For as long as I can remember driving along Dock Road towards the V&A Waterfront has been a dangerous affair. The roads are immaculate, the markings are all there and the roundabouts suck in and spit out commuters with the ease and efficiency of a German traffic officer. It’s the luxury holiday apartments at the V&A Residential Marina that are the ‘problem’. It’s almost impossible to drive past them without rubbernecking yourself into a wild spasm. Recently however, I was lucky enough to be invited to spend a night in the marina at one of Mantis Collections‘ finest urban escapes, Lawhill Luxury Apartments, to finally see how the other half lives … or ‘free neck surgery’ as I like to call it.
I arrived with my girlfriend early on a Friday afternoon and checked into one of Lawhill’s two-bedroom apartments. While I only had one night (a lesson learned in proper planning), I made the most of it and invited a few friends around for sundowners in what they understood telephonically to be ‘my new spot at the Waterfont.’ Alright, so I like to embellish a little.
We took in the last light and braved the incoming cold on the balcony, had a few drinks while spotting V&A landmarks from across the marina, before heading inside to relax in the spacious lounge and take advantage of some self-catering luxury.
To say the apartments at Lawhill are fully equipped is an understatement. The open-plan lounge sports some of the most comfortable couches I’ve ever had the pleasure of sprawling out on, with myriad cushions peppering the living space like little bundles of squishy joy. With DStv, a DVD player, a Hi-Fi system and wireless internet it was only a matter of time before we were 12 windows deep in the YouTube, listening to music and watching sport at the same time – a trifecta of cold-weather goodness for any self respecting member of the permanently distracted generation.
The ultra-modern kitchen unfortunately didn’t get a lot of attention from me. I avoid cooking at the best of times, but with a classy oven and microwave unit, a touch-pad stove, toaster, stealth fridge (it’s in one of the built-in cupboards) and a seemingly infinite amount of utensils, I imagine gourmet cooking is just one capable chef away. I only went as far as using the fridge to keep some beers cold and the oven to warm up a half-eaten Subway sandwich. There’s also a dishwasher, washing machine and dryer – great for managing the sauciness of said sandwich.
King-sized bed. Thread count through the roof. Underfloor heating. DStv in the bedroom. I felt as if Lawhill had personalised a check list purely for my own comfort. Of course, my check list is probably the same as most, and being in the business of luxury the team at Mantis obviously knows what the luxury seeker wants. Still, I ‘purposefully’ left all my clothes on the floor so that they’d be nice and crispy in the morning, just as I imagine the staff at Lawhill knew I would.
Getting out of bed is neither my nor my girlfriend’s strong point. Wrapped in killer cotton in a warm room with a view out onto the marina made it near impossible. So we lay there dreaming up scenarios in which we could wrangle another night of luxury. We settled briefly on a scheme involving double rigor mortis, bubble bath and some hair gel before remembering that Lawhill offers guests discounted buffet breakfast vouchers at One&Only Cape Town just across the way – incentive enough for anyone, methinks.
While one night is all it takes to get accustomed to a life of luxury, it’s not nearly enough to explore all the extras on offer. For instance, Lawhill boasts a top-notch concierge service that will arrange various day tours for attractions such as Robben Island, Table Mountain, shark cage diving and a variety of wineland and township tours to name a few. Guests can request car hire, restaurant reservations, discounted spa and wellness treatments at One&Only Cape Town as well as a variety of other breakfast options and even a personalised chef.
Rates
Lawhill has a total of 30 apartments altogether including one-bedroom, two-bedroom, three-bedroom as well as penthouse apartments. Rates start from R2 500 a night for a two-bedroom apartment, but vary depending on the season. Visit www.lawhillluxuryapartments.com for more details and seasonal rates on all their apartments.
Contact
Tel 021-418-2138, fax 021-418-2145, email [email protected], www.lawhillluxuryapartments.com
To see more luxury accommodation options from Mantis Collection, visit their website: www.mantiscollection.com
