The Best Hotel in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town

Despite feeling like it’s an old property given a makeover, this unique hotel on the slopes of Signal Hill was in fact built from scratch, retrofitted with antique windows and doors to bestow a sense of history, and in the process, transformed into a treasure trove of clever ideas and beautiful things collected in faraway places like India and Egypt. Its spaces tell stories, often witty and off-the-wall. The pink velvet sofas and dinosaur prints in the salon are a treat, and the mood music tugs at your heartstrings as you pause at the vintage pictures of Cape Town’s drag queens. Aside from the mood-evoking furniture, fireplaces, and bathtubs, there are sassy wallpapers, artisan fabrics, and loads of books, plus a garden alive with birds and other little creatures that's perfect to get lost in. A stay here really is like being in a movie, yet with nothing fake at all. Below Dorp (which means "town"), there's its annex, Onder Dorp (literally "below town") opened in late 2022 that offers compact and more generous self-catering spaces in much the same vein as the hotel. There’s also an on-site restaurant with a bohemian atmosphere (no liquor, but BYO is fine) that’s open to nonguests (with a reservation).