The Winchester Boutique Hotel

Built in the 1920s as an elegant apartment block on the Sea Point seafront, The Winchester Boutique Hotel still enjoys one of the best front-row seats in Cape Town. Palms line the promenade outside, the Atlantic rolls in across the road, and Table Mountain rises behind.

Two whitewashed Cape Dutch-style gables give the hotel its unmistakable face. Inside, black-and-white finishes, ornate ceilings and contemporary décor lead you to the heart of the place. This is a monochrome-tiled courtyard where bougainvillaea tumbles down the colonnaded balconies and a fountain murmurs between the tables. It is the spot for a long, lazy breakfast.

Shoreditch, the hotel’s restaurant, takes its cue from South Africa’s love of cooking over open flames, with shareable small plates and creative mains. Next door, Harvey’s Bar is a local favourite for sundowners on the sea-facing terrace, and the hotel’s laid-back jazz brunches are a much-loved fixture. When you want to slow the pace, enjoy the pool and sun terrace, work up a sweat in the gym and treat yourself at the Sanctuary Spa, which boasts a couples’ treatment room and an outdoor relaxation area.

ACCOMMODATION

Every room plays on the hotel’s position between ocean and mountain. Sea-facing rooms are dressed in custom palm wallpapers that echo the palms along the promenade. Those facing the mountain are wrapped in fynbos murals taken from the original oil paintings of Cape Town artist Hermien van der Merwe. Choose from courtyard-view loft rooms, classic rooms, sea-facing luxury rooms and suites, family suites and balcony suites, the best of them with Atlantic views. All are air-conditioned, with tea and coffee, an electronic safe and en-suite bathrooms stocked with bathrobes and slippers.