Cape Town -
Winchester Mansions in Sea Point has a gorgeous beachfront location, and if we were to make a list of things you must do in Cape Town, sundowners on the terrace would be on it. As beautiful as that is, one of my favourite features of the hotel is its courtyard.
Unless you venture inside, or are staying at the hotel, you won’t necessarily know it’s there. The rooms surround it, opening out on to covered passageways with arches draped in bright magenta bougainvillea and looking down on palm trees and a riot of foliage, bringing to mind New Orleans or Morocco. A central fountain is surrounded by tables and chairs where you can take lunch or dinner, and on Sundays from 11am till 2pm, enjoy a lavish jazz brunch buffet.
This weekly event is hugely popular; when I spent the weekend there and came downstairs to join my group, there was a heaving queue at the entrance, jostling to get inside and have a go at the spread of food. In brunch style, it includes both breakfast and lunch dishes, ranging from eggs and bacon, to sushi, salads, a carvery, and desserts. A glass of bubbly and a newspaper are included in the R270 deal, while musicians play jazz.
The line-up for the rest of the month is the Gary Deacon Band featuring Willie van Zyl on May 24, and the Richard Ceasar Band featuring Gary Kriel on May 30. If you want to plan further ahead, have a look at the website below.
The bar terrace in front of the hotel is great for lunch, afternoon tea, or drinks, and offers a menu of snacks, cakes and light meals. I recommend the flammkuchen, which for some reason should not be confused with pizza although it’s pretty much the same thing – a dough, in this case rolled into a rectangle – and topped with cream cheese instead of mozzarella. With lots of bacon, sour cream, and red onions, it’s big enough for two to share over a bottle of wine and costs just R48. The other option is spinach, feta, onions and sundried tomatoes.
The hotel has 51 rooms and 25 suites, with either sea or mountain views. Mine was the former, and had what they called a “sun lounge”, a separate room with a plump sofa, a coffee table, and big windows which opened up so I could lean out and look at the ocean. When I woke up in the morning it happened to be shrouded in cool grey, as announced by the mournful cry of the fog horns. Across the road, barely visible, a man sat on a bench feeding seagulls, and cyclists in their silly outfits whizzed by.
No smoking is allowed in the rooms (there are chairs and tables with ashtrays and orchids dotted along the corridors for this purpose) and a R900 cleaning fee will be charged should you break this rule. There is wifi throughout the hotel, which has a sun deck and heated pool, as well as a spa. Harveys is a bistro by day, restaurant by night, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It hosts monthly “3G” evenings – formerly known as Grapes, Gourmet and Gallery – which combine food, wine and art.
l For information and bookings, call 021 434 2351, e-mail [email protected], or go to www.winchester.co.za
Weekend Argus