Sarah Kingdom stays at the Tree House Boutique Hotel in Cape Town and discovers a property with character, thoughtful design and personal service, in a great location.
In a city where hospitality options range from polished international brands and grand properties to Airbnb and backpackers, The Tree House Boutique Hotel in Cape Town’s Green Point, offers something different. The hotel is part of The Living Journey Collection, a small, privately owned portfolio of eight properties, each located within a two-hour drive of the city.
The collection is the work of Friedrich and Lorraine Schaefer, international hoteliers whose careers began in New York in the late 1980s. At a time when large luxury hotels were defined by exacting standards and service, Friedrich worked at The Westbury, while Lorraine was part of the team at Plaza Athénée.
Those formative years left a lasting impression on the pair, but rather than replicate that model on South African soil, the Schaefers set about creating something more personal. Their aim was to build hotels that retained professionalism, while allowing warmth, individuality and local character to take centre stage. The Living Journey Collection reflects that thinking, favouring small-scale properties where consistency and care can are delivered, without any unnecessary over formality.
Location
The Tree House Boutique Hotel, set on a rise in the residential neighbourhood of Green Point, has that perfect balance between accessibility and tranquillity. It’s not in the tourist chaos of the V&A Waterfront, but it’s also not isolated in the distant suburbs. Green Point with its tree lined streets, café’s with pavement seating, and joggers everywhere, is a neighbourhood that balances residential calm with easy access to Cape Town’s main attractions. The V&A Waterfront, Sea Point promenade and the city stadium are all a short walk away, while the area itself has a strong local dining and café scene.
Slightly elevated from the street and surrounded by established trees (that give the hotel its name), from the street all you can sense is that this isn’t just another city hotel. There’s a real sense of separation without isolation, of a retreat tucked into the canopy. The Tree House is a genuine urban base that doesn’t feel at all like the inner city, and with just fourteen rooms, it operates on a human scale that allows for detail, attentiveness and atmosphere.
Design and Accommodation
Public spaces at Tree House are compact but carefully composed. Natural light plays a central role, with large windows and open sightlines creating a sense of flow between the lounge, terrace and pool area. The pool is surrounded by loungers and tropical plants, giving an intimate courtyard atmosphere. The interiors are contemporary without leaning heavily on trends, using contemporary furniture, neutral tones, warm woods and textured finishes and proper artwork on the walls, rather than generic hotel prints.
Guest rooms continue this restrained approach. They are well proportioned, comfortable and practical, with layouts that prioritise ease rather than excess. Beds are generous and comfortable, bathrooms modern and well maintained, and the overall feel is calm and uncluttered. Views vary depending on room position, with outlooks across the garden, pool, city or towards the mountain. Sound insulation and lighting are well handled, contributing to a sense of privacy and restfulness.
Breakfast and Daily Rhythm
Breakfast at The Tree House Boutique Hotel is included in your stay and reflects the collection’s broader commitment to quality without overstatement. The breakfast area overlooks the pool with natural light flooding through large windows.
Breakfast itself combines an à la carte menu combined with a ‘help yourself’ continental buffet selection that includes fresh fruit, baked goods and cereals. Hot dishes are cooked to order, think eggs any style, pancakes, French toast. Eggs Benedict was a highlight – perfectly poached eggs, quality ham, proper hollandaise sauce that tasted homemade, served with crispy hash browns and grilled tomatoes. Coffee here is taken seriously. It arrived strong and hot and was refilled attentively.
Breakfast exceeded expectations. This was not merely “OK for included hotel breakfast” but rather was genuinely excellent, one of the best included hotel breakfasts I’ve experienced.
Later in the afternoon, the hotel offers tea, coffee and a freshly prepared cake or light snack. It is a small gesture, but one that makes you feel welcome.
Evenings and Shared Spaces
Evenings at Tree House Boutique Hotel are intentionally low-key. The bar offers a concise selection of wines, spirits and cocktails, served in the lounge or on the terrace overlooking the pool. There is no attempt to create a destination bar; instead, the focus is on providing a comfortable setting to unwind after a day in the city. Guests are encouraged to explore Cape Town’s dining scene, with staff readily offering recommendations and assistance with reservations.
Spa and Wellbeing
The hotel’s spa facilities are modest but all you really need. Treatments focus on massage and restorative therapies, delivered either in the spa rooms or in guests’ rooms if preferred. The experience is calm and unembellished, aligning with the hotel’s broader emphasis on function and care rather than spectacle.
A Considered City Stay
The Tree House Boutique Hotel succeeds by remaining true to its scale and purpose. It does not attempt to compete with large luxury hotels, but instead offers an attentive city stay. The influence of its owners is evident not through branding, but through the confidence and friendliness of the team delivering it. The staff seem to genuinely want to help you have a great Cape Town experience, and their local knowledge is on par or better than any guidebook.
The Living Journey Collection Beyond Cape Town
The hotel is part of The Living Journey Collection, a small portfolio of eight independent properties clustered within a two-hour drive of Cape Town, each shaped by a shared philosophy rather than a uniform style.
Zest Boutique Hotel, the Tree House’s sister hotel in Green Point, offers a contemporary and colourful city stay. Beyond Cape Town, One Marine Drive, in the seaside town of Hermanus, looks out over Walker Bay and is a great base for coastal exploration and whale watching. In the wine area of Franschhoek, Chapter House occupies a restored heritage building with deep historical roots, and nearby Plumwood Boutique Hotel offers a quieter, more nature-focused alternative.
The Robertson Small Hotel is found in the rural setting of the Breede River Valley, while River Manor Boutique Hotel is a classic base in Stellenbosch. The collection’s most recent addition, Majeka House, also in Stellenbosch, is larger and more eclectic, with a long-established spa and great proximity to leading wine estates.
Across these varied locations, the collection maintains a consistent approach: strong breakfasts, light menus, encouragement to dine locally, and hotels that feel invested in their locations and communities, rather than set apart from them.
If you want a big luxury hotel with all the corporate polish and scale that implies, then the Tree House Boutique Hotel isn’t for you. But if you’re looking for genuine character, thoughtful design, personal service, great food, and a location that’s central and restful, this property excels.
Tell me more about the Tree House Boutique Hotel
Tree House Boutique Hotel, 28 Vesperdene Road, Green Point, Cape Town South Africa.
T:+2721439929 E:info@thetreehouseboutiquehotel.co.za or reservations@thelivingjourneycollection.co.za
Rates: Summer (until 31 March’26) from £250/$335 per room, including breakfast.
Winter (1 April – Sept ’26) from £170/$230 per room, including breakfast
