The List

Mount Nelson
Mount Nelson
Mount Nelson

34

Mount Nelson

Cape Town

Cape Town’s legendary Pink Lady

The backstory: Cape Town's grande dame, the Mount Nelson, affectionately known as 'The Nellie' or 'Pink Lady', opened in 1899 as a base for the first-class passengers of the transatlantic Union Castle Line. In the centuries that followed, it served as the British headquarters in the South Africa War, welcoming Winston Churchill and Lord Kitchener and the British Prince of Wales in 1925, when 80 Canary Islands date palms were planted as a guard of honour. It got its now-signature rosy hue, which is its own Pantone shade, in 1918 when a jubilant general manager celebrated the end of the Great War.

What's the appeal? Mount Nelson is a Cape Town institution that draws couples in the Planet Bar, families at the poolside and multi-generational groups for afternoon tea – famously described as the best in Africa. Under Belmond ownership, the historically overwhelmingly British clientele is seeing a shaking up, thanks to its newfound focus on the local market and international creatives. New initiatives include replacing historic oil paintings with emerging African artists and a cool chef partnership. Despite its grand credentials, service is far from stuffy and light-hearted and personality filled.

Range of lodgings: Rooms and suites are as diverse as the hotel's past, housed in six unique locations. The historic main building room comes with charmingly crooked floorboards and soaring, sconced ceilings, while the newer Green Park wing boasts gilded mega suites and the butter-hued 'Helmsley Annex', which was originally a separate hotel for second-class passengers. The most charming spaces to sleep are the garden cottages: historic staff bungalows with white picket fences and private rose gardens.

More on the dining: Guests come from all over the Cape for the legendary afternoon tea, which is booked up months in advance and steeped in period splendour. Spilling from an oak-panelled reception room to an orangery and terrace, it neighbours the Planet Bar – the spot for classic cocktails in Cape Town. As the first new opening for more than a decade, The Red Room, in collaboration with local star chef Liam Tomlin (of The 50 Discovery-listed Chefs Warehouse acclaim), serves pan-Asian cuisine in the hotel's old subterranean Grill Room.

Exploring the grounds: Thanks to its age, it has the unique benefit of owning nine acres of gardens in the city centre. There are two swimming pools – complete with frolicking Egyptian geese – tennis courts, a spa pavilion, rose gardens and shaded lawns, where guests can enjoy picnics under the trees.

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