Oh my goodness,where do I begin.
I booked this holiday through Kuoni after reading reviews on Trip Advisor and decided that this was to be my hotel of choice for my suprise trip I had planned for my husbands 40th birthday.
Prior to leaving I e -mailed the manager Mr Flowerday to ask if I could arrange a birthday cake etc for my trip.He replied instantly and took care of everything from putting me in touch with the concierge to plan trips to making appointments at the spa and restaurant.He and all the other members of his team really went out of there way to make this trip wonderful.
After a long horrible BA flight(will never fly with this airline ever again) from Heathrow to Capetown,we arrived early morning,a car was waiting for us to take us on the 30 minute journey to the 12A.On arrival we were greeted instantly by Mr Flowerday himself and his staff all with lovely smiling faces at 8am in the morning(you wouldnt find that here in Britain),they introduced themselves,took care of our bags and told us to sit and relax with coffee and croissants etc.
As it was early our room wasnt quite ready ,so he said that we could use the spa to freshen up if we liked which we did and it was wonderful,we lay and relaxed and used the lovely warm pools and came to ourselves.
We were informed our room was ready about 11am although check in should be 3pm so we were very lucky.Our room 112 was in the lion wing.We opened the door and just thought this is heaven,lovely large room with a window overlooking the ocean and a balcony overlooking the mountains,clean white linens,sparkling large bathroom with bath and seperate walk in shower.Our cases had already been put in the room before we arrived so we quicky un packed and phone down to reception to arrange the courtesy shuttle bus to take us into Cape Town.
The shuttle and driver service is excellent.The driver will drop you at the clock tower at the waterefront and arrange to pick you up at a set time,although if you need picked up earlier or later ,just phone the hotel and they will arrange this.
We were very tired that first day with all the excitment and travelling so we decided to head back to the 12A and have dinner in the Azure restaurant.We showered and got ourselves ready then headed to the Leopard lounge on the top floor for a drink first.The Leopard lounge is lovely,big large sofas,roaring fire(great for the winter nights) and this is where you can have a cigarette if you smoke.The staff here again are wonderful especially Jenee she saw to our every need,even when one of the cocktails a barman made me was so strong I couldnt drink it but i would have never said,she saw by my face and she took it and changed it to something lovely.We used to enjoy having a drink and chill out here before and after dinner.
We then went downstairs to the Azure restaurant,where we were greeted by Henry who is also lovely(in fact ever member of staff we came across looked like they loved there jobs and i thought you couldnt get better service than you get in the states but i was wrong,the service at the 12A you definately cant beat and nobody ever looks for tips although they are graciously received).The restaurant is beautiful this is where breakfast is served in the mornings.The food was out of this world beautifully presented and tasted devine(we both put on 7lbs in our 6 night stay).There was lots of choice in the menu for meat lovers to vegetarian options.
Well after our tiring day it was time for bed so headed up to our room.We opened the door to be pleasantly greeted with scented candles burning,rose petals scattered,a chilled bottle of wine,fruit bowl and numerous gifts of sweets and pamper pots.I felt so happy I had picked this hotel and fell into a deep dreamy relaxing sleep in the huge comfy bed.
After breakfast we were to go on the first of our trips we had arranged through the hotel.We had told the conceierge we wanted to do a peninsula tour and a winelands tour he arranged this and at 9.30 a driver was waiting in reception for us.We thought that a small bus would be picking us up but I had not mentioned on my emails to the conceirge that we would prefer this option so we were told we were to be having a private tour.We did worry it would be costly but the trip was worth it.The driver took us to see the Cheetahs at Spier then took us to 6 different wineries it was great and very interesting.The next day was the same but we did the peninsula tour the scenery was breathtaking we had a brilliant time ,so if you can, its really worth spending a bit more on a private tour.
The reason I picked Cape Town for my husbands suprise trip is because it has always been a dream of his to visit "Shark Alley" and do a cage dive.I booked this independently through Shark Ecoventures.It was the best day of his life he said,he was in the ocean surrounded by great whites on his 40th birthday.I will write a seperate review on this as I know Im going on a bit.
The following day, Sunday I arranged a pampering day at the spa for us both.My husband is a joiner and never had treatments before and he loved it pure bliss.We had body massages and facials it was a bit pricey but worth every penny.
We then headed up Table mountain as it was a lovely sunny day.What can I say it is breathtaking.
That evening at dinner in the Azure, Henry and his team wished my husband a Happy birthday and gave us a bottle of champagne.We then had our three courses,he then came over with a small birthday cake and cocktails.By then we couldnt move for eating and drinking so much but then the staff came over with a huge chocolate birthday cake.It was so nice of them my husband and myself have never ever felt so special as we did while staying here.
If you can ,stay at this hotel as you wont be disapointed,its not a huge 10 storey hotel but you wont find any other hotel with the same service,cleanliness,scenic views.I hope we are fortunate enough to visit here again.
Thank You so much 12A for this truly memorable never to be forgotten holiday.

This is truly a luxurious hotel. It is however boutique style its not like a super large 5 star hotel. I really recommend for honeymooners and couples as it overlooks the water and the hotel can provide picnics on the mountain and is overall very romantic. It is however not on the waterfront even though it is on the water. Take the complimentary shuttle which runs every half an hour. I usually stay at the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton all over the world and this hotel met those standards.

As a local Capetonian I had the pleasure and privilege to stay with my partner for one night (22.May 2008) at the prestigious 12 Apostles Hotel as part of the currently offered Nature's Gift Winter Promotion Package (which offers a great discount from the normal hotel prices).
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This included a

. Luxury Accommodation
• Full English Breakfast
• Five - course dinner from our choice set menu in the Azure restaurant.
• One 40 minute Head Neck and Shoulder Massage in The Sanctuary Spa, per person, per stay
• A 1 hour session in the Sanctuary Spa Rock Pools – a salt water flotation tank, a cold water plunge
pool and a hot water plunge pool.

The experience was unbelievable- the best stay I ever had in a hotel. Tastefully decorated rooms with all amenities you could possibly ask for (including a large selection of DVDs provided should you really be the ultimate bore) and a bathroom that offers space to do the tango. The spa is an amazing place designed as a grotto with the pools integrated as little lakes. My massage made me drool into one of the many towels provided- I felt on cloud nine when every tense back muscle was finally loosened. A stroll in the hotel gardens reveals another beautiful rock pool for its guests and and expanse of walkways through the fines fynbos the Cape has to offer all around the World Heritage site declared Cape Mountain area. The dinner experience was another highlight with tastes and flavours that make even the most experienced amateur chefs wildly guess about the ingredients and a wine list as thick as the local telephone directory. Come hungry because you do not want to miss out on the dessert which is artistically designed that it almost looks "to good to eat".

Round your fabulous breakaway off with a breakfast that will sort you out for the day ahead, brimming with any hot or cold breakfeast choice you could ask for under the sun. Oh and bubbly and oysters are offered for breakfast too......

It was truely hard leave the super friendly staff and checkout eventually from heaven- just one night stay at this amazing hotel provides such a great break and stress relief that we walked off with a bounce in our steps and totally invigorated.

In conclusion: This package is highly recommended for anyone who deserves some serious pampering.

While our room was a tad smaller than I had expected, that's about the only negative thing I can think of to say about the hotel. We had a nice kind sized bed and a beautiful bathroom. The staff is excellent, and if the weather had cooperated, the views would have been spectacular. I agree that it is not in the heart of town so not as convenient if you're looking for that sort of thing. We knew about the location, though, and hired a car so we wouldn't have to rely on the hotel's shuttle to take us into town.