Cape Town’s foreshore district is in the midst of a renaissance, as tired office blocks and dusty car dealerships give way to glitzy new towers offering mixed-use urban living with a splash of glamour. While building continues at pace, The Rockefeller threw open the doors in time for peak summer season, and offers a deliciously urban escape in the belly of the Mother City. For your next city break or workation, look no further.

Location

Set in an exciting new district of downtown Cape Town, The Rockefeller is just around the corner from the Artscape cultural hub, and a five-minute drive to the buzzy restaurants of Bree Street. If you’re working, it’s equally an easy walk into the business district, as well as to the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The V&A Waterfront is a 15-minute stroll, or a short Uber, away, and when the Harbour Arch precinct is developed across the road it’ll have even more shops and restaurants on the doorstep. 

Have a bite

Not that you’ll need to leave, of course. Savvy restaurateur Michael Townsend is behind the food and beverage offering at The Rockefeller, and he’s turned the hotel dining experience into something of a destination. Dubbed the Rockefeller Plaza, the ground-floor restaurant is an all-day affair, offering a compact a la carte menu built on a foundation of bistro staples. The truffled gnocchi with roasted butternut and clouds of shaved parmesan is particularly good. Too hot rich for summer dining? Look no further than the sushi menu, best enjoyed at the blonde-wood sushi bar to one side.

Suite dreams

The Rockefeller is no small property. The entire development stretches across 18 floors to nearly 400 suites and self-catering apartments that can be booked, bought or leased. For semigrants and corporate travellers an apartment makes perfect sense, while weekenders will be happiest in the City Rooms. Decorated in a sleek international aesthetic by Henro Goosen of Source Interior Brand Architecture luxury touches abound, from plush Gonzenhauser carpets to Ben Sherman amenities. Ask for a higher-floor to best enjoy the views.

Get some work done

Alongside the hotel’s larger conference and event spaces, one floor above reception delivers you into the hotel’s sleek on-site co-working space, a collaboration with the respected Ideas Cartel. Here you’ll find a stylish office-away-from-office, with anything from open-plan desks to fully equipped offices for short hires. Perfect for gathering remote teams around the table for a day of face-to-face.

Up on the roof

While the marble bar at Rockefeller Plaza is already a fine spot for a pre-dinner – or pre-theatre – martini, in a few months the cocktail action will move upstairs with the opening of a chic new rooftop. Designed by award-winning interior architect Tristan du Plessis, the space will boast a destination cocktail bar and all-weather plunge pool, both offering jaw-dropping city, sea and mountain views. Seats at the bar will, no doubt, be hard to come by.

First published in Wanted Online.