Sea Castle Hotel Camps Bay

The sea views from room 3 were amazing, and we enjoyed having drinks on the balcony. The pool area was nice too, and the hotel is well placed for the beach and the main strip in camps bay. But the breakfast was poor. My boyfriend got food poisoning from the shakshouka on day one, started feeling ill in the early afternoon, and was stuck in bed for the rest of the trip. It left the end of our holiday a total downer because we couldn’t do anything. I emailed the hotel to raise the concern so other guests wouldn’t fall ill, but got no reply. There’s no phone in the room, and I often couldn’t find anyone at reception to speak with. We’d spent two weeks staying in and around Cape Town and loved SA, its people and country, so it was a shame to finish on a low. We’d paid quite a lot for three nights and had high expectations. Water from the mini fridge was very expensive. My partner was so unwell he needed it often, and at checkout we found that 4/5 bottles of water and a gin and tonic cost £17. At our other hotels, staff would chat with us, ask about our day and plans, and offer great recommendations. Here, nobody spoke to us once. We later discovered the sauna and shower by the pool ourselves, since no one showed us the hotel facilities. We also had to figure out how to use the gate to get in and out of the hotel on the way down to the beach. If you’re considering camps bay, I’d look at another hotel. There are amazing places around, and given what we paid, we won’t be returning.

I loved my stay. Room 3 sits just over the pool and has such a nice ocean view. The staff were very friendly, and there’s easy beach access through the gate below the pool.

We had a sea-view room with a balcony, and all these photos were taken from it. The rooms were very clean, and the staff were lovely and gave great service.

The location is good and breakfast was good too. I paid extra for a room facing the sea and pool, but got one beside the pool. You could see the sea, though people around the pool meant there was no privacy and we had to keep the curtains shut. The bathroom had no ventilation. It wasn’t awful, but there are better options, and I’m not sure it was worth the money.