The best family-friendly hotels in Cape Town, from children's spa treatments to gingerbread painting
Snorkelling with seals; swimming with penguins; cycling past baboons; paragliding off Signal Hill; kayaking with dolphins; quadbiking through vineyards – Cape Town’s natural bounty generates the kind of indelible memories that bind a family. It’s an edifying destination too, from spending time with an ex-political prisoner on Robben Island to having the intricacies of fynbos explained by a great guide. Children are welcome most anywhere, but the following hotels either go out of their way to ensure that every member of the family feels like a VIP. Here's our pick of the best family-friendly hotels in Cape Town.
The hotel is a green oasis right in the centre of the city, with a palm-lined driveway leading to art-strewn lawns, magnificent flower beds, two pools and tennis courts. Service is impeccable, interiors are glamorous, and the number of restaurants, bars and city sights within strolling distance to its doorstep are plentiful. The size of the property, the unpretentious warmth and tolerance of the staff, and the many child-friendly facilities (heated pool, teen room, supervised toddler care, a spa menu for little girls), make this an ideal choice for families.
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This delightful collection of 19th-century terraced houses have been artfully converted into 28 tasteful apartments, so facilities are limited but the feel is one of a private pied-à-terre with the benefits of a boutique hotel. When it comes to families, staff go out of their way to provide everything from cots and high chairs to books and bath toys. There are several interconnecting rooms as well as four two-bedroom apartments, and the privacy these offer is ideal. And the hotel’s concierge is well-versed on what to with children of all ages. No restaurant but breakfast is served.
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On it’s own quay, a bridge walk away from the more heavily touristed parts of the V&A Waterfront, the Cape Grace manages to be both central and exclusive. Despite the elegant atmosphere, this is one of the most family-friendly options in the city, with the two- and three-bedroom apartments an ideal choice. Staff go out of their way to make children of all ages feel welcome, with daily activities such as gingerbread painting or African storytelling, gifts at turn down, aquarium tickets (part of the Family Package), special menus and specially-sized dressing gowns and more.
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Aside from having a huge pool, the hotel’s KidsOnly Club (for four- to 11-year-olds) hosts a daily programme of supervised activities and offers Nintendo Wii, PS3, Xbox, board games, an arts and crafts table and outside play area. In terms of rooms there’s a choice between the Marina Rise block, with Table Mountain views, or the more spacious Island Suites (including a few two-bedroom suites) near the pool. There are three restaurants and breakfasts here are excellent. Isola, the poolside restaurant serving pizzas and seafood (open only in summer), is a great place to hang out.
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This nine-room boutique b&b, a stone’s throw from Cape Town’s penguin colony, offers direct access to one of the city’s prettiest beaches and best swimming experiences (the sea here being a few degrees warmer than the 'Atlantic seaboard' on the peninsula’s west coast). The décor of the villa is more elegant five-star boutique than barefoot beach house, but staff ensure a relaxed atmosphere. The penguin-themed children’s room is stocked with games, and the direct access to and swimming with the penguins is bound to be a hit. Booked as a whole this is the ideal exclusive-use beach villa for a multi-generational family.
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If you like urban locales, The Taj is perfect: part of the city’s oldest precinct, opposite St George’s Cathedral, Slave Lodge and the Company Gardens, where the city’s roots were literally planted (and now home to the South African Museum, National Art Gallery, Planetarium, Holocaust Museum). This is a hotel popular with business travellers, but it’s equally as welcoming to families. Age-appropriate gifts and/or goodie-bags are given on arrival, amenities for those travelling with infants are available, there’s an indoor swimming pool, and babysitters and staff are very accommodating.
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The atmosphere at this two-storey, 120-year old house on a quiet residential street high above Kalk Bay harbour, is laid-back and there is a pool and a garden, and several tidal pools within walking distance. Breakfast is exquisite: from carpaccio with miso poached egg, basil pesto and parmesan dust to fresh paw-paw served with grenadilla and lemon, or just a bowl of Coco Pops. Children up to six years old stay for free when sleeping in parent's bed; under 12s can share a deluxe room in an additional bed at ZAR 350 (£18) a night. For older children there is a two-bedroom family unit, or a cottage across the road.
