Taj Cape Town

There’s no real shortage of opulence scattered across the Cape Town luxury-hotel scene, but there’s a respectably large amount of it concentrated under one roof, in a convenient location near the financial center and at the head of the city center’s pedestrian district, St. George’s Mall. This is the Taj Cape Town — and the Taj group, frankly, is getting closer and closer to becoming the sort of operation where the name and the location alone provide a fairly complete picture of the product on offer.

Until that time, however, we’ll be happy to elaborate. This former bank building retains its classic facade, while a new tower addition extends its capacity several stories upward. Rooms vary a bit in style, from the classic Heritage rooms to the slightly more contemporary Tower and Club rooms and suites. The result is a hotel which, though it may not stretch any of the boundaries of modern interior design, is very much at the leading edge of contemporary high-end hospitality.

Not just in the rooms either. The Jiva Spa is a solid offering, encompassing hammams, vitality pools and six treatment rooms, as well as a fitness center and a heated indoor pool. Two and a half restaurants complete the package: the mod-international Mint, the Indian-themed Bombay Brasserie, and The Twankey, the Taj’s champagne and oyster bar.