POD –  arguably one of the most breathtakingly modern hotels in Cape Town – comes with every imaginable convenience (from underfloor heating to state-of-the-art LED lighting), yet the studiously stripped down design keeps an eye on Mother Nature for inspiration, with wood and stone the headline elements, and the faintest nod to a space age influence. For the full-on effects of landing in an urban beachside idyll, you need to arrive by the front door.ascend the marble stairway and you land on a vast open-plan indoor-outdoor mezzanine dominated by a slick bar, multiple lounging areas, and an edgy infinity pool that-when experienced from the right angle-seems to stretch right out into the perfect azure of Camps Bay’s crescent beach. Gigantic sliding doors disappear into the walls, but they just as easily reappear to cushion you from Cape Town’s infamous wind. Rough, organic textures juxtapose against the sleek, modular contours of more contemporary materials – white vinyl and glimmering opal-black surfaces contrast with distressed scaffolding planks used to create one wall that’s more artwork than convenience. It may be a touch too contemporary for some tastes, but if you like your lines clean, and an atmosphere that’s pared down, this space will do the trick. And guestrooms? Each one really does feel like a well-executed, cushioning pod: super-embracing leather-clad beds topped by the softest white linens and generous black slate showers tucked into the compact open-plan bathrooms. Like the rest of the hotel, the space is lean and uncluttered, with few fripperies, aside from and a range of designer-armchairs, including the Bloss” and “Lovely”. The mono-tonal