Georgia Boscawen discovers how Ellerman House, a Relais & Châteaux hotel, has maintained its sky-high reputation for more than 30 years and continues to keep us interested...
The best way to find a hotel in Cape Town is to look for intimate little sanctuaries in the city, i.e., somewhere that feels private yet remains close to restaurants and beaches. Admittedly, this is a foolproof method in any city, but Cape Town is especially well-suited to it, as it’s filled with many small hotels that offer incredible service.
For this, Ellerman House, the Relais & Châteaux Edwardian mansion sitting high above Bantry Bay, has gained a gleaming reputation. With just 13 rooms and suites, plus two private villas, it fits into the ‘smaller’ category of hotels, but it has enough space to cater for more than double its capacity across acres of terraced lawns, drawing rooms and two restaurants. For the first couple of days, you can bank on getting a little lost on the way back to your room via the labyrinth of corridors, though it’s a welcome mistake, with walls filled with an exceptional art collection and drawing rooms with roaring fires, stocked with backgammon and board games.
After a swift exit from the car, we are whisked to the Ellerman House Suite, the hotel’s answer to a penthouse, and skip any kind of conventional check-in (which the hotel deliberately forgoes to help guests feel at home). Soon, the large double doors to the suite open before us, leading straight into a living room flooded with natural light. It’s the kind of suite that you could stay in all day, with large sofas, a glass dining table (that could easily fit eight), two bathrooms and floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open out onto a private terrace.
Built in 1906, Ellerman House is a Cape Edwardian mansion painted in cream and white, with broad verandas and elegant proportions. It’s a discreet hideaway at the back, though on the Atlantic Seaboard’s Kloof Road, with tall walls and an inconspicuous entrance. It may be high up on the hill, but Ellerman House is only minutes from Cape Town’s highlights, including Camps Bay, Clifton, and the V&A Waterfront.
Since Ellerman House opened in 1992, it has always been recommended as one of Cape Town’s best hotels, but it’s a little different now, following a 2024 refurbishment that saw upgrades to the rooms, spa and social spaces. This is my first visit, but it’s clear the refurb hasn’t taken away any of the magic – it has a real air of authenticity, most noticeably in the service, views, food and art collection. In the evening, guests are invited to a cocktail hour on the terrace accompanied by live music. Guests can also opt for a private tour of the art collection, or roam around the halls before the pictorial historians of the mid-19th Century.
Most recently, Ellerman House introduced Curate, its new fine-dining restaurant showcasing the best South African fare, featuring an impressive multi-course tasting menu by head chef Kieran Whyte. This is also where the hotel keeps its 10,000-bottle wine collection, many of which are housed in a huge carbon fibre spiral – the restaurant’s centrepiece.
In the morning, trays of tropical fruit, warm pastries, and eggs are magically delivered to our terrace (via the other exterior entrance), which is bathed in morning sun. I can see waves smashing into the rocks at Saunders' Rocks Beach at the bottom of Bantry Bay (one of the most enviable places to spend an afternoon in Cape Town), as well as some of Ellerman House’s outdoor art collection, which is strewn around the property. It’s enough food to take us through to dinner, but those who need a little something to snack on throughout the day can help themselves to the baked goods, crisps and drinks at The Pantry, which feels a bit like sneaking into your grandparents’ larder to steal sweets.
It’s easy to see why Ellerman House has retained its sky-high reputation. Guests are well and truly looked after, and there is always something exciting to look forward to here, be it dinner or a massage.