Ikhaya Lodge

If you’re looking for a really good value for money sort of place, that’s Black female-owned and in a superbly vibey and fun area, look no further than Ikhaya Lodge in the City Bowl: in existence since 2006, the hotel has beautiful sheltered terrace and open lounge and dining area with rooms above. Very much a meeting place for locals and visitors, it has a private function room too. Expect a good range of South and East African cuisine which is available all day from iKhaya’s three cooks.

Dunkley Square is a whole community of its own with a Pilates studio, cafe and bar and surrounded all manner of creative and artisanal brands. There’s a bit of guarded parking out front but not much.

You will love Ruth Kamau, owner and host beyond compare. Softly spoken and deeply connected to her eight full time staff, she stays on site and is mine of information for ways to explore the city from a local’s (and Black female) point of view.

There are eleven rooms here, all at the three star level. Seven look out onto the square and mountain beyond with private and wind-sheltered terraces and the other four are quieter, with no views, facing the city. The standard is a good three star.

Ruth very much flies the flag of sustainability and ethicality at iKhaya: staff (all of whom are paid over and above the minimum wage) are all encouraged to develop skills in different aspects of the business on a daily basis to improve their life chances and employability so employee turnover is close to zero. Ikhaya also supports a local soup kitchen, community public spaces cleaning and staff volunteer in local charities such as The Amy Foundation. Due to its location, the business can’t use renewable energy or water sources but it does recycle 80% of its waste and in its procurement uses small, local and in one case Black-female owned suppliers.

Accessibility: there’s a step to access the terrace and bar/dining area. All rooms accessed by narrow staircase of 25 stairs

Children: welcome but no particular facilities for them