Labotessa
"Why did this hotel catch your attention? What's the vibe?Labotessa is a narrow, tall, blue townhouse that wouldn’t look out of place in Amsterdam. The hotel is tucked away on historic Church Square, which is full of architectural landmarks, including the Dutch Reformed Groote Kerk. Sunset views are a bonus. What type of travelers will you find here?You don’t really see anyone else, thanks to private elevator access. Tell us all about the accommodations. Any tips on what to book?There are only six guest suites, two on each floor. They're all high ceilinged, generously sized, and elegantly decorated with French oak floors, petrol-blue walls, crisp white bed linens, jewel-toned velvet sofas, antiques, and commissioned art. Blue subway tiles, pale marble, and Diptyque products jazz up the tiny bathrooms. Above the suites is the Governor Suite, a two-story contemporary penthouse with three bedrooms, a large, open-plan kitchen for entertaining, and a plunge pool. Drinking and dining—what are we looking at?Breakfast is served in Starlings Cafe, an all-day restaurant with a well-established following in suburban Claremont, thanks to its breakfast bowls and organic food. Try a fresh veggie juice, a fruit bowl topped with homemade granola, honey and yogurt, or a pastry. Any other hotel features worth noting?It's breakfast only here, but the hotel is around the corner from Fyn, a restaurant that's earned a cult following for its boundary-pushing Japanese-South African tasting menus. Bottom line: Worth it? Why?This is the first small, luxuriously appointed, designer hotel in this part of the city, and its narrow townhouse architecture and historic square setting gives it an authentic European ambience—with the advantage of South African sunshine and Lion’s Head views." - Billy Brown
