Cape Town Hotels - Inspired Living SA

The Westin Cape Town

As much as I love getting away to the coast or the country, there is something equally as magical about a City Escape! I love the idea of being able to step out of the hotel doors, into the hive of activity, which is city living!

We have stayed at quite a few hotels and boutique hotels in the city, which we have loved! The convenience of being able to walk to the nearest pub or restaurant and having the V&A Waterfront on your doorstep, is a definite plus!

Our most recent City Escape was to the Westin Cape Town, which is adjacent to the Cape Town International Convention Center {CTICC}.

After quite a busy few weeks, a night away from it all was rather welcome! We decided on a scenic drive over Chapmans Peak, to get through to the CBD, which was as beautiful as always.

The Westin Cape Town

We arrived at the Westin Cape Town, late on Saturday afternoon and after a seamless checkin we were whisked off to our room.

The Westin Cape Town has 483 guest rooms and suites. The rooms are elegantly appointed and boast all the modern conveniences one can expect from a luxury city hotel. The views of Cape Town will amaze you, and the signature Heavenly Bed is comfort at its very best!

Admittedly I knew that the views would be great but they are truly spectacular, we literally just stood and stared out the window for what seemed like forever!

Not wanting to waste any time, we decided to head up to the Executive Club, to enjoy a few drinks and delicious canapes, while soaking up the views across the city and harbour. It was great to simply sit and just chat with no interruptions or anyone demanding your attention!

Before heading back to our room we decided to explore a bit more of the hotel. We took a walk around the award winning Heavenly Spa, which is situated on the 19th Floor. The Spa offers guests an indoor heated infinity pool, with views of the harbour and ocean, a jacuzzi, sauna and steam room, as well as a fully equipped gym. Had we known about the heated pool and jacuzzi, we would definitely have packed our costumes!

Then it was time to head back to our room to shower and change for dinner. The Westin Cape Town has a great selection of restaurants and bars. Our dinner venue for the evening was at ON19, which is located on the 19th Floor of the hotel. ON19 offers modern comfort dining, focused on simplicity, bold flavours and healthy lifestyle trends.

Dinner was as divine as we expected. I am not entirely too sure how but we both managed to eat three courses! I must make special mention of the Prawn Dumpling starter which I had! The prawns were wonderfully crispy and it was served with a delicious wasabi and curry mango sorbet – a sublime combination! Another highlight was the Happy Hog which Grant had – Verjuice and and honey glazed pork belly, served with bitterballen, apple chermoula, sweet potato puree and pork popcorn.

We opted to have the desert tasting plate, which consisted of a decadent combination of the deserts from the winter menu: Eskimo pie – blueberry cheese cake, macaroon, warm Romanoff sauce, Chocolate pudding, salted caramel ice cream, honey comb crumble, Dacquoise – hazelnut, almond, espresso, Milk tart brulee, Apple tarte fin, bacon praline, crème fraiche.

As well as On 19, the Westin Cape Town, offers guests the option of dining at Thirty7. Thirty7 is a French brasserie style restaurant, with a wonderful lively atmosphere. One of the special features of the restaurant is its show kitchen!

If you would like to kick back and relax then Louis B’s, the hotel’s cosy jazz bar, is a must! Perfect for a pre-dinner drink or a nightcap before heading off to bed. There is also Raleigh’s Cigar Bar and smoking lounge, which offers a wide selection of cognacs, whiskies and the finest cigars.

After dinner we turned in for the night, both in need of a good nights rest!

The next morning we enjoy a sumptuous breakfast at On 19. As well as a savoury buffet bursting at the seams, there was freshly squeezed juice, smoothies, fresh fruit and cereal on offer, as well as a hot breakfast of your choice.

Then it was time to check out and head back home!

As I mentioned we have stayed at a few city hotels but this experience at the Westin Cape Town, was definitely the best City Escape yet! The service was excellent and the food and attention to detail were all top draw!

Location:Convention Square, Lower Long Street · Cape Town, 8000 · South Africa

Contact: For more information or to make a booking visit the Westin Cape Town Website or phone them on +27 21 412 9999.

