Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel
What We Love
- In the shadow of Table Mountain and a 10-minute walk from the city center
- Old World charm, from high tea service to sundowners by a marble fireplace
What To Know
- The excellent restaurant serves a gourmet take on African game
- Free WiFi
- The V&A waterfront is a shuttle ride away
Amenities
- Babysitting
- Bar
- Free WiFi
- Gym
- Handicap-accessible
- Kids Club
- Parking On Site
- Pool
- Restaurant
- Spa
Overview
The Look
If you’re going to paint your hotel pink, you better be ready to deliver in the style department. Luckily, the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel — or the Nellie, as it’s affectionately known — has been packing more than enough panache to go around since 1899, and it’s the place to stay in the Mother City (the guest registry includes Oprah, Kate Moss and Colin Farrell). Old World glamour reigns supreme here, from the high tea served daily on the hotel’s veranda to the two tennis courts, on which everyone wears Wimbledon whites. Spread over nine garden-filled acres in the shadow of Table Mountain, the buildings that make up the complex are filled with fresh-cut flowers and antiques.
Bed and Bath
In keeping with the overall style of the hotel, the 198 guestrooms are elegantly decked out with period details, floral fabrics and antiques. They’re all individually styled; some are done in pastel shades and bright white furniture, while others have sturdy dark wood furnishings and deeper hues. The higher room categories (Deluxe Rooms and above) are located in the original part of the hotel, and many of the Suites have grand four-poster beds.
Beyond
The spa is all about bringing traditional healing techniques and treatments rooted in Africana into a modern context. Hydrotherapy baths use pouches filled with indigenous plants and herbs, including rooibos and African potato, along with herbal oil blends, and the yoga studio offers regular classes. The Nellie’s bars and restaurants are favorites among locals. At the fine dining outlet, Planet Restaurant, guests can try a selection of unfamiliar tastes, like cured springbok. After your meal, tap into the city’s nightlife scene by grabbing a flute of champagne at the Planet Bar, where Cape Town’s well-heeled pretty young things mingle well into the night.
In the Area
The Cape Town dining scene is on fire, with chefs (including the Nellie’s Rudi Liebenberg at Planet Restaurant) putting innovative spins on distinctly African ingredients. Ask the concierge for recommendations. Journey out to the Cape’s wine region to sample the region’s famous Pinotage. It’s an easy daytrip; in fact, it’s only a 45-minute drive to the charming town of Franschhoek, where tasting rooms, top-notch restaurants, art galleries and gourmet food shops provide plenty of diversions. Visit the Old Biscuit Mill, a restored factory in the formerly gritty and now hipster-filled industrial neighborhood of Woodstock, to check out the city’s best fashion and furniture designers. The surrounding region has plenty of sandy options — after all, you can see the confluence of two oceans from the Cape. Be sure to visit different spots to see and feel the variations in water temperature and color between the Atlantic and Indian Ocean sides.
How to Get There
Reviews
This is hands down one of the best hotels in South Africa and certainly the best in Cape Town!
The hotel grounds are for royalty. The bubblegum color is extremely charming and pleasant to look at.
The service was second to none, from the main door to check out.
Food at breakfast was extremely diverse.
The room was impeccable.
The pool had superb views of table mountains.
EXCELLENT hotel
We went for Afternoon Tea, it was a reasonable price and service was good overall, just a disappointing arrival and reservation experience.
The High Tea is served at the table and supported by an "all you can eat" dessert buffet, on a positive note you can try as many different teas as you like, and there is complimentary refills for the savory high tea items as well. The surroundings are very picturesque and the gardens are lovely. The food is tasty and nicely presented - but don't expect anything too fancy, more like an upmarket version of tea with grandmother and the vicar.
Bookings are for 1pm and 3pm for High Tea, and when we visited there some confusion about how to enter the hotel as one of the entrances was under repair, this was further exasperated by being told we were early when we arrived at 1pm as booked - which was strange as there was already 3 tables having tea. There was a tea sommelier who visited most of the tables, but our waiter as well versed in the selection so no issues.
This a lovely hotel, and well worth a visit for the photos and a reasonably priced tea buffet.
Celebrated birthday high tea at this glorious hotel in the shade of table mountain. Very grand and memorable. Definitely a bucket list tick off event. For foreigners it would not be costly.
To be treated in style with butlers etc. made the occasion even more special.
Our family (2 rooms) stayed for 5 days in early June 2018. Everything, from the initial reception to check-out, was totally professional. Service was attentive. Staff knew our names. The is the one hotel in Cape Town you have to stay in to truly experience a 5-star visit. We enjoyed the Planet Bar, what a relaxing atmosphere and you have to see the revolving solar system chandelier. The food at breakfast and in the Lord Nelson restaurant was excellent. The rooms were well appointed and comfortable. We were fortunate to have a great view of Table Mountain. The concierges, Vass and Kieth, were very helpful both before and during our visit with their recommendations for sightseeing, restaurants, and arranging private cars for our day trips out of Cape Town to Stellenbosch and the Cape Peninsula. Also the pianist in the lobby in the evenings was one of the most enjoyable we have listened to anywhere.
Stayed at 'The Nellie' 20th-26th June 2018. Although we had enjoyed visiting before and partaking of high tea (so 'high', in fact, that you won't need to eat any more that day!), this was our first stay as guests. We were welcomed with open arms and made to feel just so relaxed, comfortable and at home, thanks to the lovely staff. The hotel was not busy (mid-winter!) and we got a free upgrade to one of the nicest suites in the entire building, overlooking the beautiful gardens. The room was gorgeous, quiet and with the most comfortable beds ever; yet you are only 10 minutes walk from the centre of Cape Town and everything the city has to offer - and a lovely walk at that, if you make your way down through the Company's Garden. But the best thing of all is the staff, and that is what makes this hotel so very special. You immediately get the feeling that they would do anything for you, nothing is too much trouble and all they want is for you to be comfortable and delighted with your stay. Cannot recommend too highly. Thank you, everyone, for making what was already meant to be a 'special occasion' for us so extra specially special.