We stayed at the Commodore during April 06.

We arrived at The Commodore at around 10am. As we were too early for check in our room wasn’t available. We were made very welcome and took tea outside on the patio. The Hotel kindly stored our bags for us.

As our holidays times are precious we decided not to wait around any longer and decided to venture down to the V&A Waterfront. Wow, this was a food lovers paradise. The area was much bigger than we expected and a stones throw from the hotel. We settled down at a table outside the OYO Bistro (highly recommended) and enjoyed wonderful food and views of Table Mountain.

On returning to the hotel just after check in time our room had become available. We were told that we had been upgraded to the top floor where the executive rooms were. Tip – this may have been because I asked if we had a view of Table Mountain at the time we were told our room was not available. The hotel has a nautical theme running through it so this was reflected in the bedroom. The view of the Mountain from our balcony was good. Bear in mind there is still building going on here so you may see cranes and it is a working harbour which means more cranes.

The room was really comfortable with a double bed, TV, complimentary Tea & coffee; satellite TV, Hairdryer, internet connection, telephone, mini bar fridge etc. I telephoned to see if it was OK to put our own drinks in the mini bar and they were fine about it. The bathroom was small but adequate to our needs. Most importantly it was spotlessly clean.

We ate in the Commodores Clipper Restaurant. Here the menu was very varied, the food tasty and very well presented. The staff here were very attentive yet discreet and always a smile on their face.


Without a doubt; a top class hotel with friendly efficient service. A great location with wonderful views and comfortable, clean rooms. Tasty, varied menus with a fantastic wine list. What more could you ask for?

Just a few things we found about Capetown and South Africa in general:

Around the V&A
If you love Indian food don’t miss the Jewel of India Restaurant. You will need to book or wait for a table. The food is excellent here – totally on par with the best curry back in England. The service here was also excellent.

We also experienced African cuisine at the only African restaurant on the waterfront. I can’t remember the name but it is on the 3rd floor of the building having crossed the swing bridge. You really can’t miss it if you cross the bridge and look up to the 3rd floor. The food here was totally different, loads of variety; the service was out of this world – and so cheap! My husband had a mixed grill of Kudu, Ostrich and Springbok whilst I had Piri-Piri Chicken livers – hot hot!

Touring
We used Thomson Tours for a full day Peninsula Tour and half day city tour. I would highly recommend both tours. The excursion vehicles were VW people carriers which were very comfortable. Just worth noting that if you plan a tour on a Sunday or bank holiday some of the visits listed on the itinery may be closed. We missed out on two places of visit as the guide seemed unaware that they would be closed on a bank holiday Monday!

A word of warning for anyone driving in S/A
We didn’t drive whilst in Capetown but heard from people that did about the unofficial parking attendants. Be warned about these. If you park your car somewhere that parking is allowed there are people that want to be paid to look after it for you. A friend we met agreed to this. Whilst away from their car they heard the alarm go off, looked and thought all was well. On returning to the car they paid the “attendant” for his services. As they drove away the guy chased them down the road shouting “stop.” When they did they saw they had a puncture. The guy then wanted paying to change the wheel. On offering him £5 to do this he refused and wanted £10. They took the punctured tyre for repair and were told it had been slashed! This was not the only bad story we heard about people having to pay this ‘protection’ money so please be careful.
On a better note the road system is brilliant and signposting is good. They also drive on the left. Great for us Brits!

We stayed in the Commodore for 4 nights at the end of the September at the end of a fantastic 3 weeks in South Africa. After reading the reviews on this site, I was expecting this to be one of the best if not the best place we would stay on our trip but to be honest we were disappointed.

First off the positives. The location cannot be faulted. It is a 2 minute walk to the V&A Waterfront and we had a nice view of Table Mountain from our balcony. The staff were also generally very friendly and helpful. Two people stuck out for us. Firstly the concierge (whose name I think was Grant) was most helpful for us particularly when we had difficulties with collection of our rental car. Secondly Madmee in the travel office was extremely helpful for booking activities and giving advice and tips. Both were also particularly friendly and courteous (as were many other staff).

However we were disappointed with the quality of the rooms. The Commodore is a 5* hotel (according to the sign at reception) but while the lobby is up to this standard the rooms are certainly not. On arrival we were told that we had been "upgraded" to a business room. The room while comfortable was small and basic compared to many of the other places we had stayed in SA (which were all cheaper). The rooms gave the distinct impression of needing investment in refurbishment. Maybe we are being very critical but the standard of rooms which we stayed in during our trip was much better elsewhere (e.g. the Metcourt in Jo'burg which is a 3*).

A number of items weren't working correctly. When we arrived our key didn't work and we had to return to reception to get it sorted. However even afterwards the door was temperamental often requiring several attempts to open. The AC was impossible to get working right either being uncomfortably hot or cold. The bathroom door didn't close, the shower screen didn't work and the bathroom itself was old and cramped.

The breakfast was also the poorest we received in S.A. While there was a decent variety of food, the hot food in particular was not very appetising (generally quite greasy). The only type of eggs which were readily available were fried eggs and omelettes. Getting scrambled or boiled eggs was very difficult and usually involved a long wait. Simple things like getting tea or coffee were also sometimes difficult. Your order was usually taken as you sat down and by the time you would have gotten your food the tea/coffee would be cold. Other times noone took our order at all and we had to try to get the attention of a passing staff member.

We also had the misfortune of using the laundry service. We had done this in other hotels and guesthouses throughout SA which had been high quality at a reasonable price. The price of the Commodore's service was astronomical (over 700R for around 15 items - mainly t-shirts and socks). The quality was not great either - many of the items were slightly faded when we got them back and all had orange tags attached on the inside which had to be cut off (we were still finding some after we arrived home). I would strongly recommend avoiding this service.

To be fair as I said before the location is excellent and the staff very friendly and as many of the other reviews indicate they do seem to look after honeymooners well. Perhaps the suites are of a much higher standard.

Overall though despite the great location and friendly staff I do not feel the Commodore is luxurious and unless you get a good deal it is poor value. While I have not stayed elsewhere in Cape Town I feel there must be better options.

I've just returned from a four-night stay at the Commodore. If you find a discounted rate with free breakfast, this hotel may be one of the best deals in the world. Really. Breakfast is full service, a dozen different fresh fruits, four fresh juices, coffee, tea, made-to-order eggs and omelets, porridge, smoked salmon with capers, six different kinds of bread, exquisite service with everything connected to breakfast.
The hotel is beautiful, the lobby rivalling the best anywhere. Steps from the waterfront. Large-ish, clean rooms, with great views in business class.
The staff generally seems well-intentioned but confused or overwhelmed. If you require consistent and prompt service, pay twice as much to stay elsewhere. Otherwise, use the savings to splurge on the waterfront for a wood carving and a great meal.
You cannot go wrong with this hotel.

Excellent hotel highly reccommended. central, comfortable what more could you need.

Great staff and concierge could not do enough......

Book now if you want a great hotel to view the sights of cape town.