This was my first trip to Cape Town and and I was particularly concerned about security but I found the Portswood to be an excellent choice in all respects. The hotel was not just conveniently located, but there was also plenty of security in and around the building, and you only have to turn left and walk down the steps and you are on the V and A Waterfront with hundreds of other visitors. The hotel staff were delightful and always happy to help. The room was well equipped and spacious, wtih a view of Table Mountain from the window, and I made good use of the Business Centre in the hotel to keep up with my mail. The numerous restaurants on the Waterfront, such as the Green Dolphin where they have jazz every evening, are only a minute away and very well priced. At the hotel the Travel Desk enabled us to take guided tours directly from the door, and this really is the best way to see places such as the Cape of Good Hope on a half-day trip.. Also the red bus tour leaves from just across the road, taking you all around the city and up to Table Mountain, a must for any visitor. A further attraction is a boat trip from the Waterfront, such as the Maharandi (next to the statues of the four Nobel Peach Prize winners) for a trip round Table Bay.
I was at a conference at the Graduate School of Business 100 metres away from the hotel, but I think this would be a good choice also for a holiday: I would stay here again even if I came back with my family. It's not in one of the Cape Town beach resorts, but in any case the Atlantic is not warm enough for swimming., so I would recommend the Waterfront.

The PortsWood probably deserves a five star rating--for the location and friendly staff. The room wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. The location is hard to beat--just two blocks from the V&A waterfront.

Cape Town is truly the most spectacular in the world--and the PortsWood is a good place to stay. You can walk around the waterfront without fear of being held up--which is a very real fear in South Africa.

The room was clean, the breakfast was good and, as I said, the location is hard to beat. I would have like to have had a view from my room, but didn't....

The big feature of this hotel is the location - great, just 100 meters from the waterfront area in Cape Town, very convenient for dining in the evening and shopping at the big shopping centre there. (Downtown is not so nice for a tourist stay, very business district). But be aware that hotel prices in Cape Town have gone off the handle over the last years, so the pretty high price you pay at the PortsWood, does not mean "special standard". You would at hotels in other bigger cities matching the same costs of living as in South Africa, have gotten more spacious rooms/extra nice standard, but not in CT. The room at the PortsWood was quite ordinary, pretty small, nothing fancy, but it was clean and the bathroom was ok. Would stay here again, given the great location.

We stayed at Portswood hotel over last X'mas. And even though it is a slightly older hotel compared to many others along the waterfront, it exudes much charm and coziness. The staff were also friendly and very helpful (stark contrast to our experience at Hilton in Joburg)

There was a slight boo-boo when we checked in after a long day of travelling from Kruger - we were given 2 single beds instead of a double bed. We called the frontdesk, and told the manager of the mixed up, and they immediately tried to look for a change in rooms. Although we understood that it is over a busy period (Dec) and we have read so much about how common it is to get rooms mixed up in SA, we were still disappointed, especially when it was X'ms Eve!! Nevertheless we told them we wanted to head out for dinner (we were getting cold, hungry and grouchy), and they could move our luggage if they could find us an alternative room.

After dinner, the shift manager (sorry we didn't get his name!) informed us that we would be upgraded to one of their suites. So it was a nice surprise, especially when we were going to stay there for 3 nights. The suite is definitely much more spacious than the standard room (In the standard room, we had problem opening up our 2 luggages and trying to walk about without tripping over them).

The walk to the Waterfront is also relatively safe. Exit from the main entrance of Portswood, turn left and take the stairs down under the carpark, cross the road, head left, and you'll be at the shopping area. There is a mini security/police post diagonally from the main entrance of Portswood that operates 24hrs, so that gives some assurance of safety.

Aston Martin and BMW showrooms are a stone's throw from Portswood. Also remember to make a trip to Clock Tower, and be dazzled by the Shimanski collection.

Only regret is that we didn't get a chance to try the Cape Malay food in the hotel restaurant. It seemed to be popular.