Some hotels are simply places to sleep. Others become part of a city’s fabric — somewhere locals return to for a long lunch, a quick coffee or even an afternoon at the pool. The President Hotel in Bantry Bay is the latter.
Its position is compelling. Situated on one of the Atlantic Seaboard’s most dramatic stretches of coastline, Lion’s Head rises behind it while Queen’s Beach and Saunders’ Rock sit just across the road. Turn left and you’re heading towards Clifton and Camps Bay; turn right and you’re on the Sea Point Promenade. Few properties match its proximity to all of this — it is the only upmarket resort in Cape Town within genuine walking distance of it all.
With 349 rooms and apartments, this is no boutique property, yet it carries itself with a warmth that larger hotels rarely manage. Much of that comes down to the staff, many of whom have been here for years. They offer a real welcome without hovering, a smile without being intrusive. Over the past few years, I’ve spent many hours working from its lounges, catching up over tea and, most recently, staying over.
The building is designed to draw light deep into its interiors, and it works. Outside, the recently revamped pool deck is one of the most appealing hotel spaces in the city — towering palms, layered planting and a redesigned infinity pool that looks out over the ocean. There’s something almost tropical about it, an impression that softens only when you glance across the road at the wild, rocky beauty of Saunders.
Art has become a focal point here, as it has in many of Cape Town’s best hotels. Each floor takes a different theme drawn from the city itself — ocean, flora and local natural phenomena.
The carpets, notably, are made from recycled fishing nets. This turns out to be less quirky than it sounds: fishing nets are nylon, one of the best materials for carpet manufacturing — durable, resilient and resistant to staining and wear. It’s a detail that speaks to a broader sustainability ethos. The President is one of the few hotels in the country to hold Green Key certification, an internationally recognised eco-label awarded only to establishments that meet rigorous environmental standards.
The hotel has always drawn families — Joburgers decamping for summer, kids playing in the pool. But something has shifted in recent years. It’s also become a genuine social hub: cocktails on the deck on a Friday afternoon with women in flowy dresses, business lunches and Sunday gatherings that drift into early evening. There’s an energy to it — a place that belongs to the neighbourhood as much as it does to its guests.
Events animate the calendar throughout the year: art auctions, fashion shows and outdoor movie nights under the stars. Kids get to make their own pizzas in chef’s hats and aprons. During Easter last week, the pool deck transformed into a chocolate-egg hunt, complete with face painting and an “Easter Bunny”. There was also a dedicated room set up with activities and face painting.
Bicycles are available to rent for rides along the promenade, while the wood-fired pizzas by the pool are always a draw. The spa is a cosy space rather than a full-scale facility, (a wellness sanctuary is coming soon) but the massage I had was excellent.
At Botany, the hotel’s lighter restaurant, fresh salads and simple lunches are done well. Breakfast is generous and well-priced. Across the room, The Senate Bar doubles as a sports lounge — not surprisingly, given that the hotel is a favourite with touring rugby teams. Spotted over recent visits: Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzbeth, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, the British and Irish Lions squads, Rassie Erasmus. Musicians and actors pass through too — Arnold Vosloo and Mathew Mole among them.
Our stay began with a swim, naturally. A beautifully packaged picnic hamper arrived in a wicker basket — salads, wraps, drinks. The suite has a kitchenette and a small lounge, enough to make it feel like a temporary home rather than a stopover. My daughter made a beeline for the newly renovated play area and later spent dinner partly in a chef’s hat, building her own pizza with great pride.
There’s lineage behind the hotel — it’s on the site that was once a retreat known as Society House, built for wealthy burghers. By 1887, it was Queen’s Hotel, renamed President Hotel in 1967 following South Africa’s departure from the British Commonwealth and was rebuilt and re-opened in 1998 by Nelson Mandela.
But mostly, it’s about the everyday moments. A family spreading out on the pool deck, a child carrying a pizza they made themselves. It’s the kind of hotel that feels like it belongs not only to the guests who stay over, but also to those who visit it from within the city.
