[category]
[title]
There are hotel renovations, and then there are total reinventions.
The last time I stayed at The Table Bay Hotel, it was pretty dire. The rooms were tired, the furniture in poor condition, and the carpets made you think twice about walking barefoot in your own room. Opened by Nelson Mandela in 1997, it had once set the benchmark for five-star hospitality in Cape Town, but nearly three decades later the heavy wooden furniture and floral chintz were showing their age.
So I was more than a little relieved when The Table Bay closed in February 2025. There was little doubt that the grand old dame of the V&A Waterfront needed a nip-and-tuck. What emerged instead was more like an episode of Ultimate Makeover.
Enter a R1-billion refurbishment, 45 additional rooms and suites, an entirely new food and beverage offering, a destination spa, and a change of flag.
Reopening as the InterContinental Table Bay Cape Town, it became the first InterContinental hotel in the city, even though Sun International still runs operations behind the scenes.
Likewise, the bones of the original hotel are still here. That enviable location on the edge of the working harbour, to start with, as well as the soaring lobby and mountain-facing terrace. And with a celebrity chef in residence and a very swish new spa open to the public, it’s a space for locals and residents alike.
Why stay at InterContinental Table Bay?
Location, for starters. You’re quite literally attached to the V&A Waterfront, with direct access to its shops and restaurants and an easy walk to the Zeitz MOCAA, Two Oceans Aquarium, Oranjezicht City Farm Market and the departure points for Robben Island. And yet the hotel also sits at the quieter end of the precinct (except for the construction happening apace nearby), so it manages to feel surprisingly removed from the crowds.
Indoors, the revamped property has the look and feel of the ‘Cultivated Elegance’ synonymous with the Intercontinental brand, with an understated approach to luxury and the expected international brand standards, softened by a distinctly Cape sense of place.
What are the rooms like?
Fantastic. Gone is the old-fashioned grandeur and floral chintz. In its place is a muted palette and a more restrained, international take on five-star luxury.
The hotel offers a range of room categories, from Classic and Premium Rooms (52 square metres) to Junior and one-bedroom suites if you need more space. Blowing the budget? The Lion’s Head Suite and Table Mountain Suite are glorious boltholes.
Wherever you open the door, expect a contemporary look and feel, with large picture windows, high-thread-count linens and marble bathrooms with separate baths and walk-in showers. Then there’s the stylish padded headboards. The multiple bedside charging ports. The integrated reading light. The windowside chaise longue. There’s much to love about the new-look rooms here. Coffee facilities, minibars, robes, slippers and turndown service cover the five-star basics, while some ocean-facing rooms add private balconies.
Ah, yes. About which way you face.
Major development is underway around the hotel, with apartment blocks rising in the Granger Bay precinct. Construction noise can be considerable in the north-facing rooms. Some Classic Rooms – which once had an ocean view – now directly overlook the construction, so ask about room orientation when booking.
What is the food like?
The culinary experience is one of the standout aspects of The Table Bay’s reboot.
The main restaurant is Flint & Fennel, set in a newly expanded space that has introduced an elegant look-and-feel, along with wide picture windows that make the most of the harbour views. It’s one of the best parts of the hotel’s revamp.
On the menu, the food is contemporary and Cape-influenced without disappearing down a fine-dining rabbit hole. The menu is at its best when it leans into Cape ingredients and flavours without relying on clichés.
Take the opening bread course: mosbolletjies with a biltong and bone-marrow smoked butter. Nice. From there, starters range from a braai-grilled scallop with charred corn and barley to Saldanha Bay mussels in a fennel-and-garlic beurre blanc. There’s also fynbos-and-fennel gravadlax and a Klein Karoo ostrich carpaccio. I also loved the bobotie-spiced cauliflower bites.
Mains keep the Cape culinary references: think Springbok bourguignon or a Cape seafood platter. There’s also a hefty flame-grilled section. Prime cuts are 28-day-aged Black Angus, but the Karoo lamb chops certainly won’t disappoint either. Flint & Fennel also serves breakfast (an upscale buffet and a hot breakfast menu included in your stay) and the hotel’s afternoon tea.
But Flint & Fennel isn't the only reason to eat here. Across the lobby, Le Bistrot de JAN brings chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen’s French-bistro concept to Cape Town, blending French technique with South African touches.
For a pre-dinner cocktail or digestif, the striking lobby bar – The Botanist’s Table – offers an excellent menu of signature cocktails that take their cue from regional gins and Cape botanicals. Upstairs, Solandra is the place for poolside drinks, stone-baked pizzas and light bites.
There’s a pool?
Yup. The heated outdoor pool on the first floor is surrounded by loungers and semi-private cabanas, all shaded by retro scalloped umbrellas. There are even loungers set right in the shallows. It feels less like a traditional hotel pool and more like a rooftop beach club.
The Solandra bar and restaurant bring plenty of atmosphere, and cocktails, pizzas and lunch can all be ordered without leaving your lounger.
If there’s a downside, it’s that the current construction alongside the hotel brings a fair bit of noise to the pool area.
What about the spa? Worth booking?
Absolutely. There are six treatment ‘salons’, including a couples’ room, plus a dedicated relaxation area and infrared steam facilities. But the standout is the hammam: a beautifully finished traditional bathing space that elevates the wellness offering well beyond the usual hotel treatment-room setup.
The brand may be international, but here it comes with a solid dash of local flavour too. I love that the signature rituals have a strong sense of place, with local botanicals woven into the experience. Atlantic Awakening is one of four 90-minute experiences that incorporates the hammam alongside elements such as massage, breathwork or sound therapy.
The spa is open to the public as well as to hotel guests and can be accessed directly from the Waterfront mall, making it particularly easy to book a standalone treatment rather than an overnight stay.
What else is there?
Club-level guests have access to Club InterContinental, a private lounge serving breakfast, afternoon tea, evening canapés and drinks, with elevated views across the city and harbour.
There’s also a fitness centre, 24-hour in-room dining, and the Planet Trekkers kids’ club, which makes this a great option for family travellers.
The verdict
This landmark Cape Town hotel has been given the reboot it deserved, with contemporary rooms, confident dining and serious wellness credentials. The Table Bay is once again one of the best addresses in the city.
Disclaimer: How we review at Time Out
Time Out’s local experts anonymously test and experience the best of the city wherever possible, and we always review independently. Hosted or complimentary experiences never influence our ratings, and we never accept payment for editorial reviews or recommendations.
We only publish reviews for places, productions and experiences we genuinely recommend. Starting at a three-star rating, which is still a good review:
3 stars - good
4 stars - excellent
5 stars - outstanding
Read more about how Time Out reviews here.