A luxurious Stay in Cape Town: The Silo Hotel,
When it comes to hotels, repurposing is seriously on-trend.
China’s Alila Y Yangshuo Hotel was a sugar mill. Amsterdam’s Conservatorium Hotel was a bank. Stockholm’s Miss Clara By Nobis is a former private girls’ finishing school. And an abattoir and meat processing plant in Puerto Natales, Chile has been lovingly reimagined into the award-winning and luxurious Singular Patagonia Hotel.
And not to miss out, one of Cape Town, South Africa’s most luxurious stays is this eye-catching hotel, once a grain silo.
The Hotel
Part of what was a battery of 42 grain elevators built in 1924 to export South Africa’s grain, the 5-star Silo Hotel, Cape Town, part of the Royal Portfolio of distinguished properties, sets the standard for luxury Cape Town hotels with a unique history, opening inside a grain tower that had been abandoned in the city centre for 16 years.
Silo Penthouse Bedroom
Located six floors above the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, the 28-room hotel was the vision of Royal Portfolio’s founder Liz Biden. Designed with a bold mix of colors, prints, and textures, the interior is pure eclectic elegance and modern opulence, with African art from the museum decking walls and halls.
Each year, The Silo Hotel collaborates with a different local gallery to highlight two African artists through exhibitions in The Vault, subterranean private art gallery.
Our room exhibited the works of Andrew Putter, Sibley McAdam, Desiree Smith and Storm Thorgernon, who worked a lot with Pink Floyd.
The stylishly and individually decorated guest suites come in six categories, based on room size and views.
The two-storey Duplex Suites are on the sixth and seventh floors, with either mountain or harbour views.
Or splurge on the 200-square-metre, one-bedroom Penthouse where panoramic looks around the city, a dedicated butler, two balconies, and a private study are among the room’s over-the-top amenities.
Dreaming of a bath with a view? You’ve come to the right place. The Superior Deluxe Room 806 has a bathtub commanding an outlook over Cape Town that is “Instagrammably” comparable with the best hotel suites of the world.
One of the most notable features of the Silo Hotel, Cape Town are the 5.5-metre geodesic windows that, depending on your jet lag, might make you feel as if you’ve turned into a human fly. But rest assured, they are just one more thing to love about the Silo Hotel, Cape Town, and offer super-sized, multi-faceted views of the Mother City. You have to crane your head to see Robben Island, but you can’t miss the Atlantic Ocean, Table Bay Harbour, Lion’s Head, or Signal and Table Mountains.
Silo Willaston Bar
The Area
How often do you get to stay in the shadow of one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World? The Silo Hotel, Cape Town delivers with epic views of Table Mountain and location ideal for experiencing the best of Cape Town.
Guests can take a hike up Lion’s Head and the Aerial Cableway to the top of Table Mountain, stroll around the city centre, take in the bustle of Cape Town’s street markets, and explore the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront—Cape Town’s retail and restaurant hub.
The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA), home to Africa’s largest contemporary art collection, found directly beneath the Silo Hotel, Cape Town.
Not to be missed is Robben Island, and a visit to the cell where Nobel Peace Prize Winner and South Africa’s first democratically elected President, Nelson Mandela, was imprisoned for decades.
Rooftop Dining
The Dining
As expected, the Silo Hotel, Cape Town’s dining and drinking options are as impressive as the vistas.
The Silo Rooftop’s al fresco setting serves up spectacular panoramic views of Cape Town as well as light nibbles, South African wine, bubbles and cocktails.
Willaston Bar, named after the SS Willaston, the first ship to export grain from the original silo to Europe , is where guests gather for breakfast, bar snacks, small plates and a range of wine and crafted cocktails, such as the hotel’s signature Rose Ginvino, made with Musgrave pink gin, chenin blanc, lime, grapefruit, rose syrup and egg white.
Book a table for the Granary Café‘s Sunday Brunch, or grab lunch, dinner, or indulge in their decadent Royal Tea.
The walls the Granary Café feature prints from local artist Pierre Vermeulen, aimed to make us reflect on water shortages, droughts and our stressy, worked-up lives. These observations on uptight modern society follow you into the uber-luxurious spa.
The Spa
To shed the angst, alleviate environmental damage, and relieve deep-seated tensions about earning enough money to afford a stay at The Silo Hotel, Cape Town, book a 14-carat-gold face mask, get therapeutically smeared with hydrolized silk and caviar algae, or treat yourself to a golden millet scalp massage at the Silo Spa.
A slew signature treatments and posh packages will meet your specific wellness needs.
The Silo Spa also has a gym, sauna and manicure and pedicure salon.
Silo Penthouse Bathroom
Your face and body, hands and feet, will glowsin a way sorghum never did.
The Takeaway
The Silo Hotel’s design, staff and setting are as beautiful, welcoming and cool as Cape Town itself.
Silo Rooftop View of Table Mountain
BeSeeingYou In: Cape Town
Good to know: All rooms at the Silo Hotel have panoramic views. However, only half of the rooms have a direct view of Table Mountain. The others look out over the harbor. Make your request when booking.
WOW! Factor: The free-standing bath tubs next to double-storey windows framing to-die-for views of Cape Town.
Tip: When you book with Virtuoso you get some nice VIP perks, such as a room upgrade (if available), daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, and $100 USD food & beverage credit. Or a $100 USD donation to the philanthropic conservation and sustainability projects of The Royal Portfolio Foundation.
