Last Friday is was raining absolute cats and dogs. I was due in town in the evening to visit the Southern Sun Waterfront but the day before my bestie had invited me to Jozi for the White Lies gig. So I had to “rush” home in the rain, come Friday 5pm, pack for the Southern Sun Waterfront and pack for Jozi too, so that I could leave immediately on Saturday morning. As the evening unfolded, so did the sky but by the time I had gotten to town at 7:30pm, I was pretty tired.
Mr Love and I drove straight to the Southern Sun Waterfront entrance (near the CTICC) as we’d driven past a thousand times but had never stayed there. My pops had told me that it was one of his favourite hotels to stay so I was intrigued to visit. Upon arrival, the lobby was fairly busy but we were politely and cheerfully greeted. We checked in at reception which took less than 5 minutes (just what I needed after a long week) and were introduced to the banqueting manager who was working last Friday evening.
They kindly welcomed us and ushered us toward the lifts. I had initially booked dinner for 7:30 for 8 but I explained that I was rather tired and would appreciate it if I could just have “5 minutes” to myself. Our host graciously set our minds at ease and said we could take as long as we needed – yay! As much as I love blogging, it’s tough to do now that I work full time so I really appreciated that we could just relax for a moment.
We found our way to our suite which was on the 11th floor. I knew the views would be lovely but I still adore looking out of unfamiliar windows onto familiar parts of Cape Town – because suddenly they seems brand new again.
We entered our suite and immediately took a big sigh of relief. The hotel room was beautifully put together, VERY CLEAN (take THAT Europe! Sorry, this is an old gripe of mine) and was wonderfully spacious. They had also thought of everything, including slippers, dressing gown, bubble bath, safe, hairdryer and even a sewing kit!
We set our things down and looked out the window at the Waterfront. I tested the size of the bed (we’re not short people) and explored the (immaculately) clean bathroom. It had a double showerhead and a large bath (ahhhh…stretching out one’s legs, a dream) and clean, clean, clean. I know it’s the 3rd time I’ve said that but I’m obsessed with noticing traces of past visitors because it’s a limit for me. If I see traces of other people I will never recommend a stay but, here, I could not.
I drew myself a lovely big bath, enjoyed the complimentary Charlotte Reece toiletries, sat back and let the week melt away. Eventually Mr Love said I better get cracking so I jumped out, got dressed and headed downstairs for dinner.
But before we had dinner we were invited to a cocktail tasting and “try it yourself” session at the bar thanks to Urban Brandy Cocktail Route (make sure you read this post so that you can win a trip to do it too).
After our cocktail session we sat down to enjoy the spoils of the buffet on a Friday night. The hotel was way fuller than I imagined it to be, with many foreigners enjoying the proudly South African delights such as ostrich stew, oxtail, local fish and pap. Naturally I ate my way through the entire buffet….ok I tried to but there was WAY too much to have! But I did try nearly one of everything, JUST to see what was good and bad and it was all good.
Mr Love doesn’t eat stews so they generously made him a beef fillet and chips which he enjoyed.
After dinner, we returned to our room to enjoy the quiet space for the evening. I watched some silly movie on the BIG flat screen and was tempted by the sweet draw and mini bar in the suite (SOOO many amazing treats available)!
In the morning we went down for breakfast and were kindly greeted once again by the staff who were attentive, switched on – even funny!
Their breakfast is almost a joke because they had an enormous selections. I really don’t think there is a single person on the planet who couldn’t find something they liked there. I love a freshly made omelettes (don’t actually like eggs but it looked that good) with topics that I could select myself, fresh juice, hot toast, fruit salad, bacon and hashbrowns…I went large! The breakfast is set in a sunny (but not too hot) dining room next to the patio and garden pool (a section I hadn’t noticed until the morning).
We had a wonderful stay at the Southern Sun Waterfront. If you’re looking to go away for the weekend but don’t want to spend a fortune on flights, do yourself a favour and book yourself into the Southern Sun Waterfront. After returning from Europe 6 weeks ago, while standing at the suite window looking at the wheel and city lights flickering at dusk as the sun set across the bay…you will truly feel like you are on holiday.
HUGE thank you to the Southern Sun Waterfront for having us, it really was a wonderful experience and I hope to return again soon.
