Small hotel, but rooms are big

Published Oct 20, 2014

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Cape Town - The concept of this kind of hotel is that it is small, exclusive, and luxurious. The 19 suites are similar in décor style, but each one is slightly different. There also appears to be a very high staff-to-guest ratio because every time I asked for something in my room, there was someone there almost instantly, as if they had been waiting outside in the corridor just to attend to my every whim. They are also all very friendly, and introduced themselves by name. They inquired as to my well-being, where I had come from, how long I was staying, and urged me to enjoy myself.

The suite in which I stayed was like a mini home. It had an entrance hall with a bathroom on either side – one with a shower, one with a tub. This was great; I’ve never had the pleasure of flitting between two bathrooms like that although, as Murphy would have it, no matter what I wanted, it was in the other one. There may have been two bathrooms but I had only one toiletry bag. So it goes.

The large bedroom and lounge area had a desk (and excellent wi-fi, which is becoming a huge attraction wherever you go these days, especially when you have a data-demanding smartphone or need to play online Scrabble), an entertainment centre with docking station, an espresso machine, and a mini bar with basic complimentary beverages like water, soft drinks, and beer. Being on the ground floor, French doors opened out on to a small patio with a couch, and the garden beyond that.

Apparently there is a thing called the Constantia Greenbelt out there too, part of which is alongside the hotel, where people walk, jog, or play with their dogs. It’s a very pretty and easy stroll.

Things in the room that impressed me included the fabulously comfortable extra-length king size bed with Percale 300 thread count linen, the decently-sized robes which were not the usual bulky towelling but softer waffle weave and much more comfortable, the bowl of Sparkles on the coffee table, the delicious rocky road turndown chocolate, and the mega powerful hairdryer. If you want to see a picture of the buttock chair, you will have to follow me on Twitter (@biancaLcoleman).

Breakfast in the morning is taken inside or on the patio under the oak trees at La Belle, where they make perfectly poached eggs Benedict, except with salmon. You can have lunch and/or dinner there too, but we dined in the 5 Rooms restaurant which is, as the name suggests, divided into five separate, intimate rooms. There is a popular, vibey main bar and lounge area in front where live music is played several times a week (see the website for the full line-up) which is piped through to the dining areas in a gentler manner.

From the delicious meal, I definitely recommend the chevin panna cotta as a starter, which drew order envy from my partner.

If you can drag yourself out of your room, there are several wine farms to visit in the area, and I’ll have more on that for you next Saturday, as well as the Klink wine tourism awards.

l Alphen Boutique Hotel, Alphen Drive, Constantia. Call 021 795 6300, e-mail [email protected], or see www.alphen.co.za.

Weekend Argus

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