A magnificent gem in the suburbs offers a special city stay
As a tourist, it’s fairly rare that someone will type in the word ‘Wynberg’ when looking for a holiday base in Cape Town. Mind you, it might not be the worst idea from a convenience point of view, with about the same travelling time to the delights of the Atlantic seaboard, the charms of the Deep South villages along False Bay coast of the Peninsula or the Chapman’s Peak views and famous seafood of Hout Bay.
Palm House is a magnificent manor house, completely overhauled – but for some original wooden fittings, particularly around the staircase – since it functioned as a home. The rooms are large and airy, and if you’re on the top floor, there are views of Devil’s Peak and the Twelve Apostles, with Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens hiding somewhere in the foliage beneath your eyeline.
At a first impression, there is very much a haven feel to the place, with its tailored walled garden and warm-water pool, a politely alert bartender seeking to meet your needs, and, on either side of the reception, a beautiful fine-dining restaurant and a cosy, light-filled bar.
The rooms – large, airy and modern in feel, even if the main building itself is a bit older (there are also three newer villas in the garden) – are even more private sanctuaries, especially for those days you can’t see the mountains from the window, which is all the weather forecast you need to invite yourself to a day of streamed television entertainment, room service and the occasional wander down to the bar to grab a glass of something or a cappuccino.
Keen on context
If you’re the type that likes to explore, though, the suburb is a melange of multiple personalities. There are primary schools a block away from an old cemetery, which is a further block away from a mall full of shops selling off-brand goods and packed to the gills with locals just after payday.
A further wander down Main Road (there’s always one around) into Kenilworth reveals a more genteel side to the area, more in keeping with the tone of the hotel, with boutiques and trendy eateries along a short strip.
The route back is along avenues of giant old trees, their gnarled roots and trunks riddled with history. The homes here rival the hotel for architectural splendour and glorious gardens, including design details from the Victorian age and likely before that.
Just beyond the venue is another excellent reason to be in the area, the Maynardville Open-Air Theatre, a magnificent outdoor venue that plays host to an arts festival once a year and is famous for Shakespeare in the park performances. The hotel runs partnerships with the festival – if you’re in town at the right time, you may get a ticket to a show thrown in with your rate.
Cooling off from the rigours of a light trundle is a pleasure in what turns out to be a vastly aboveaverage boutique establishment pool. It’s around 15m long and 2.5m deep in the deep end – Eben Etzebeth could dive safely here – so you feel like a seal in an aquarium paddling around there. And it’s warm, which is happily out of character in a city where the sea water numbs extremities the moment you wade in. And with the aforementioned attentive bartender bringing a cocktail to your lounger as the evening sun descends behind the mountains, it feels like an event you want to make into a routine, if possible.
Staycation central Breakfasts are excellent, with an option to sit inside or out on a shaded patio. Here, you’re likely to hear a range of accents, making for an entertaining morning activity – a point for each country you can identify visitors as coming from.
The place deserves to be at least as much a local institution as it is an attractive option for foreign tourists, and there are innovative ideas on the table to accelerate that process. Family days give parents the opportunity to come and eat fine food while their kids are entertained and kept safe in the gardens by magicians, minders and a lifeguard. And locals can get discounts at the hotel spa, which includes a brilliantly designed, compact sauna shaped like a giant soda can (does that make it a ’steam roller’…?) as well as all the usual treatments – massages, facials, pedicures and so on.
Their De Tafel restaurant is a wonderful fine dining option, as good as anything else in the city and welcomes walk-ins as well as guests. Being appreciated and utilised as a destination by people who live just down the road is a challenge faced by many hotels and resorts, but Palm House is perhaps better placed to succeed thanks to its collection of individually attractive facilities.
Star power
Thanks to the establishment’s central location, all of central Cape Town and much of its scenic surrounds are within easy reach, so it’s quite likely that as you enjoy outings and make the most of your time in the city, you’ll be arriving back at the hotel late at night fairly often. Sometimes,
that moment can rather take the shine off a glamorous evening out, but the combination of a smiling, cheerful security guard at the gate, the striking pillared entrance portal – all lit up to welcome you – and the fact that there are only a few parking spots on offer for guests (rather than a personality-free parkade next door) makes you feel like you’re pulling up to an English country house or a location in a Bond film. You half expect to be directed to pull in in front of the doorway before nonchalantly tossing your keys to a valet, but, while the barman or guard would likely take that in his stride and reverse your rental into a spot for you, it’s probably best to simply enjoy feeling like a rock star or an international spy rather than causing an unseemly ruckus.
Privacy, pampering and personality are a satisfying blend here. Next time, you might consider the suburban option rather than typing in ‘beach’ as your initial Cape Town search term.
Text and photography | Bruce Dennill
For more information or to book a stay, go to palmhouse.co.za.