Image Credit: All images within this post are either property of the hotel featured or Inspired Living, please do not re-post or use the images, without the permission of the website owner. Thank you.

Disclosure Ranking:4

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Romantic Staycation at 15 On Orange

As a married couple, with children, I like to try to plan a night away, with my man, at least once a month! I think it is so important to reconnect, as a couple and spend some quality time together! We love staying in the Winelands but often that can be a bit too far for one night, so recently we have been opting for an overnight “Staycation” in the heart of Cape Town. There are so many fabulous Hotels, B&B’s and Apartments to choose from! A recent Romantic “Staycation” found us at 15 on Orange, in the heart of the CBD, which is part of the African Pride group of hotels.

15 On Orange

I have attended events at 15 on Orange but this was the first overnight experience for us. I had heard nothing but great things about the hotel and the Spa has recently changed hands and had a revamp, so I was delighted to receive and invitation to stay over and experience it for myself.

When we first arrived at the hotel our room was not ready yet, so we decided to hit Long Street for a bite of lunch. After lunch we were escorted up to our suite, by a very friendly porter! What awaited us was a rather stunning Suite, with lovely views over the city.

The interior decor is one of my favourite things about the hotels common areas and the suite was as stunning, with muted grey’s, pops of bright blue and metallic accents. Under-stated modern, elegance at its best!

As with the suite the bathroom was gorgeous – simple yet elegant, with the most stunning black marble tiles on the walls. I simply could not wait to take a long relaxing bath but first we had a trip to the Suntra Spa planned.

I could not resist a pic of my Black & White Mani against the bathroom tiles 🙂

As I mentioned the Suntra Spa, at 15 On Orange, recently changed hands and under went a revamp to make it bigger and more in line, with the rest of the hotels facilities. The Spa offers a range of specialty facial treatments by Guinot and Dermalogica, as well as an extensive array of body massages, exfoliation treatments, wraps and grooming essentials.

We were booked in for a back and neck massage. Once we had completed our customer cards we were shown to a couples treatment room, where we enjoyed a wonder half hour massage. We both sit at our computers, for most of the day during the week and I tend to carry all my stress in my neck, so this was complete bliss!

The staff at the Spa were knowledgeable, professional but above all really friendly. The treatment room was lovely and spacious but unfortunately a bit too dark to take any decent photographs!

Before heading back to our room we decided to take a look at the hotel rooftop pool, which is situated on the 7th Floor next to the spa. It was a bit cold and gloomy outside and definitely not swimming weather but what a view!

Once back in our suite we ordered a lovely, chilled glass of wine and I wasted no time at all, submerging myself into a hot bath!

Before dinner we popped into the Murano Bar, for a quick pre-dinner drink – I absolutely love the decor in the bar.

Dinner was lovely – a rather quiet romantic affair, just what we needed! A few of The highlights of the meal, for me, were the Salt and Pepper Fried Calamari, with Avocado salsa and squid-ink aioli and the Roasted Gemsbok Loin, with potato rösti, spiced red cabbage and black berry jus. Naturally, although really full by this stage, we could not resist at least sharing a desert, we opted for the Molten Valhrona Chocolate Fondant, with Blue berry frozen yoghurt. What arrived was a beautiful, edible work of art – which looked almost too pretty to eat!

It was definitely time to make our way back to our room and settle in for the night! One of my main worries with staying in the CBD is the noise, we have had a few bad nights away and been unable to sleep because of the street noise. Whether it was the extremely comfortable bed or excellent soundproofing – we both slept like babies.

Thank you 15 on Orange for a wonderful, pampered Romantic “Staycation” in the heart of Town – it was a real treat, definitely to be repeated!

Contact Details

Location: Corner Grey’s Pass and Orange Street, Mill Street, Cape Town. Telephone: 27 (21) 469 8000

CENTRAL RESERVATIONS: 0861 50 50 50, +27 21 430 5302 email: [email protected]
Disclosure Ranking: 2