Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / South Africa / Cape Town / Cape Grace, A Fairmont Managed Hotel
Cape Grace, A Fairmont Managed Hotel
Cape Town, South Africa · Fairmont · High Luxury
Cape Grace opened in December 1996 as one of the first purpose-built luxury hotels on Cape Town's V&A Waterfront, built by the Brand family on a private quay between the working harbour and the yacht marina. The hotel joined Travel & Leisure's Hall of Fame and earned a MICHELIN Two Keys award in 2025. Its Bascule Bar holds more than 500 whiskies — one of the largest collections in the Southern Hemisphere — a vision of original owner Charles Brand, who wanted to change Cape Town's limited single-malt culture.
- 112 rooms
- Opened 1996
- Neighborhood: Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
About Cape Grace, A Fairmont Managed Hotel
- The Bascule Bar was the direct creation of Charles Brand, Cape Grace's founding owner, who found virtually no venues in Cape Town offering a serious selection of single malts in the mid-1990s; the bar now stocks over 500 whiskies from Scotland, Ireland, Japan, Australia, South Africa, and the United States, with members-only personalised whisky cabinets.
- The V&A Waterfront dates to 1860s Victorian dock construction and is the oldest working harbour in the Southern Hemisphere; Cape Grace was among the very first luxury hotels to open within the redeveloped precinct in 1996.
- Cape Grace underwent a nine-month renovation and reopened in May 2024 under Fairmont management with a new identity rooted in South African heritage, art, and a redesigned dining programme — while retaining its founding reputation as a boutique property in one of Africa's most celebrated harbour settings.
History
Cape Grace opened in 1996 on Cape Town's V&A Waterfront, positioned on a private quay between the working harbor and the marina with views of Table Mountain and the harbor. The hotel is known for its intimate, boutique character — a rarity for a five-star Waterfront property — and its exceptional whisky bar stocked with over 400 whiskies. It joined the Fairmont managed portfolio and has consistently ranked among the top hotels in Africa and the Indian Ocean region. Fairmont assumed management of Cape Grace as part of its African expansion.
The setting
Cape Grace, A Fairmont Managed Hotel, occupies its own private quay on West Quay Road within the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, set between a working harbour and a tranquil yacht marina framed by Table Mountain. The V&A — redeveloped from 19th-century docklands from 1990 — is the oldest working harbour in the Southern Hemisphere, and Cape Grace was among the first purpose-built luxury hotels to open here in December 1996. The V&A's restaurants and boutiques are two minutes on foot, Two Oceans Aquarium five minutes, and the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa nine minutes' walk — one of Africa's most culturally dense waterfront positions.
Restaurants and bars
- Heirloom Restaurant — Restaurant
Experiences
- Family Safari Room — Dedicated Safari Room designed for children, with imaginative interiors and thoughtful touches for young guests.
Amenities
- Spa
- Pool
- Sauna
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- Water sports
Awards
- MICHELIN Two Keys (2026)
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