The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa
The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa occupies a genuinely unusual position on Cape Town’s Atlantic seaboard. It’s built into the cliffside on the coastal road between Camps Bay and Hout Bay. This is the only hotel sitting directly along this stretch of Table Mountain National Park. The Twelve Apostles mountain range rises directly behind the property, with the Atlantic running along its front. As a result, the setting feels considerably more remote than its actual drive into central Cape Town, just 15 to 20 minutes away.
History and Ownership
The hotel has had several lives: a private home, then an advertising agency, before opening as a hotel in 2002. It now operates as part of the family-run Red Carnation Hotel Collection. That ownership structure shows up in how the property runs. It’s an intimate, boutique-scale hotel, rather than a large international chain property. 70 rooms split between 55 deluxe rooms and 15 suites make up the count. A Presidential Suite and Grand Master Suite, built for entertaining, each include his-and-hers bathrooms and wraparound terraces.
Rooms and Wellness
Room categories are organised around the view as much as the size. Classic Rooms and Deluxe Rooms both run to 33 square metres. Upper-level rooms gain private balconies facing the Twelve Apostles range. Luxury Rooms extend to 40 square metres, with more generous living space and private terraces. Ground-floor rooms, meanwhile, open directly onto the fynbos gardens rather than a balcony. This suits guests who’d rather be close to the landscape than looking down on it. Every category includes breakfast. The hotel also leans on small, considered touches throughout. Daily turndown gifts and a personalised pillow and soap menu both feature. Amenities even extend to travelling pets, unusual enough among five-star properties to mention.
The B|Afrique Spa is one of the property’s clearer strengths. Outdoor treatment gazebos position guests to take in the mountain view during a massage. A Rasul chamber, rain shower and hydrotherapy pools sit alongside more conventional indoor rooms. Two outdoor pools give guests a choice of setting depending on the mood of the day. A heated infinity pool offers sea views, while a separate rock pool sits cliffside among fynbos. Both offer full waiter service.
Dining and Practicalities
Dining runs across several venues with distinctly different registers. Azure Restaurant handles the hotel’s principal fine dining, with sweeping sea views. The more relaxed Café Grill serves sandwiches, pasta and burgers, including a children’s milkshake menu. The Leopard Bar, meanwhile, is known for its leopard-print-waistcoated mixologists. Its cocktail list builds around local ingredients, including a fynbos martini. High tea runs in The Leopard Room with the same Atlantic views. A private cinema, finally, gives guests an indoor option on a less obliging weather day, which does happen even on this stretch of coast.
For families, the hotel is genuinely set up to host children of all ages. Under-12s stay free when sharing with two adults. This is a more accommodating policy than several of Cape Town’s other top-tier hotels, many of which set a minimum age. Reviews consistently single out service as the hotel’s strongest asset. Occasional notes about value relative to price appear too, a fair characterisation of most properties at this level on this stretch of coast.
The hotel’s setting along an undeveloped section of coastline makes it a strong choice for travellers wanting a sense of escape. It still offers reasonably easy access to both Camps Bay and the city centre. A complimentary shuttle runs to Camps Bay and the Waterfront. A helipad, in addition, is available for guests wanting the fastest possible transfer. The Constantia Wine Route sits roughly ten minutes away too, useful for a wine country day trip without committing to an overnight stay further out.
Why Stay Here
- The only hotel built directly along this stretch of Table Mountain National Park, between Camps Bay and Hout Bay
- 70 rooms and suites, the majority with private balconies or terraces facing either the mountains or the Atlantic
- An outdoor spa experience built around the setting, including treatment gazebos with mountain views
- A genuinely family-friendly policy, with under-12s staying free alongside two adults
- Close enough to Camps Bay and the city centre for convenience, far enough for a real sense of escape
Accommodation
70 rooms and suites split between 55 deluxe rooms and 15 suites. Categories range from 33-square-metre Classic and Deluxe Rooms to 40-square-metre Luxury Rooms with private terraces. Ground-floor rooms open onto the fynbos gardens. Upper-level rooms, by contrast, gain private balconies facing the Twelve Apostles range or the Atlantic. The Presidential and Grand Master Suites extend to wraparound terraces and an eight-seat dining room, built for entertaining.
Dining
Azure Restaurant serves the hotel’s principal fine dining experience with sweeping sea views. The Café Grill, meanwhile, offers a more relaxed menu of sandwiches, pasta and burgers, with poolside service available. The Leopard Bar serves signature cocktails, including a fynbos martini. High tea, in addition, runs in The Leopard Room, both set against uninterrupted Atlantic views. The Conservatory hosts gin tastings in a separate lounge setting.
Experiences
The B|Afrique Spa offers indoor treatment rooms alongside outdoor mountain-view gazebos, a Rasul chamber and rain shower, and hydrotherapy pools. A heated infinity pool and a separate cliffside rock pool both offer full waiter service. A private in-house cinema, in addition, gives guests an indoor option. The hotel can arrange picnic baskets for walks in Table Mountain National Park. The Constantia Wine Route, meanwhile, sits roughly ten minutes away by car.
Best For
Families wanting a genuinely accommodating five-star stay. Couples seeking a sense of escape close to the city will also find it suits them, along with travellers wanting direct access to Table Mountain National Park’s trails from their hotel.