The Onyx Hotel

The Arrival

The Onyx Hotel brings a sleek, contemporary calm to the centre of Cape Town, and a family feels the ease of it at once. Polished surfaces, modern furnishings and spacious rooms with clean, comfortable beds make for a stylish yet thoroughly practical base near the city's key attractions. Guests describe a pleasant atmosphere, exceptional service and a great location, and the generous room layouts, along with access to pool or gym, suit families particularly well. The friendliness of the staff, praised again and again, helps smooth the logistics that fill a Cape Town visit — the day trips up Table Mountain, the excursions to the beaches and the Waterfront. It is a design-minded, relaxed and welcoming base in a city of extraordinary natural drama: somewhere to come home to, sleek and sunlit, with the great mountain filling the skyline beyond the window.

A Day in the Life

The Onyx's central position makes Cape Town's headline experiences easy to reach. The V&A Waterfront, with its harbour, its shops and its acclaimed aquarium, lies a short hop away; the cableway up Table Mountain — the city's unmissable ascent to one of the planet's great views — is within easy reach; and the leafy Company's Garden, with its oak avenues, squirrels, museums and planetarium, offers a green, central refuge for children. The friendly staff are well placed to help arrange the day trips that define a Cape Town stay, from the mountain to the beaches of Camps Bay and Clifton. Days here blend the natural and the urban — a morning on the mountain or at the aquarium, an afternoon by the pool, an evening in the city — with a stylish, comfortable base, and the staff's warmth, smoothing the way throughout.

The Rooms

The rooms are spacious and modern, with clean lines, polished surfaces and very comfortable beds — a sleek, contemporary aesthetic that appeals to design-minded parents and a generosity of layout that suits families. Access to pool or gym adds to the appeal, giving children an outlet and parents a path to recovery after days of mountain-climbing and exploring. It is a calm, stylish retreat in the heart of the city, exactly the sort of base a family is happy to return to.

The Table

A good breakfast sets a family up for a day of excursions, and the central setting puts an enormous range of family-friendly dining within reach — the restaurants of the city centre, and the abundant options of the nearby V&A Waterfront. The friendly service extends to helping a family find its feet among the city's culinary riches.

Beyond the Doors

The Onyx sits in central Cape Town, with the V&A Waterfront, the Company's Garden and the Table Mountain cableway all within easy reach.

• V&A WaterfrontShort drive

  A buzzing harbour district of shops, restaurants, a big wheel and the acclaimed Two Oceans Aquarium — a guaranteed family day, a short hop away.

• Table Mountain Cableway15 min drive

  The rotating cable car to the flat summit and one of the planet's great views — go early before the cloud rolls in.

• Company's Garden8 min walk

  A leafy central park with oak avenues, squirrels, museums and a planetarium — a green, child-friendly refuge in the city.

• Camps Bay & Clifton beaches15 min drive

  The city's glamorous Atlantic beaches, with a tidal pool and golden sands — a short scenic drive over the mountain's shoulder.

Why You'll Remember It

The Onyx sells sleek, sunlit ease — a stylish, spacious, welcoming base in the heart of a city of mountains and sea. The memory it leaves is calm and bright: the comfortable modern rooms, the warm and helpful staff, the great mountain filling the skyline, and the easy days out to the aquarium, the beaches and the summit, all anchored by a hotel that made a dramatic city feel effortless.

The Practicalities

Exceptional service in a calm, design-minded setting.