The Silo Hotel
"Start us off with an overview.The Silo pretty well defines the adage, “Location, location, location.” The hotel fills six floors atop a former grain silo overlooking the V&A Waterfront, which also houses Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town’s celebrated new Museum of Contemporary African Art. Colorful artworks from the collection hang in the ground floor entrance and around the hotel, including commissioned pieces by Frances Goodman, Jody Paulsen, and Pierre Carl Vermeulen. From there, you shoot up to the reception on the sixth floor and the hotel’s Granary Café, where you get an eyeful of the waterfront on one side and Table Mountain on the other through the building’s huge “pillowed” window bays by U.K. industrial designer Thomas Heatherwick. You’ll also get a sampling of the brashly eclectic interior design overseen by owner Liz Biden (think colorful silk fabrics, European and Asian antiques, African art, and industrial details). What’s the crowd like?Young South African professionals pack the bar after work, as do international travelers from the moneyed creative set. The good stuff: Tell us about your room.What hits you between the eyes is the contrast between the space’s industrial bones—ultra-high ceilings and those huge, bulging windows with geometrically patterned ironwork—and the eclectic decor, which runs from French antiques and painted Chinoiserie, to Lucite chairs and headboards upholstered in exotic fabrics. Each of the 28 rooms and suites is different, and the effect is a bit like being in the loft of an eccentric and well-traveled aunt. But as striking as the rooms are, the bathrooms are really the star (and nearly broke Instagram when the hotel opened in 2017). Taller than they are wide (but still as big as some small apartments), with Tiffany-blue cabinetry and black-and-white striped floors, each has a soaking tub stationed just in front of the huge panoramic windows, giving you views of the city while you soak. Room service: Worth it?The always-busy sixth floor lobby houses the Granary Cafe, which does a kind of elevated take on pub food—think charcuterie platters and potted salmon rillettes to start, followed by bouillabaisse and steak frites—and the Willaston Bar, a sceney local's magnet with an extensive South African wine list. Anything stand out about other services and features? Whether it’s childcare, gyms, spas, even parking—whatever stuck with you.Not to be missed: The rooftop swimming pool, with 360-degree views of the city. Only the brave will want to jump in, though, as the pool resembles a glass-sided fish tank. And of course, take full advantage of the hotel’s proximity to Zeitz MOCAA—the nightly rates include entrance to the museum, and private tours of the museum can be arranged via the secret entrance on the hotel’s fourth floor. Bottom line: worth it, and why?You have to be up for some bold décor choices, but the location and views couldn’t be better, and having access to the hottest museum on the continent is pretty cool." - Alex Postman
