3 on Camps Bay

If you thought Camps Bay was a series of either overpriced, unaffordable (or both) villas and hotels, think again.  At the family-owned 3 on Camps Bay, you will be very pleasantly surprised by the prices, standard and size of the rooms, the location (600m from the beach) and the mountain and ocean views.

We were greeted by the super enthusiastic and amusing Bradley (general manager) who showed us the many room types here across the property.  Those facing the mountain (which in Camps Bay is the Twelve Apostles range) are either the Garden Rooms or the Premier Rooms. If budget permits, we’d suggest going for either the Superior Rooms (which face the ocean) or the suite, Room 8, which stretches the full width of the property on the first floor.

At the rear of the property, there is a cute freestanding self-catering cottage with two en-suite bedrooms, a veranda and a small lawned area.  There are no sea views from here but it’s totally private and has a dedicated parking space too, so ideal for families of four. Children under 12 aren’t permitted, though.

On the top floor there’s an attractively furnished and very spacious kitchen, lounge and dining area which leads out onto a covered balcony with the best views in the property. There are three rooms up here too, two of which are double aspect across to Lion’s Head and the sea.  If you wish, you can also book the entire top floor as a private apartment for very reasonable rates.

The décor throughout is a little dated for this part of the world (the joke in Cape Town is that the only permanent thing in Camps Bay are the site cranes) but minimalist with a low-key colour palate of beiges and creams.

Only breakfasts are offered here and are buffet style: if you want a hot breakfast, they do charge a bit extra but this keeps the room prices low.

In the area, you’re less than 200m away from the charming Robyn’s (Bali) Beach which is a sheltered boulder-filled cove normally with much less wind than the more famous and larger cousin, Camps Bay beach. You can also easily walk to Bakoven Beach and the Camps Bay Tidel Pool which is superb for swimming as opposed to just bathing. Up on the mountainside, the Kasteelspoort Hiking Trail starts about 800m away from the hotel and of course you’re walking distance away from all the pizazz of Camps Bay Main Road which is a scene by day and by night all summer long.

Sustainability: The hotel is entirely off grid for water, having its own borehole, pump and purifier and the swimming pool is topped up with rainwater. The six staff members (for a house of 16 rooms) get a very attractive package including two free meals on duty every day with duty managers living on site for free half the month and the caretaker having free lodging on site also.

Mobility: the property, like nearly all buildings in Camps Bay, is located on the side of the mountain so there are 12 steps to access the building from the street and then steps to get up to the rooms (which are all on the first and second floors.
Children: not permitted under 12 and no special facilities for children.