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Cape Town · Hotel shortlist

Cheap hotels on the beach in Cape Town

Amara Nwosu

Amara Nwosu Africa

Updated 1 September 2026 · 21 Cape Town hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Cape Town, out of the 21 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, all five scoring 4.4.

Every one comes in under $130 a night, and the one I would book first is $47.

never@home Green Point

Highest rated of the five

never@home Green Point

★★★★★4.4 from 755 reviews

never@home Green Point comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.4 from 755 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 5 star property, found under the beach and around $47 a night on the dates we checked.

21 hotels in Cape Town qualified for this list and five made it. The Buddha Garden 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
  • Restaurantdinner downstairs on the night you land
  • Bara drink without going back out
  • Family roomscots and larger rooms rather than a squeeze

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All five, ranked

  1. never@home Green Point1

    never@home Green Point

    ★★★★★4.4 from 755 reviews

    • Pool
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Pet friendly

    Check rates Read more

  2. The Buddha Garden2

    The Buddha Garden

    ★★★★★4.8 from 66 reviews

    • Pool
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Kid friendly

    Check rates Read more

  3. Panorama Indlu3

    Panorama Indlu

    ★★★★★4.6 from 79 reviews

    • Pool
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Pet friendly
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning

    Check rates Read more

  4. Long Street Boutique Hotel4

    Long Street Boutique Hotel

    ★★★★★4.4 from 303 reviews

    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Air conditioning
    • Airport shuttle

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  5. never@home Kloof Street5

    never@home Kloof Street

    ★★★★★4.4 from 159 reviews

    • Parking
    • Airport shuttle

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How this list was put together

21 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

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.