Another amazing Suite stay in the Dock House Boutique Hotel (Cape Town)

This was our second visit to the Dock House, and fourth visit to South Africa. On our previous wedding trip in 2010, we stayed 4 nights at the Dock House and 3 nights at La Residence (where we were married) before heading to Singita Boulders (5 nights) and Azura Benguerra Island Mozambique (5 nights) for our honeymoon. FWIW, Cape Town, the Cape peninsula, and the Cape Winelands together are my favorite place in the world.

The Dock House

The Dock House formerly was the residence of the harbormaster, and has been converted into a boutique hotel with 6 total rooms--the Suite on the first floor that we were staying in for our second time, and 5 regular rooms split between the first and second floors. The only other room on the first floor is the breakfast room, which opens up into the spacious garden with plenty of chairs/chasies and small pool. There also is a poolhouse with small seating area and bar, but we never spent any time there. There were other guests laying out during the day.

We arrived on a domestic flight from JNB (after flying TNR-JNB) at 10:00 pm...and after a short delay found our driver (we had arranged the airport transfer through the Dock House for 600 ZAR), and 30 min later we were at the Dock House. (In our previous visit, many taxis seemed oblivious to the Dock House, which is why we arranged the transfer.)

The Dock House is part of Newmark Hotels, and is located right next to the Queen Victoria Hotel and Portswoode Hotel, both of which are also part of Newmark. The V&A Hotel just across the street and closer to the harbor is also part of Newmark.

Check in was done in our Suite living room--efficiently and promptly on arrival. It took no more than a few minutes, partly because we'd previously stayed in the Suite and knew all about its features.

The Suite

For me, the Suite as the Dock House is the biggest steal on the V&A Waterfront. It is a very spacious suite, with an entry hallway, off of which is the very spacious bathroom, across from which is the separate and spacious living room, and at the end of which is the spacious master bedroom. It isn't huge, but it is pretty big, and very comfortable for 2 persons. Off the bedroom is a small walled garden with seats, table, and fountain--and that wall is the reason I believe we never faced street noise issues while in the Suite.

The living room:

The bedroom:

The bathroom:

The price? I got it for 7,361 ZAR per night (around $640 when we were there). Again, a steal. The Westin had regular rooms going for $550 at the same time. The Cape Grace and One&Only were significantly more for regular rooms.

I've heard that the second floor rooms are more desirable due to their lovely waterfront views...but I also frequently have heard that noise is a bigger issue from those 2nd floor rooms--since the waterfront bars and restaurants can have lots of activity running well into the evening, not to mention the traffic on the busy street below. (From our suite, we heard absolutely nothing in April 2010 and again nothing on this visit in Jan 2015.)

 

Service at the Dock House (and Queen Victoria) were again very good. We had a few service blunders: calling for an internet code that was never returned and with no follow-up, and a slow room service order once. But otherwise, it was excellent--with people trying to bend over backwards to help. Hertz delivered us a rental car with no explanation for how to operate its GPS, and the Dock House manager spent about 30 min with my husband trying to sort it out...and then got us a cab in the meantime that we ultimately didn't use. Service isn't as polished as at the Cape Grace, perhaps, but it was extremely good--particularly when you consider this price point.

There is no restaurant on premises; breakfast comes from the adjacent Queen Victoria Hotel and is served in the breakfast room. We did that most mornings in 2010, but not at all on this visit. I wanted room service after not having any at all in Rwanda and Madagascar.

Breakfast room:

Room service was of average, sometimes a bit slow, speed, but of very good quality (and delivered hot every time). Food quality was always delicious. We had every breakfast and one dinner via room service--and loved it all.

One lunch we had at the restaurant in the adjacent Queen Victoria Hotel, which was about a 3 min walk from our suite--closer even than from almost any room at any hotel at which we've ever stayed. So it's almost like the Queen Elizabeth Hotel is an extension of the Dock House (and you can add restaurant charges there to your room account since it's part of the same hotel management group). The Queen Victoria is similarly styled but with a bit more pomp and drama, IMO. The restaurant is just an extension of their lobby, and lunch and service were just as good--which makes sense, since the kitchen is the same as for all Dock House meals!

The Dock House location is superb--it was just a mere 5 minutes walk to the V&A Waterfront. It aslso was jus a 15 min drive to both Aubergine and The Test Kitchen for our 2 fabulous meals.

From the first floor, you barely can seen onto the V&A Waterfront, but it's literally just outside the private gate and down some stairs and across the street. So convenient! Even more convenient to the waterfront than the Cape Grace (where we stayed on our first Cape Town visit) or the new One & Only.

From the garden and pool area, though, you have a fabulous view back onto Table Mountain.

The Dock House Suite continues to be my preferred accommodation in Cape Town. I wouldn't want to stay in a regular room because (1) I'm a diva, and (2) I wouldn't want to risk the noise issues that some have shared with me on the second floor. I don't need a view--it's nice, but I want nice and spacious accommodations with excellent service first and foremost. And I prefer a small boutique property whenever possible that can deliver like a bigger luxury hotel. The Dock House delivers these in spades--and its price point makes the Suite here the best value for any top accommodation in Cape Town IMO. 

Returning to the Dock House Suite feels more like returning to a very wealthy friend's home than to a hotel. I imagine we will be coming back to the Dock House for many years to come.

Comparison/contrast with Ellerman House and One & Only options:

FWIW, we had always considered Ellerman House after our first visit--when we drove over to check it out and have high tea. It is a beautiful property, with outstanding service, but I do prefer being in the more touristy waterfront area in proximity to restaurants, shopping, etc. That being said, Clifton (near Ellerman) is an area I very much want to explore more, and so our next visit might be split between Dock House and Ellerman. Ellerman is far more expensive, but we don't mind. We just find the Dock House to be such a great bargain that we've stayed there every time since our first stay at the Cape Grace (in their lovely Presidential Suite).

The Cape Grace still is better to me than the One & Only, but if you prefer a more modern style, the One & Only is for you. We normally prefer more modern, but there is something so impeccable about the Cape Grace that it's hard for us to resist in comparison. Ellerman has that in spades, too. So you really have something for everyone.