Cape Town

Cape Town is one of the most dramatically situated cities on earth. Table Mountain — a flat-topped massif rising 1,086 metres directly above the city — is the defining backdrop for every hotel, every view, and every photograph. The city's finest hotels all sit in its shadow: Ellerman House in Bantry Bay, Belmond Mount Nelson in the Gardens, One&Only Cape Town at the V&A Waterfront, The Silo in the Zeitz MOCAA building.

Ellerman House, on a clifftop in Bantry Bay, is the most celebrated boutique hotel in Africa — a converted 1912 Edwardian mansion with 13 rooms, one of the finest private art collections in South Africa, and a wine cellar of extraordinary depth. The Belmond Mount Nelson, opened in 1899, is the most historically significant hotel in the city — the 'Pink Lady' of the Cape, its afternoon tea a Cape Town institution for over a century.

The Cape Winelands — Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl — are 45 minutes from the city and represent one of the world's great wine regions. Delaire Graff Estate (owned by the diamond merchant Laurence Graff) and La Residence in Franschhoek are the most extraordinary hotel experiences in the region. Both combine world-class wine, extraordinary art collections, and mountain settings that are among the most beautiful in the Southern Hemisphere.

Cape Town's geography rewards exploration. The Cape Peninsula — a 70-kilometre finger of land ending at Cape Point — contains Boulder's Beach (African penguins), Chapman's Peak Drive (one of the world's most dramatic coastal roads), and the Cape of Good Hope. A full day is required; the hotel concierge can arrange a private driver.

October–April is Cape Town's dry season — warm, sunny, and the best conditions for outdoor activities. December–February is peak summer: the most expensive period but the best weather. May–August is the Cape's winter: cool, rainy, and significantly cheaper — the best time for wine country visits when the vineyards are at their most dramatic.