Cape Town's Queen Victoria Hotel offers 35 rooms, varying from Deluxe to a lavish Presidential Suite. Photo / Supplied
The Queen Victoria Hotel is one of the best places to stay in Cape Town. Here’s why
Location: At Cape Town’s Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, a harbourside development of shops, restaurants and tourist attractions, with a similar feel to Auckland’s Viaduct or Sydney’s Darling Harbour.
Style: Chintzy Victorian glamour in a small-scale luxury hotel.
Price: From ZAR5170 per night – about NZ$456.
Perfect for: A comfortable base for a few days exploring Cape Town.
First impressions: It was a cold, rainy, windy miserable evening when I arrived to check in, so a welcome drink of creamy hot chocolate was a much-needed pick-me-up. The hotel’s inner atrium is airy and light, with a lobby seating area, grand marble spiral staircase, and glass-walled lift . In keeping with the hotel’s name, its colour palette is royal themed – white, to represent Queen Victoria’s wedding dress (she is credited with popularising brides wearing white); black, to represent the 40 years she wore nothing but that colour in mourning for her husband Price Albert; and purple, itself a royal colour.
A bar at the back of the lobby looked inviting, but I was exhausted after a big day so went straight to my room, accompanied by the front desk duty manager who checked me in. She was very thorough in showing me the room’s features, then left me to relax and enjoy my stay.
Rooms: The hotel has 35 rooms, ranging from Deluxe to Presidential Suite. Walking into my Premium Mountain-Facing room, the first thing I saw was the freestanding bathtub – the open bathroom is just inside the front door, so pop the ‘do not disturb’ sign on before soaking in the tub in case housekeeping pays a visit. The bathroom area leads to a large bedroom space with king bed, desk, minibar, freestanding wardrobe and small balconies on two sides. On a clear day, there’s a great view of Table Mountain, Cape Town’s iconic landmark. A chandelier hangs over the bed from the high stud ceilings, and the full-length silver crushed velvet-style curtains give a modern regal feel.
There’s a wall-mounted TV, but a very limited selection of TV channels and no movies or casting capabilities.
The mini bar was empty, although you can request to have it filled with your favourites (you can’t get a refund on anything you don’t use though, so choose wisely). There’s a kettle for tea and coffee, although the coffee is instant and in sachets. Barista coffee is available in the bar downstairs. There was one USB charging port at the desk, but it was very slow to charge my devices.
Bathroom: As well as the freestanding bath, there’s a large grey-marble walk-in shower room, twin vanities on either side of the room, and toilet hidden away in what looks like a cupboard.
Food and drink: Dash restaurant is named for Queen Victoria’s childhood dog, a King Charles Spaniel that was said to be her favourite pet. It serves an excellent breakfast, with a huge selection of fresh pastries, cereals, cold meats and cheeses, juices and smoothies, as well as a menu of hot options. You can eat lunch and dinner here too, or sit for an evening drink, while a musician tinkles the ivories at the baby grand piano. Queen Victoria guests booking a bed and breakfast rate can also opt to have their breakfast at nearby Ginja Restaurant, another of Newmark’s properties.
Facilities: Guests have access to a swimming pool and gym across the courtyard, at the Dock House, Queen Victoria’s sister hotel, and treatments are available at the Waterfront Sanctuary Spa. Wi-fi is free, but I found it quite slow. Unlike many hotels, the laundry service is incredibly affordable.
In the neighbourhood: Walk across a courtyard and down some steps and you’re at Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, a lively area of shops, bars and restaurants and a full shopping centre with high street brands like Zara, H&M etc, as well as high-end stores like Louis Vuitton. You can book and take tours from here, including getting the ferry to Robben Island or taking a helicopter tour, and the Watershed arts and crafts market is nearby. A TimeOut food market is due to open before the end of the year. You’ll also find the Victoria and Alfred hotel, a sister hotel of the Queen Victoria, and one of the Newmark Group’s 19 total properties in South Africa.
Family friendly: Children of all ages are welcome at the hotel. Interconnecting rooms and cots are available.
Accessibility: The hotel lobby, lounge and restaurant are all located on a single level, easily accessible from the parking bays for people with disabilities outside the hotel’s entrance, and there’s a modified bathroom next to the bar. The Universal Access guest room, on the hotel’s ground floor facing the gardens, is single-level and spacious, allowing for manoeuvrability in a wheelchair. The bathroom features a large, single-level shower and handrails for accessibility.
Sustainability: Keaton Quarmby, Head of Marketing at Newmark Hotels & Reserves, says the brand is “continually trying to add to and improve our sustainability efforts.” Some of the initiatives implemented at the Queen Victoria Hotel, include vegetable boxes and edible flowers grown on the property and used in kitchens and the bar. In the kitchen, they aim for zero waste of food products and use sustainably certified fish. Energy-saving light bulbs are used. Plastic bottles in rooms will soon be replaced with glass. Eighty per cent of staff are local South Africans.
Contact: newmarkhotels.com/accommodation/queen-victoria-hotel
Telegraph: “A bingo card of disappointments.”