This 17-bedroom hotel – an imaginative revamp of one of Cape Town’s original Georgian houses – is one of our favourite townhouse hotels in Cape Town, offering a great sense of history (parts of the house date back to the 1780s), a strong individualistic style, and a delightful cobbled courtyard winebar-restaurant (see Caveau, under Drink), where the oldest grape-producing vine in the country still grows. The hotel, now in its 10th decade, was integral to the steady revitalisation of Bree Street and today its neighbours include some of the hippest and best-dressed shops, bars and dining establishments. Although it can be slightly noisy during the day, it’s the ideal base if you want to be walking distance from the action, and a great showcase of local decorative design. It’s very much an authentic heritage building, so every room is unique in terms of shape and size, and the designers have followed through by imbuing every space with a personality all of its own, combining sassy contemporary elements without detracting from original architectural elements (high ceilings, exposed wood beams, and sash windows overlooking the street). There’s no pool, but a rooftop Jacuzzi offers mountain views peeking out between the high buildings around you.