LET THERE BE ROCK
KARIN WRIGHT IS WOWED BY THE TWELVE APOSTLES HOTEL IN CAPE TOWN
WHEN it comes to views, people are happy to pay a premium for an expansive beach vista to admire from their hotel balcony.
But it’s a tough choice to make when the rooms at the back of the hotel look up at the glorious fynboscovered slopes of Table Mountain…
With travel to South Africa back on again, this is a welcome dilemma you’ll face at Cape Town’s magnificent Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, where every room has a fabulous aspect.
The hotel is named after the twelve(ish) rock formations that make up the “backbone” of Table Mountain. It is reached via a quite spectacular drive from the city – the Atlantic surf crashing on one side, the towering apostles on the other. As you come around yet another magnificent sweep of road, there she sits, in splendid isolation, commanding that uninterrupted 360-degree view which can include frolicking whales
at this time of year.
THE STYLE
The 70 sumptuous rooms and suites are crammed with art and artefacts, chunky sofas, pillowy beds, towels that wrap all the way round, proper coffee, and gilt-edged mirrors that reflect the beauty back and forth
(and off the ceiling!). The decor is a beautiful mix of international chic and wonderful South African art.
THE FOOD
There are several options on the food and beverage front. Breakfast on the Azure Restaurant’s (very blue) front terrace is how I would like to start every day, and fine dining inside is how every day should end. I could have made a meal just out of the bread basket. Executive chef Christo likes to use local, seasonal ingredients in dishes such as roast tomato risotto with Saldanha mussels, Cape Malay chicken curry or West Coast oysters. The current tasting menu celebrates all the best the Cape has to offer. Sommelier Gregory sizes you up and makes excellent wine recommendations with good humour and no hint of pretentiousness. In between, there’s the Cafe Grill, which serves some of the best sushi I’ve ever eaten, and sundowners in the eclectic Leopard Bar (did I mention the hotel was on the sunset side of the coast?!). If you have room, there’s also afternoon tea in the Conservatory.
The hotel has recently introduced the Apostles Braai – where a humble South African barbecue is elevated to a high-class feast, complete with chandeliers and twinkling lights strung throughout the gorgeous gardens. All washed down with world-class wines from the hotel’s sister estate, Bouchard Finlayson. Value awaits – for example, Azure starters begin at around £6 and mains £8.70.
THE ACTIVITIES
The ridiculously fancy spa is the place to unwind and get pampered… and, just in case you haven’t had quite enough of gawping at the scenery, you can have a massage in one of the “mountainside spa gazebos”.
Catch a movie in the 16-seater cinema (which hosts fantastic kiddies’ parties, if your child fancies it) or just chill out in an art-stuffed corner with a book.
Float in the garden pool while you take in the surf, or wallow in the rock pool with a cocktail watching the mountain change colour as the light shifts. If you’re feeling energetic, there are paths winding through the sugarbushes behind the hotel… you can even arrange to have a luxury picnic at sites dotted about the slopes.
Stanley’s Rock, named after the hotel group’s president who died recently at 91, is a popular spot for champers and romance.
The hotel – part of the wonderful family-run Red Carnation Hotels group – is also socially conscious. It supports local charities, is big on water conservation (after Cape Town’s devastating drought in 2018), and it is committed to reducing its food waste and the use of plastic.
A 20-minute shuttle ride will take you into the Mother City (Cape Town) and the buzzing V&A Waterfront, or head to the popular beach at Camps Bay. Just make sure you’re
back in time for a sunset G&T in the Leopard Bar...