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
We stayed at the Belmond Mount Nelson for a couple of nights on our trip to Capetown. It was an excellent experience - everything one can hope to expect from a city 5 star experience.
The campus is beautiful, the hotel is set in the middle of sprawling green lawns and the rooms are done to a modern standard with all the in-room amenities one would reasonably expect in a property of this category. Also a special mention to the concierge desk who were very helpful and multiple times helped us booked restaurants and other attractions in Cape Town.
Staying here certainly leaves one feeling like a bit of a king/queen. A bit of opulence for a couple of days ! Right from the valet service as you drive in to the hotel along the long drive ways, to the super comfortable and big rooms & the very cool and relaxing pool and spa area everything was enjoyable. The food as well was very good quality and well prepared. The breakfast spread and quality was excellent.
I wish I get too stay here again if visiting South Africa again.
To conclude our South African adventure, we couldn’t have chosen better than the renowned Mount Nelson Hotel. While large in size, you don’t feel like a number here. On arrival, the head porter was very welcoming and accommodating. After packing for a safari adventure, not an ironed shirt in sight. We worried we may feel out of place at such a well-presented and prestigious property, that was certainly not the case.
We stayed in a one bed suite which was a great size and tastefully decorated with luxury and comfort in mind. The grounds of the Mount Nelson are beautiful and perfectly maintained - and the on-site beehives are a great touch!
The hotel in the evening is a wonderful place to relax, the atmosphere is warm, the staff are superb and the cocktails are great! I must give a special thanks to our waiter, Tinashe, who looked after us during our dinner in the Lord Nelson Restaurant. Tinashe was polite and friendly made us feel very welcome. When taking our drinks order, his recommendation of the Fynbos infused gin was a revelation, we even ended up buying a bottle to take home! The dinner that evening was exceptional, each course was perfectly prepared, fabulously presented, tasted delicious and at such a reasonable price too!
Great stay, many thanks.
Many great, old hotels eventually become simply old hotels. That observation does not apply to the Belmond Mount Nelson in Cape Town, South Africa. My fiancée and I spent four nights there in late September 2018 and were totally charmed. Our room was beautiful, immaculately clean and extremely comfortable.
We took the opportunity to sample the hotel’s Chef’s Table offering which was spectacular. The food was superb and the wine pairings were amazing. The Hotel’s food and service was uniformly excellent and the Lord Nelson restaurant is definitely worth trying.
We received very professional and friendly service from the Hotel’s reception and concierge personnel. And I would like to single out Lisa (restaurant service) and Paulo (Lord Nelson sommelier) for special praise. Both went well above and beyond what would normally be expected.
If we are ever in Cape Town again, we will definitely stay at the Mount Nelson.
This is an incredible hotel with all that you would expect from a five star facility. Everything was flawless. The weakness of the Rand allows us from the US and the EU to live like royalty. Don't miss this opportunity!
This venue is beautiful . Rooms lovely. Nice size and the gardens were a real treat.
The front of house to the cleaning crew all lovely and cant do enough for you.
The spinning front door is very small and you can feel a bit caged in especially with the hand of the doorman on the door as well.
The service in the bar and outdoor area was quite slow. Slow to take the order. Food took a long time to arrive. We ere told that chef had a lot of big orders hence the delay but do nott really expect that from a 5 star place.
The head waiter/manager excellent knowledge of wine and very friendly.