Protea Hotel by Marriott Cape Town North Wharf

Zilungile and her team made us feel welcome throughout our two-week stay. The staff were fabulous, breakfast was very good, and we felt safe in the area. We could walk to plenty of shops and bars. Our one-bedroom apartment had USB chargers by both bedside tables and plenty of other charging points. The hotel is a little dated, but its location and staff more than made up for that. We had a very good stay, and it suited what we needed.

The location was handy for both the city bowl and the waterfront, and the restaurant staff were pleasant. But when I struggled with my luggage and parking, the porter just watched while looking at his phone. The air conditioning stopped working for two days. I had to sleep with the balcony doors open, which meant lots of mosquito bites, a strong fish smell presumably from the nearby port, and noisy vehicles all night.

The staff were kind and understanding, but I left after showering and booked the Westin a block away. We could see it from the balcony, and moving there was the right decision for us, even though I lost three nights of points. By comparison, the Westin was top notch for food, rooms, the lobby, and service. I’d recommend it, especially for Marriott status members, since it has an executive lounge. Frequent international travelers expecting Marriott standards should look elsewhere. This hotel felt like a run-down hostel. The small, tired lobby and a room notice saying dinner was no longer served in the restaurant were part of the problem. There were universal outlets by the couch but no plugs near the bed, so charging a phone or watch or running a CPAP machine was impossible. Guests in the next room smoked cannabis, and the smell came through the vents and under the door. There were no chairs on the balcony, so we couldn’t enjoy it. We booked about a month before the trip. I asked the staff to use my points for the first night and refund nights two and three, but they said I had to do that in the app. The app denied it, and after I called and messaged the hotel directly, I was told they would keep points for the whole stay. I was fine paying for one night, but not all of them. Maybe the large rooms, kitchenette, and laundry suit long stays, but that wasn’t enough for us.

The staff were polite, friendly, and gave excellent service. They accommodated our birthday request during the stay, and breakfast was brilliant. The rooftop pool was a nice place to cool off in the summer heat. It’s in a good spot between the CBD and the waterfront, around a 20-minute walk to the V&A shopping area.