Brian Berkman finds the Capital Mirage hybrid apart-hotel merges the benefits of staying in a hotel and an apartment.
A multi-use property development in Cape Town’s De Waterkant area, directly on the edge of the city and the gateway to the Atlantic Seaboard suburbs, brings together the benefits of staying in an hotel and self-catering apartment.
Capital Mirage hybrid apart-hotel is very competitively priced considering the top-quality furnishings and fittings on offer.
A fully equipped kitchen, washing machine and clothes dryer in all the rooms and apartments gives guests the freedom to look after themselves if they want to. Hotel staff are also available to handle guest laundry.
There are two excellent and independently operated restaurants in the building and many more only a few paces away.
The Utopia Restaurant on the 15th floor offers a roof terrace and floor-to-ceiling windows that deliver a 360-degree view over the city bowl and onwards to Table Mountain, Lions Head Mountain and Table Bay.
With a menu offering grilled octopus to start at (£7) or roasted Norwegian salmon with sautéed spinach and potato puree (£13) Utopia is recommended for its cuisine as much as its view.
The Cattle Baron, a well-known grill-house franchise, is on the ground-floor level of the hotel, immediately adjacent to the reception desk. The Cattle Baron also provides the room-service option from a well-priced menu and only a £1 tray charge, among the most affordable of room-service tray
Best known for their steak grills and burgers, a combination of chicken wings and pork ribs is recommended and costs (£12) while a sensational New-York style baked cheesecake, large enough to share or as a meal on its own, is £3.80.
While the room did not come with a Nespresso machine, a call down to housekeeping provided one. And, neither robes nor slippers were automatically provided, but I’m told, these are also available upon request. The lesson here is to dial nine and to ask for what you want. You will find the reception staff permanently cheerful and itching to help.
The hotel breakfast comes as a credit available in the adjacent street at Origin, a coffee roaster that was at the forefront of the barista-made and in-house premium roasted coffee revolution in the Western Cape. With every imaginable coffee beverage and a list of special teas almost as long, Origin is an aficionado’s choice.
Their food menu, from breakfast pastries to a perfectly spiced Shakshuka with soft poached eggs (£5.60) including the option of Merguez beef meatballs or grilled halloumi cheese is excellent. More substantial dishes for all-day grazing span the culinary universe with stops in Vietnam, Korea, Montreal, and Morocco.
At night, a pop-up, Cafe Noir, with a sophisticated small-plates menu, signature cocktails and craft beers, is operated.
Capital Mirage hybrid apart-hotel is on two floors of the building with the other floors occupied by owners and tenants. Each hotel floor also has a communal sitting area with local magazines and the newspaper of the day. There is a small gym on the parking level.
High-end retail in the foyer is as varied as one of the city’s best-known art deco dealers, Burr & Muir Antiques, to bespoke eyewear at Oculus. Loading Bay, directly adjacent to Origin sells the Australian brand Aesop, luxury perfumes and curated fashion. There is an independently operated spa in the hotel foyer too.
The V&A Waterfront is easily accessed by foot, a mile and a half away and easier still by Uber or using shared mini-bus taxis or MyCiti rapid busses all of which have pick-up points very close to the hotel.
Capital Mirage hybrid apart-hotel rooms are decorated in smart greys, have a comfortable couch, work desk or make-up station with good natural and task lighting and a large mirror. Room 220, a Luxury Studio category room, has a Juliet balcony. Beds are king-sized or configured as twin beds.
A drawback for light sleepers is that the frosted window that separates the bedroom from the well-appointed bathroom lets light escape which may wake you.
A powerful rain shower, large tub, single basin, loo, and extractor fan are provided. All rooms are individually air-conditioned, and the kitchen includes a full-sized fridge, flat-top electric hob, extractor, and built-in oven. Kettle and toaster and cooking and dining accoutrements are included but cleaning materials and laundry detergent are only on request.
For self-catering shopping, there is an excellent SPAR in the Cape Quarter Mall, very close by, and all supermarkets are available at the V&A Waterfront too.
Tell Me More About Capital Mirage hybrid apart-hotel in Cape Town
The Capital Mirage apart-hotel 40 Chiappini St, De Waterkant, Cape Town, South Africa.
T:+27 (0) 21 200 5100. E: mirage@thecapital.co.za
On Saturday, September 3, 2022 a room-only rate for a Luxury Studio apartment will cost £81 including your 15% La Famiglia loyalty-program discount.
