When visiting Cape Town, there are plenty of choices of where to stay and ultimately it depends on what you’re here for and what type of experience you want to have. You may be after a peaceful Winelands escape, a rustic country retreat or perhaps an energetic, heart-of-the-city kind of stay. At Vib® Hotel (pronounced Vibe) you’re in for a slick urban stay with technology and convenience at your fingertips.

The Location

The hotel, set on Greenpoint Main Road, is a brand new 76-roomed establishment, aiming to provide a convenient, centrally located spot for travellers on the go. The rooms are on the small side, but are purposely designed to give a traveller exactly what you need and nothing that you don’t, which helps keep the cost of your stay within a reasonable range. Stylish but budget-friendly travel is where it’s at right now. It’s ideal for young sightseers, those in the city on business and guests who want a fuss-free leisure staycation. We recently visited to check out the facilities.

The Rooms

Our room on the third floor overlooked Main Road, the Greenpoint Park and out over towards the Atlantic Seaboard. It had a distinctly urban feel, with touches of bright red and road map of the area covering one wall. Although compact, we found it well-designed, maximising floor space and with everything we needed for our short stay.

A comfy double bed with crisp white linen (priority number one) backed onto a neat desk area, complete with speedy WiFi and within reaching distance of the coffee pod machine. Backing onto that was the bathroom, which had a good-sized shower with sublime water pressure, perfect for washing away a stressful day. Vib® hotel also has facilities for meetings and wireless printing if needed.

The Pool

Once you’ve put in the hours you need to workwise, you simply have to go up and spend some time at what is arguably one of the best rooftop pools in the city. If you stand at the hotel entrance and look directly upwards, you may actually get a glimpse of people swimming through the portholes cut into the bottom of the pool. A tad daunting when you get in the pool 8 storeys up and realise you can see the ground below!

The views from the pool area are completely uninterrupted and look over the park, golf course, promenade and beyond to the azure ocean. It feels secluded and luxurious and really is a stunning space.

There is a great menu of snacks and drinks to nibble on – we ordered the crispy chicken strips – a generous portion with chunky fries… pretty hard to beat. We also tried the chicken wonton tacos with jalapeno relish and the toasted sarmie with blue cheese, fig relish and gypsy ham. Perfect poolside snackery and we ate every last bite.

Getting Out

If you do plan to leave the hotel to explore (tough to do once you have visited the pool!), you really are in a fantastic spot. It’s a short walk to the Sea Point/Mouille Point promenade. If you’re feeling up for a good stroll, you could even walk to the OZCF market on weekends or to the V&A Waterfront.

If you are a Virgin Active Club member, the Point gym is directly opposite the hotel, so you can literally cross the road and get in a work out (which is exactly what I did). I found this super convenient as I didn’t want to miss a booked Pilates class. My husband decided to check out the hotel fitness centre and got in a great workout.

Dining

We were really super impressed with everything we ate at Vib® Hotel. The restaurant, which is located on the ground floor and is called Eye Bar, served up delicious dinner and breakfast the next day. Highlights were definitely the salads – we had the grilled calamari and chorizo salad with smoked paprika dressing, as well as a divine take on a Panzanella salad with bocconcini, puffed cracker bread and tahini dressing.

The friendly team looking after us were super efficient and didn’t bat an eyelid when I asked to replace the fresh bananas on my banana bread French toast with berries (yes, there is no logic to loving banana bread but not actual bananas!). We also have to mention the delicious cappuccinos by Blacksmith coffee –a  great way to wake up.

Art

During your stay, be sure to pop up to the 7th floor, which houses Jaffer Modern, the hotel’s art gallery owned by Shafina Jaffer. The gallery looks to showcase Pan-African artists to the market and the current exhibition is guest curated by Margie Murgatroyd of Africa Nova.

Book Your Stay

So, if you’re in the city for business, or want a cost-effective but still stylish city stay (starting at around R900), look no further than Vib® Hotel in Greenpoint. And, in a nod to looking after locals, South African guests will automatically receive a Local Rate on bookings made directly through the hotel. Now that’s something that other venues should sit up and take notice of!

Vib® Best Western Hotel Cape Town, 181 Main Road, Greenpoint.

For reservations or more information contact enquires.

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Prices correct at time of publishing and are subject to change.