A few of the Sun Safaris team recently had the privilege to visit the Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel. The hotel first opened its doors in 1899, promising visitors a better hotel experience than London! Complete with hot and cold running water – a first for South Africa! Since then the Mount Nelson has become an icon for Capetonians, with its impressive entrance and “Mount Nelson Pink” walls! The gardens are gorgeous and well tended with sculptures and art works taking pride of place. The rolling green lawn has been host to many a wedding or function as has the ballroom.
This Grand Dame of Cape Town has expanded over the years and now has many room categories in various buildings. The main hotel has rooms that overlook the large heated family pool, lawns and gardens as well as Table Mountain. There are superior and deluxe rooms, junior suites, deluxe junior suites, classic suites and a luxurious presidential suite. All rooms have en-suite bathrooms with a separate shower and bath. There are also Accessible Suites that have been custom built with wide doors, cupboard handles at easy access and the bathrooms have low sinks, handrails and a wide shower area.
The Helmsley House has large and luxurious suites that are perfect for families as there is a sofa bed in the lounge. This is one of the oldest buildings in Cape Town, it used to house a synagogue!
The Mount Nelson Green Park has deluxe rooms, with balconies overlooking a quaint fountain and the city.
The Mount Nelson bought some of the surrounding buildings, some of which were cottages which they have turned into their Garden Cottages. These have individual gardens and overlook the pool that is reserved just for adults.
The second pool is the larger one set in front of the breakfast room on the rolling lawns. This is for everyone to enjoy. There also an awesome kids club, which has video games and computers for the older kids and a great play area complete with a train and filled with activities for the little ones.
Everywhere you look the gardens are beautiful and perfectly manicured. They have planted flowers to create a colour block – whites, pinks, purples. Interspersed are beautiful works of art, statues and fun talking points.
Food is a highlight at the Mount Nelson. Their Planet Bar and Planet Restaurant are well known for some of the best cocktails and food on offer in Cape Town.
High Tea at the Mount Nelson has become a Cape Town Institution, we were served our own three tiered platter of savory food and could help ourselves to the sweets. Each bite was delicious!
Our overall impression of the Mount Nelson: A beautiful hotel that has moved in to current times effortlessly without loosing all the old world charm it is so well known for. We loved all the rooms and the guest areas of the hotel and look forward to sending more and more of our guests there in the future.
