City Bowl (Gardens)

Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel

★★★★★

The Mount Nelson, known affectionately as the Nellie, has been the most famous hotel in Cape Town for well over a century. It opened in 1899 for passengers of the Union-Castle steamships, which sailed between Britain and the Cape, and it has welcomed Winston Churchill, Arthur Conan Doyle, royalty and generations of travellers since. Its pink facade, a colour adopted after the First World War, is a city landmark. The hotel stands in the Gardens neighbourhood at the top of the city centre, in large, mature grounds of lawns, palms, rose gardens and old trees, with Table Mountain rising directly behind, so that it feels like a country estate a few minutes' walk from the city. Accommodation is spread between the main building and garden cottages, and the range is wide, from deluxe and superior rooms to junior suites, studio suites, garden cottage suites beside a secluded pool, and two- and three-bedroom penthouse suites, plus signature suites created with South African designers, among them the fashion designer Thebe Magugu. The style is classic and elegant, refreshed with a lighter, more contemporary touch in recent years. There are two heated outdoor pools in the gardens, a spa and a fitness centre. The hotel's afternoon tea, served in the lounge or on the terrace with a long buffet of cakes, pastries and savouries, is a Cape Town institution that draws locals as well as guests, and the bar and restaurants are popular in the evenings. The location is excellent for the City Bowl: the Company's Garden, the South African Museum and the National Gallery are a short walk down Government Avenue, Kloof Street's restaurants and bars are around the corner, and the cableway and Lion's Head are a few minutes by car.

Choosing a room: rooms vary greatly in size and outlook, so it pays to book carefully. Mountain-view rooms and suites, facing Table Mountain over the gardens, are the ones to request, and the garden cottage suites give extra privacy and a pool nearby. Families are well served by the two- and three-bedroom suites. Standard rooms in the main building can be smaller than the hotel's reputation suggests.

What the stay is like: the Nellie is a traditional luxury hotel with polished, attentive service, and its gardens are a genuine retreat from the city; in summer, a day by the pool with the mountain above is one of the great pleasures of Cape Town. The afternoon tea should not be missed even if you are not staying, and booking is advisable. The hotel is part of Belmond, the group known for the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and other heritage hotels, and has the polish of a large brand with a strong sense of place.

Who it suits: travellers who love classic hotels and history, couples celebrating an occasion, families who want space and gardens, and anyone who wants to be in the City Bowl rather than at the Waterfront. The trade-offs are price, near the top of the market, and a more formal atmosphere than the city's boutique hotels. But for a sense of old Cape Town, with the mountain in your window and a cup of tea on the terrace, nowhere else comes close.