Southern Africa’s first Radisson Collection opens in Cape Town

In a city so defined by the ocean, with the Atlantic lapping on three sides, it’s a quirk of Cape Town’s hotel landscape that there are so few seafront hotels. There are, of course, plenty with a spectacular sea view. And many more with a great beach just across the road.

Tintswalo Atlantic certainly fits the bill, but, with just 10 suites, it’s more of a seaside safari lodge than a hotel. Lagoon Beach also comes close, with only a seafront promenade separating the hotel pool from the sandy high-tide mark. Bliss Boutique Hotel and the Last Word Long Beach offer direct beach access, hotels where the waves lap the front steps? They are few and far between.

But then there’s the Radisson on the outskirts of the V&A Waterfront. Sandwiched between upscale apartments and the city’s hotel school, here the lobby hides what is easily one of the most impressive seaside locales the city has to offer. From the brick terrace of Tobago’s Restaurant, Bar and Terrace, one of the unsung sunset spots in the city, to the pool area, the Atlantic Ocean reaches the doorstep of this vaunted luxury hotel.

The Radisson has long been a go-to for locals seeking sundowners and happy tourists checking in for a few days in the Mother City. It entered a new phase in 2025 with a rejuvenation and a rebrand to become the first Radisson Collection hotel in Southern Africa.

Radisson’s “Collection” hotels are the pinnacle brand for this global hotel group, a cluster of five-star properties offering contemporary luxury with a healthy dose of local heritage and character. It’s a fast-growing brand, with new properties opening in Lyon and Budapest in the next few months, but of the 39 Radisson Collection hotels worldwide, just one was in Africa; in Bamako.

That’s recently changed, though, with the official unveiling of Radisson Collection Hotel Waterfront last month. What was once the Radisson Blu has, after an extensive refurbishment, upped its game to offer impressive levels of laid-back luxury in what is easily one of Cape Town’s most sought-after locations.

The rebrand has changed little of the shape and form of the hotel, though. Regulars will recognise the lifts ascending into a lobby area awash with natural light, the wink of light on Atlantic waves peeking through the tables at Tobago’s, and the structure and layout remains much the same. What’s changed is the look and feel, a richness in texture and colour that was somewhat missing before. Accents of gold, marble and wood immediately raise the bar.

That’s most evident in the Waveside Café, a new addition to the hotel. In what was once a rather neglected space leading off the lobby, Waveside offers a chic new venue for business meetings or a quiet cup of coffee midmorning. Elegant couches and armchairs lend this lobby-style cafe a distinctly upmarket feel, with a selection of cakes and pastries on display to tempt you between meals.

Those you’ll enjoy at Tobago’s, the seaside cafe-style restaurant where the best tables are set right on the water’s edge, and over lunch you’ll probably have dolphins leaping from the ocean just beyond the kelp beds. Tobago’s is also scheduled for a complete revamp during the quiet winter months, so watch this space for summer.

Apart from Waveside, the most obvious changes in the switch from a Blu to a Collection hotel is in the rooms. Though the Radisson Collection Hotel Waterfront offers 175 rooms and suites, there’s a new sense of boutique styling to the new rooms. Organic tones and metallic touches play off against the coastal colour palette, while artworks, velvet headboards and pendant lighting add a decidedly elegant feel to each space.

There’s a wide choice of categories on offer, from entry-level Collection rooms looking onto Table Mountain to two-bedroom Presidential Suites. While that title is perhaps a little grand, the expansive living area — with dedicated kitchen and dining area — and a wide balcony with private loungers certainly makes this the pick of the rooms for families and multi-gen travellers. If you’re travelling as a couple, the Balcony suites are ideal, with plenty of space, a well-stocked minibar and a balcony with superb sea views.

But take a moment to request the right room. Higher numbers tend to overlook the yacht marina, with the clatter and clang that comes with sailboats, while low-numbered rooms look north across Table Bay. The hotel’s twice-monthly Breakers Brunch — billed as a Dubai-style event, with free-flowing drinks — gets noisy on a Saturday afternoon, so if you’re after a quiet escape, ask for a room on a high floor, away from Tobago’s.

And then, there’s the pool, which is reason enough to book a room here.

This rim-flow beauty is one of the finest hotel pools in Cape Town: protected from the wind, heated to take the edge off, and with the waves lapping just out of reach beyond the tiles. Throw in pool loungers gazing out to sea, and an army of waiters waiting for your cocktail order, and you have all the makings of a resort-style seaside escape in the heart of the Mother City.