Camps Bay

The Bay Hotel

★★★★★

The Bay Hotel is the best address for a beach holiday in Cape Town. It stands on Victoria Road in Camps Bay, directly across from the beach, with the restaurants and bars of the Camps Bay strip on either side and the Twelve Apostles mountains rising behind, so you can step out of the lobby, cross the road and be on the sand in a minute. It is a large, polished resort-style hotel with a relaxed, sunny feel, and its facilities are generous for a city hotel: four swimming pools, two of them solar-heated, set on terraces between the wings, a spa with a sauna and steam room, a gym, and the hotel's own Sandy B Private Beach Club for guests who want a quieter spot. Rooms come in several categories. Mountain-facing rooms are the most affordable and look up at the Twelve Apostles; sea-and-mountain and sea-and-pool rooms bring the Atlantic into view; Pool Club rooms have direct access to a pool; and the suites and Sky Suites on the upper floors have the biggest terraces and the widest ocean panoramas. There are also family rooms, and the hotel has accessible rooms. Dining is on site, with restaurants and a bar looking out over the beach, and there are dozens more places to eat within a few minutes' walk along Victoria Road. Sunset is the hotel's best hour, as the sun drops into the Atlantic directly in front of the terraces. The hotel is about fifteen minutes from the city centre and the V&A Waterfront over Kloof Nek, and about half an hour from the airport.

Choosing a room: pay for a sea view, which is the point of staying here; the mountain-facing rooms are comfortable but look the other way. Pool Club rooms are good for families who want to walk straight out to the water, and the Sky Suites are the splurge. Ask for a higher floor for less street noise from Victoria Road, which is busy in summer, especially on weekend evenings.

What to know: Camps Bay is lively and glamorous in high season, and the hotel fills early for December and January. The Atlantic is very cold, so most guests swim in the pools rather than the sea. On days when the south-easter blows hard, Camps Bay beach can be sandblasted; the hotel's sheltered pool terraces and the nearby Clifton coves are the escape. Parking is available, but you will not need a car for the beach and restaurants.

Who it suits: couples and families who want a beach base with all the facilities, and first-time visitors who want the classic Cape Town postcard outside their window. If you prefer something quieter and more secluded, the Twelve Apostles hotel a few minutes south is the alternative; if you want to walk to the city's sights, stay in the City Bowl or at the Waterfront.