT. It was a good overview of a beautiful city. Cabs are inexpensive, so if you stay at the beaches it's simple enough to cab to anywhere you'd be interested in going. We were there in September so it was not high season, but it was still pretty crowded. Loved it, though. Would love to go back again. FYI - the Cape Grace has a car and driver service that is "free". We used it for Table Mt, Kirstenbosch (sp?) Gardens and dinner in a different part of town. It was very convenient and a nice bonus.

ekscrunchy

Yes, that is the case in Capetown--the V&A waterfront is fun but it is very "busy and touristy."
If you do not want that kind of atmosphere, stay elsewhere. CapeTown is a fantastic city and the standard of accommodation is extremely high.

mkulove

The 'free' car and drive service at Cape Grace may be a tiny bit misleading. Yes there is such a service, but only in the radius of 12 miles and subject to availabiilty. This excludes the airport transfers. So be advised.

Lifeman

We stayed at the Cullinan last year and were very pleased with the hotel. They also have a free shuttle bus that takes you to the V & A about every half hour.