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One&Only Cape Town
Cape Town, South Africa · One&Only · High Luxury
One&Only Cape Town was Sol Kerzner's personal homecoming project — his first major South African development since The Palace of the Lost City at Pilanesberg in 1992 — and the first urban property in the One&Only portfolio. It opened on 3 April 2009 at a cost of approximately R1.1 billion, with interiors by Adam D. Tihany and architecture by Cape Town firms dhk and Ruben Reddy. The resort was built with only local materials and contains a permanent gallery partnership with the Goodman Gallery, one of Africa's most prominent contemporary art institutions.
- 131 rooms
- Opened 2009
- Neighborhood: Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
- Architect: Ruben Reddy)
- Interiors: Adam Tihany; MUZA Lab
About One&Only Cape Town
- One&Only Cape Town was the first urban property ever added to the One&Only portfolio — the brand had been built exclusively around beach and island resorts since its 2001 launch; Kerzner described it as his personal tribute to his home country.
- The resort is structured as three separate islands within the V&A marina: the main 91-room Marina Rise tower, a separate island holding 40 villa-style Island Suites, and a dedicated third island housing 11 ESPA spa treatment villas — creating a genuine resort-within-a-city experience inside a working harbour.
- The Goodman Gallery — which represented artists including William Kentridge, one of South Africa's most internationally exhibited living artists — established a permanent gallery space within the resort at opening in 2009, commissioning original artworks by prominent South African artists for the hotel's permanent collection.
- The property is the only Nobu outpost on the African continent, with the Cape Town restaurant notable for a ceiling-spanning translucent origami light fixture and a three-dimensional metal mural by South African artists Brett Murray and Freciano Ndala behind the maître d' stand.
History
One&Only Cape Town opened on 4 April 2009 at the V&A Waterfront, developed by Sol Kerzner at a cost of approximately R1.1 billion. Designed by Cape Town firms dhk Architects (Dennis Fabian & Berman in collaboration with Ruben Reddy), with interiors by New York-based Adam D. Tihany, the resort integrates African heritage motifs into a contemporary urban resort format. The seven-storey waterfront tower, Marina Rise, contains 91 rooms and suites with views of Table Mountain and Robben Island. A separate island in the marina holds 40 Island Suites, while a dedicated spa island houses 11 treatment villas — creating a resort-within-a-city dynamic. The resort features a Nobu restaurant and was designed to complement the historic Waterfront precinct.
The setting
One&Only Cape Town commands Dock Road within the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, where Lion's Head and Devil's Peak form a natural amphitheatre framing Table Mountain views across the marina. Opened in 2009 on a redeveloped Victorian harbour site — the oldest working harbour in the Southern Hemisphere — the resort places two distinct islands within the marina itself, blending urban energy with genuine seclusion. Multiple landmark luxury properties cluster within half a kilometre, confirming this as Cape Town's premier hospitality enclave. The V&A's dining and retail, the Two Oceans Aquarium, and the Zeitz MOCAA art museum are all within easy walking distance.
Restaurants and bars
- Nobu Cape Town — Restaurant
- Reuben's at One&Only — Restaurant
- The Grill Room — Restaurant
- Isola — Restaurant
Amenities
- Three private islands (resort, spa, pool)
- Infinity-edge swimming pool
- ESPA spa island (11 treatment villas)
- Fitness centre
- Kids club
- Butler service
- Meeting rooms
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN One Key (2026)
- Africa's Leading Luxury Resort 2025 (World Travel Awards) (2025)
- South Africa's Leading Resort 2025 (World Travel Awards) (2025)
- AHEAD MEA Hotel Renovation (2023)
- Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice
- Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star
- Travel + Leisure World's Best City Hotels
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