Cape Town · Hotel shortlist
3 star hotels downtown in Cape Town
Amara Nwosu Africa
These are my five favourites in Cape Town, out of the 11 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.8 down to 4.2.
âmé by NOAH is the one I would book myself.
Highest rated of the five
âmé by NOAH
★★★★★4.8 from 68 reviews
âmé by NOAH comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.8 from 68 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.
It is a 3 star property, found under downtown and around $305 a night on the dates we checked.
11 hotels in Cape Town qualified for this list and five made it. Neighbourgood East City is the one I would book if the first is full.
Why it works for this trip
- Poolsomewhere to cool off between walks
- Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
- Bara drink without going back out
- Parkinga real consideration if you are driving in
- Airport shuttlethe first hour after landing solved
All five, ranked
-
1
âmé by NOAH
★★★★★4.8 from 68 reviews
- Pool
- Bar
- Parking
- Air conditioning
- Airport shuttle
-
2Neighbourgood East City
★★★★★4.4 from 379 reviews
- Restaurant
- Air conditioning
- Accessible
- Airport shuttle
-
3Long Street Boutique Hotel
★★★★★4.4 from 303 reviews
- Parking
- Kitchen
- Air conditioning
- Airport shuttle
-
4Onomo Cape Town Waterfront
★★★★★4.2 from 671 reviews
- Restaurant
- Bar
- Kid friendly
- Air conditioning
- Accessible
-
5Protea Hotel Cape Town Waterfront Breakwater Lodge
★★★★★4.2 from 1,413 reviews
- Spa
- Restaurant
- Bar
- Parking
- Kid friendly
- Air conditioning
How this list was put together
11 Cape Town hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.
Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.
The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.
What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.
Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.
Amara Nwosu Africa
Books holidays a year ahead because court calendars demand it, then travels hard for three weeks. West Africa most years to see family, somewhere new in between.
Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.