Ever wondered how you could experience 5-star luxury without committing to the hefty price tag? The answer is actually quite simple: look beyond the room.
One&Only Cape Town / Axxter99 / Wikimedia Commons
While booking into a 5-star hotel is deeply appealing to the glamorous version of you, your experience doesn’t have to be confined to the accommodation.
Some of the Western Cape’s most luxurious hotels and estates have experiences that can be enjoyed without booking a night. You could sit down for afternoon tea at an old Cape Town institution, order a cocktail overlooking the Atlantic, spend a few hours being pampered at a city spa or settle in for a long lunch among the Winelands.
It’s a surprisingly frugal way to experience luxury. You get to choose the part you want and leave the overnight commitment behind. Here are seven five-star hotel experiences worth making a day of. After all, who doesn’t love a little bit of luxury?
1. Have afternoon tea at Mount Nelson
The iconic Mount Nelson has been serving afternoon tea since 1989, making this one of those Cape Town rituals that has outlived plenty of trends.
The setting is the Lounge, where afternoon tea is served with live piano music, with the hotel’s iconic pink walls providing the backdrop. There are cakes, pastries and savoury treats, but the tea is arguably the star of the show.
The current menu includes more than 60 loose-leaf and flowering teas from around the world, as well as local infusions including rooibos, buchu and honeybush. Craig Cupido, South Africa’s first professionally trained tea sommelier, is available to guide guests through the selection. Mount Nelson’s afternoon tea is currently R650 per adult and R350 for children under 12.
You don’t need to stay at the Nellie to take part. You simply need to book a table, arrive in your best dress and accept that afternoon tea at the Mount Nelson is one of the few occasions when eating cake before dinner feels generously encouraged.
2. Have a drink at The Leopard Bar at The Twelve Apostles
For a drink with a view, it’s hard to challenge the backdrop at the 12 Apostles Hotel & Spa. The Leopard Bar sits above the Atlantic, with an open-air terrace designed for exactly the sort of afternoon that starts with one drink and somehow becomes dinner.
The hotel’s signature sundowner experience is probably about as Cape Town as it gets. Order one of the bar’s cocktails and watch the sun drop towards the Atlantic, turning the sky pink and orange while the mountains rise behind you. The bar also serves South African wines, craft beers, whisky, cognac and port, with live music adding to the indulgent atmosphere.
If you’d like to throw in just a little bit more “wow” to the experience, then you should try to visit between July and December. The hotel says whales are frequently spotted from the property during this period, with southern right whale sightings particularly common around August and November.
The Leopard Bar is open daily, with alcohol served from 11h00. Of course, you could book a room upstairs. But honestly, when the sun is setting over the Atlantic, a table on the terrace might just be all you need.
3. Book a spa day at One&Only Cape Town
The One&Only Cape Town spa is designed as a destination in its own right, with treatments inspired by South Africa and the natural landscape around Cape Town.
The treatment menu includes the Table Mountain Tonic, which combines a full-body exfoliation with a warm poultice massage, and the African Journey, which uses a rooibos and rock-salt scrub, an African Rungu Stick massage and a tea ceremony. The Essence of One&Only Cape Town includes sea-salt and oil exfoliation, a heated kelp wrap, scalp and face massage and a full-body massage.
A spa experience appeals to every kind of visitor: the deep relaxation, the fluffy white robes and the peaceful serenity that has become increasingly valuable in our current world. Throw in the 5-star luxury factor and the experience takes on a whole new character.
And let’s face it, you might just leave the One&Only feeling superbly 5-star yourself.
4. Go wine tasting at Lanzerac
The historic estate dates back to 1692 and today combines a five-star country hotel with vineyards, restaurants, a tasting room and spa. The estate itself describes Lanzerac as a drawcard for both hotel guests and day visitors.
For a taste of the estate without booking a room, head to the Lanzerac Tasting Room & Deli. There are several tasting options. The Jonkershoek Tasting allows you to choose five wines from the Jonkershoek range and is currently R120. There is also a five-wine wine and chocolate pairing for R225, while the Heritage Tasting includes three flagship wines and is currently R280.
The tasting can be enjoyed in the Tasting Room & Deli or on the veranda overlooking the vineyards. Alternatively, you could also book a daily cellar tour with one of Lanzerac’s Wine Advisors.
It’s an easier commitment than booking an entire Winelands weekend. Come for the wine, take in the Jonkershoek Valley and go home once you’ve had your fill.
5. Have a five-star dinner at La Petite Colombe
The restaurant brings the La Colombe experience into the Franschhoek valley, with multi-course lunches and dinners built around intricate presentation, seasonal ingredients and a generous amount of theatre. The restaurant describes the experience as one of service, culinary excellence, whimsy and drama.
La Petite Colombe explicitly accepts bookings from both resident and non-resident guests, although booking is essential. Lunch is served from Monday to Sunday, with dinner also available daily. Children under eight are not permitted due to the nature of the fine-dining experience.
Don’t treat this as a quick meal between wine farms. It’s the sort of dining experience where you surrender a few hours and let someone else decide what happens next.
6. Have lunch at Delaire Graff Restaurant
There are Winelands lunches, and then there are lunches where the view becomes part of the meal. At Delaire Graff Restaurant, the backdrop is the Simonsberg mountainside, with panoramic views stretching across vineyards and olive groves towards the Banghoek Valley.
The restaurant’s approach is seasonal, with creative bistro classics given a South African flair. The estate says its chefs focus on sustainably grown seasonal produce sourced from farms and suppliers that embrace biodynamic practices. Lunch is served daily, and the terrace is available for alfresco dining when weather permits.
Delaire Graff’s art collection runs through the estate, including pieces by prominent South African artists, so lunch can easily become part of a longer afternoon exploring the property.
And the best part is, you don’t need a suite to do it. The restaurant accepts reservations for lunch, making this one of the simplest ways to experience the estate.
7. Have breakfast at Bistro Sixteen82 at Steenberg
At Bistro Sixteen82 at Steenberg Hotel & Spa, breakfast is served on the working Steenberg wine farm, with views across the gardens and towards the mountain.
The restaurant is open for breakfast from 09h00 to 11h00 daily. Its menu is built around fresh, seasonal and local flavours, with dishes including eggs Benedict and warm brioche bambaloni.
There is also a dedicated Vintner’s Breakfast listed by the restaurant, making it an easy choice for a slower weekend morning when coffee and cereal at home feels decidedly unappealing.
This experience also gives you the feeling that you have made an occasion of the first meal of the day. And that might be the simplest form of luxury there is.
Your 5-star experience doesn’t require a booked room
The idea of five-star hotel experiences can sometimes make luxury feel like an all-or-nothing purchase. And quite frankly, a bit out of reach to most common folk. But the Western Cape has another option.
None of these experiences requires you to hand over a room key at the end.
And perhaps that is what makes them appealing. You get to choose the part of the five-star experience you actually want. There is luxury in freedom, too. In choosing the experience you want, making an occasion of it and going home afterwards.
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