I had a very brief but pleasant stay at the Hyatt Regency Cape Town.
Hyatt Regency Cape Town Review
Altering arriving from Newark on United Airlines, I hopped in an Uber for the 20-minute drive to the Hyatt Regency Cape Town, located on 126 Buitengracht Street in the Bo-Kaap neighborhood (formerly known as the Malay Quarter). It was a glorious winter evening.
It was already 6:00 pm when I arrived and I had a 7:00 pm meeting on the Cape, so I simply dropped my bags off and hopped in another Uber just 30 minutes later.
Check-In + Lobby
I was warmly welcomed as a Globalist and upgraded to a room with a view of Table Mountain (I had booked a base room). The lobby is modern and well-appointed.
I’ll note now that the lobby is locked from both the inside and outside after dark. I had an early flight the following morning (4:30 am departure from the hotel) and I had to wait a moment for someone to come over and unlock the door so that I could exit.
Room
I was assigned room 719, which as I mentioned offered a great view of the city and the mountains that surround it. In fact, a sitting area near the elevators offered an even more picturesque view.
My room was very modern and clean, with a king bed, large bathroom, couch, and desk.
The bathroom included a bathtub, step-in shower, single sink, and water closet. Toiletries were by Pharmacopia, which is standard for Hyatt Regency properties around the world.
The hotel very nicely provided a welcome gift of fresh fruit, nuts, and biltong (a lovely beef jerky), which came in handy when I returned late from my meeting and did not feel like going out.
No espresso machine in the room; just a water kettle with tea bags and powered coffee.
The views form the room were gorgeous, though.
Dining
The Hyatt Regency Cape Town offers a number of dining options.
126 Cape Kitchen & Café
The hotel’s signature restaurant focuses on Malay and Indian cuisine and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Due to my early departure, I, unfortunately, missed the chance to taste the breakfast here.
Signal Hill Terrace
Signal Hill Terrace is the poolside terrace offering drinks and light food. Hookah and other smoking is permitted and it was quite pungent when I walked through.
The Market – Starbucks Coffee
A 24/7 Starbucks coffee is available in the lobby. Cape Town has many nice coffee shops, but at 4:00 am with no espresso machine in the rooms, this was better than nothing (as a rule of thumb, I avoid Starbucks and view it as inherently inferior coffee. Branded as The Market, light fare like sandwiches and pastries are also available.
Room Service
Room service is available 24/7 and the menu is accessible via QR code.
Regency Club
A Regency Club is located one level above the lobby. It offers hors d’oeuvres and alcohol in the evening and serves as a lounge and meeting place all day long.
When I got back close to 10:00 pm from my meeting, the food and liquor had been cleared away, but coffee and soft drinks were still available.
Pool
A small outdoor pool is open daily from sunrise to sunset.
Fitness Center
Adjacent to the pool is a small fitness center offering cardio and resistance machines, plus free weights and medicine balls.
Wellness
Although not mentioned anywhere on the hotel website, a sauna and steam room are also available 24/7. What I did notice was that at 10:00 pm they were turned off. I fired them on (there are switches outside) and it took some time to them to heat up.
Last time I was in Cape Town I chose the Westin specifically because I wanted a steam room and sauna, having no idea that the Hyatt had one. Now I know I can stay loyal to Hyatt while still enjoying wellness facilities that are important to me in choosing a hotel.
Service
The staff was amazing here, going out of their way to make me feel comfortable. Beyond the kind welcome gift, when I mentioned that I had to leave before dawn, the hotel proactively offered to pack me a breakfast bag to go.
Sure enough, when I checked out the following morning it was waiting for me at the front desk. It included an apple, sandwich, chips, and a water bottle. While not the breakfast of champions, I thought it was a very kind touch.
CONCLUSION
I was only at the hotel for 11 hours…such a shame. I do plan to return and hope to spend a few days here next time. I won’t tell you if I prefer this hotel or the Westin until I’ve had a full chance to properly compare the food and lounge offerings at the Hyatt Regency Cape Town.
Westin wins if my vote counts
I stayed here when it was still the Hilton in late 2019. I enjoyed the location. Have decided to try the Westin for my visit next month.