Staying Places: Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa

They had us at the view. Our room wasn’t quite ready at check-in, so we sipped chilled South African bubbly in the Leopard Bar – on the house, of course. The Leopard Bar must be one of the best bars in the world, decorated with leopard print carpeting and gilt-framed pictures of leopards. We sat out on the terrace where sea salt scented the air, gulls perched on the white colonial-style balustrade, enormous waves crashed on the boulders lining this stretch of Atlantic coast, and an orange sun dipped below the horizon. Two glasses of bubbly each later – long after our room was ready – that welcome had set the stage for our stay at the stunning Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa.

The Leopard Bar.

Flanked by iconic Table Mountain and the Twelve Apostles mountain range, the hotel has 70 serene rooms and suites in three, low-rise, white-washed stone buildings, connected by sky-lit walkways. Each is different, but all have creamy marble floors, white louvered window shutters, four-poster king beds with luxurious linens embossed with the hotel’s logo, an in-room Nespresso machine and both winter fleece-lined silk bathrobes and summer cotton robes.

Superior sea-facing room.

Behind the hotel, several private trails wind up the mountain, past cacti and pine trees. Take a picnic basket and enjoy one of the hotel’s scenic picnic spots, complete with stone benches and sun umbrellas. Treat yourself to dinner at the hotel’s Azure restaurant where everything is tantalizing, from the prawn curry and seared tuna to the show-stopping palate cleanser, and even the breakfast buffet – complete with bubbly and oysters – is an affair to linger over. It’s the extraordinary service, however, that really makes this boutique hotel a standout. From sanitized TV remotes (sealed in plastic after each guest use) to smiling staff galore, to free hourly transfers by luxury SUV into Cape Town, the Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa knows how to welcome its guests.

Written by Janice and George Mucalov. Originally published in Cruise & Travel Lifestyles Fall/Winter 2018 issue. All photos courtesy of the Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa.