Dear Selwyn
 

Can you please recommend some hotels in Cape Town. I've e-mailed Cape Cadogan for rates and availability and would appreciate a few more recommendations in case I can't afford Cape Cadogan or it is not available. Thank you.

cjstobbs,

Not sure of what your budget is but if you speak of affordability levels and you suspect a potential Cape Codogan rates problem then I would NOT recommend that you reside in a hotel in Cape Town. On the strength of the above statement I would strongly recommend that you rather look at staying at a guesthouse which btw is what I generally recommend to visitors to our city. Besides the abovesaid rates predicament I ALWAYS recommend that my visitors stay in guesthouses and not hotels. I do this because owners of South African guesthouses are generally marvelous hosts. The ones that I use as a tour guide definitely are as such. Bear in mind that guesthouses represent excellent accommodation that is much more personalized at MUCH better rates than hotels. Guesthouses are marvelous
venues to stay in and their rate also includes a fantastic breakfast. At
most guesthouses you enjoy this meal in the wonderful, friendly breakfast
room. When you are in a guesthouse you have total freedom of movement.. It
is a wonderful free and easy style of holidaying. What also is most
important is that because of the size of the guesthouse you will NOT be in
amongst the hordes of tourists as you might only have a couple of other
guests at the guesthouse while you are there. Thus you get great
accommodation, personalised attention as well as wonderful value in a very
safe place to stay when you reside in guesthouses and that is why I
recommend them so highly.

Please see my below suggesting in terms of Cape Town accommodation.

Craigrownie Guesthouse
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http://www.craigrowniehse.co.za/

Wonderful venue. 50 yards from the seafront. Well appointed. Friendly staff. Near the sea. Reasonably close to all. Away from all the action yet close to it. A new facility at the guesthouse is a free broadband internet connection. More pricey than the other guesthouses that I have recommended in this letter however a classy place o stay well worth spending the extra monies on.


Avanti.
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www.avanti.co.za

Tried and tested ranking amongst the best value for money in Cape Town. Also 50 yards from the seafront. HIGHLY recommended and still one of my all time favourites.


Olafs Guesthouse
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http://www.ctaa.co.za/olaf.asp

Very friendly staff. Spotless guesthouse. Very close to where it is "all happening" (-:) . Fantastic breakfast.


Village and Life - De Waterkant
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http://www.villageandlife.com/dewate...ommodation.asp

Fantastic self catering serviced cottages. Very quaint and well maintained. Right in the middle of where it is all happening near the city centre as well the Waterfront. Close to many great little coffee houses and restaurants where you can have your morning breakfast seeing that these venues are self catering places of stay.
Lots of places inclusive of the city that are all within walking distance of these wonderful little houses.

If you are prepared to self cater Village and Life definitely is the way to go.

Btw self catering means that your rooms can be serviced daily however you will have to make your own breakfast hence the suggestion of the coffee shops.

Cjstobbs if the above ideas do not suit your style then give me an idea of your budget as well as needs and I will then recommend other establishments to you.

Hope the above helps.

Very proudly part of the wonderful ((r)) nation of South Africa

Thank you so much. It was hard to tell what the Cape Cadogan rates would be as they went from a reasonable price up to R1500. I have not got a quote yet. I will look into your other recommendations. Again, thank you.

We stayed at the Avanti and really liked it. The people that run it are wonderful! :)

We would like to spend 3-4 days in Cape Town. Knowing nothing of the neighborhoods, would you recommend staying in the city center or the Atlantic seaboard? We will have a car, but would prefer to not drive to dinner so we can better enjoy what I'm sure will be excellent wine. :-)

LinJudy,

No matter where you stay I would not recommend that you walk to your places of dining. If you want to enjoy our great wines then my suggestion would be that you taxi back and forth to the various restaurants that you will visit.

The Atlantic Seaboard vs the city centre is a tough one as it totally dependant on your likes and dislikes. The Atlantic seaboard offers a close to the sea accomodation function while the city centre a close to the city function. Both areas offer great dining places. Everything depends on what you intend enjoying in Cape Town most of all with your choice being the sea or the city. The decison remains yours to make.

Hope this all helps

Very proudly part of the wonderful ((r)) nation of South Africa