We stayed at The Portswood for 2 nights at the end of a week long holiday in Cape Town, and we were impressed.

First of all, it is ideally located opposite the V&A Waterfront, which is very important in a city where the streets aren't completely safe to walk around. The service we received was also very good. The staff were polite, friendly and helpful. The guy on the door was hilarious, and a real character who made us laugh every time we walked past him.

The food was also excellent. It may be a little more expensive but the extra cost is worth it.

Our room as very clean and tidy, and exactly what you would expect from an elegant hotel such as this.

I would definately stay here again if I ever returned to Cape Town.

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.