04 February 2014

{Cape Town}: The Grand Daddy Hotel

Cape Town has always been a city that's quick to conjure up feelings of nostalgia for Jurgen and I.  We met there, went on our first date there, said many tearful goodbyes at the airport there, and had just as many warm reunions there after spending months apart.  We've developed our own favorite cafes, running paths, coffee shops, and cocktail bars.  We know just the spot if you're looking for the best Kurdish cuisine in town, and we can tell you exactly how to avoid the crowds that tend to flock towards Table Mountain.

In short, Cape Town feels like home.


... Which is exactly why we've made it a tradition to spend a night or two in the city whenever we find ourselves in the area visiting friends or family.

On our last trip, I was thrilled when Jurgen recommended that we book ourselves into the incredibly swanky Grand Daddy Hotel.  Arguably Cape Town's trendiest place to get some zzz's, the Grand Daddy's been sitting towards the top of our list for awhile now and is renowned for it's upmarket Afro-centric decor as well as the famed airstream trailer park and sky bar that sit on its roof.

Located on Long Street, the hotel is perfectly situated in the equivalent of Cape Town's Soho district.  Virtually any university student or young professional will flock to this part of town on the weekends, as it's home to a host of popular bars (my favorite of which is The Dubliner) and restaurants.  While a number of backpackers are located on Long Street, to my knowledge, the Grand Daddy is the area's only boutique hotel.  This makes it especially appealing to mid twenty and thirty year olds like myself, who are still drawn to the allure of Long Street, yet aim to avoid the once-cherished joys of bunking with drunk strangers.

Although the airstream trailer park was fully booked over the weekend of our stay, we still loved all of the little touches that made our room feel uniquely African.  The lamps were my personal favorite, with major South African cities outlined around their perimeter, and the headboard also stood out with its vibrant African pattern.  Even the mini shampoos and conditioners were locally produced.  Add to this a fantastic city view and our borderline obsession with the historic elevator in the lobby and you are left with two very happy Jo'burgers.




For all twenty'ish to forty'ish travelers planning a visit to Cape Town {especially if this will be your first time in the city}, the Grand Daddy is pretty hard to beat in terms of its rates, location, and overall vibe.  The hotel is within walking distance of a ton of major city attractions and also offers a daily shuttle to and from the Waterfront free of charge.  The Sky Bar is ideal for evening sundowners and the hotel even hosts frequent rooftop movie nights at their Pink Flamingo Cinema.  Awesome, right!?

What's the trendiest // quirkiest hotel you've ever stayed in?

By the numbers:

Room rates: R1,410-R2,200 ($125-$200) per room per night
Airstream Trailer Park: R1,410-R2,500 ($125-$225) per trailer per night
Breakfast: Included in the above rate
Wifi: Included in the above rate
Waterfront Shuttle: Included in the above rate

To book a stay at The Grand Daddy Hotel, see here.
For other accommodation in the area, see here.

37 comments:

  1. Love the decor of this hotel! This past summer we went to Napa Valley and splurged on a hotel that was amazing. I felt like am princess with a huge room, the biggest shower I have ever seen and a bathtub that was the size of a hot tub! So fun to get to stay in hotels like that.

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    1. Every once in awhile it is so worthwhile to splurge on a nice hotel!... and Napa is a pretty spectacular place to do it :)

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  2. An airstream trailer park?! How cool is that!! What a fun place to stay. Looks amazing!

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    1. So cool! And each one has a completely different theme :) I'm hoping they'll have availability next time were in Cape Town.

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    1. This place totally has your name written all over it!

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  4. what a cool place!! i love the decor (and your tank!) stop by, im hosting a giveaway for a good cause! xo jillian - cornflake dreams

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    1. The decor is so different from anywhere we've ever stayed before, I love that they've given it a touch of African flair! And thanks about the tank... Jurgen actually got it for me so credit goes to him ;)

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  5. What a great place to stay!

    Louisa @ My Family & Abruzzo

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    1. It was really wonderful! It's always nice to stay somewhere new that has a bit of uniqueness to it.

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  6. I am dying to visit Cape Town!! It seems mysterious and magical in my head for some reason :) More photos??

    xo Elle

    https://itsaromanthing.wordpress.com/

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    1. You should definitely visit... I don't think that I've ever met anyone who's been disappointed after a trip to South Africa. And you hit the nail on the head... Cape Town is absolutely magical :)

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  7. Wow, this place looks great! I don't usually splurge on accommodation (well, not like I have any money to splurge if I wanted to), but this looks well worth it! I will keep this in mind should I ever visit Cape Town - and I must! ;)

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    1. This place is definitely worth a splurge because it's so much more than your basic hotel. I wish they would have had one of their rooftop movie nights happening while we were there... I would have been on that!

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  8. Oh my goodness, this place looks so fun! I would LOVE to spend the night in one of those airstream trailers. So different, but so sweet :) Hope you had fun Jenna! xoxo

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    1. I know, right!? I was really surprised when I realized that they're the same price as the rooms. I thought they'd be way more since I'm sure everyone always wants to stay in them. The other cool thing is that they're each individually themed. I was able to peak in one while we were there :)

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    1. Amazing, right!? I mean, who had the brilliance to come up with the concept in the first place? And after they did, how in the world did they get the trailers on the roof? Regardless of the answer I absolutely love it!

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  10. What a cool place, the airstream park is so unique! Love it!

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    1. Isn't it!? I can't imagine that there's anything else in the world quite like it! And I think it is so amazing that you're in the process of adopting from the Durban area :) Any indication of when you guys will be in SA?

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    2. Right now we've just been told it will be sometime this year. Should probably be within the next six months but it's hard to know exactly.

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    1. The coolest! At some point I was actually worried that Jurgen was going to try to steal it ;)

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  12. I've been wanting to stay here for the longest time! It looks lovely!

    Arum Lilea

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    1. You definitely need too! One of the coolest places we've ever stayed :)

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  13. Wow what a cool hotel. I would be sold by their welcome area. Looks so awesome! I love how that city holds so much sentimental value to you both too. x

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    1. Me too! It's a great city to have as "ours" because there's so much to do. Who knows, maybe we'll move back one day in the not too distant future ;)

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  14. I remember walking by The Grand Daddy & thinking it looked cool. We stayed not far from there in Bo Kaap at Rouge on Rose - to date, it's still one of the best boutique hotels we've stayed in mostly because the owners were just so fantastic & helpful. We keep vowing to go back one day!

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    1. I'll have to check out Rouge on Rose next time were in Cape Town. Thanks for the tip!

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  15. That hotel is definitely my kind of place! It reminds me of Mama Shelter :)

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    1. You would love it! It definitely has the same sort of vibe as Mama Shelter - spot on.

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  16. That hotel looks amazing! I've got to get to South Africa ASAP!

    Ps. I am hosting a giveaway today through the weekend if you want to enter :)

    http://www.aandbctheworld.com

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  17. What a funky cool hotel room at a great price!

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  18. you stay in such glam and personable places! (can places be personable? I think so.)

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  19. I have to say...your posts about South Africa make it seem more and more like an UNMISSABLE place to see! :) can't wait to see more!

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  20. Oh my gosh Jenna this place looks great!! Thank you for sharing :)

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  21. I would like to appreciate your work and would like to tell to my friends.
    rooftop bar johannesburg

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Thanks for the love!