ajnaro

Actually the breakfast downstairs in the restaurant is even more spectacular, although there is no view. The hotel policy on allowing Platinum suite guests to have breakfast downstairs is inconsistent -- sometimes they say 'only in the lounge', sometimes they provide an invitation for the restaurant. I really don't understand the basis for this, if there is one.

anabolism

See my comments a few posts up -- they have fewer of some things, but more of others. So, I wouldn't say the restaurant is better or more spectacular, but different. Depending on what you like, you may really prefer one or the other.

ajnaro

I guess it's another one of those 'your mileage may vary' situations. On my visits, the selection of salmon, tuna, sushi, and everything else (especially the freshly made juice bar) was much more extensive in the downstairs restaurant. The advantage of the lounge was the view of Table Mountain (from the back of the lounge, which, incidentally, was not open for the cocktail hour) and slightly better service; the advantage of the restaurant was much wider selection from the buffet. Both had menus to order from, if desired.

anabolism

When I was there, only the lounge had this. The restaurant had nothing like it.

McCoy

Just booked this hotel, for a first-time visit to CPT.

Any tips on airport transfer?
And getting to the usual tourist places... taxis?

Thanks

skrosvik

I booked transfers through a tour company - paid about 20 EUR per way. Very courteous and good! No problems at all...

When booking tours for sightseeing I would recommend the tour companies in the hotel lobby. Maybe they are a bit more expensive than others, but at least you will have everything organized. I booked a half day tour to the penguin beaches and Cape of Good Hope for about 50 EUR at the lobby. They picked me up and dropped me off at the hotel. Very convenient.

The City Sightseeing bus stops right outside the hotel. This is a hop on, hop off bus...And Cape Town Convention Centre (Westin) is on of the stops. This bus were very frequent. I think every 20 minutes or so.

anabolism

We used the concierge to arrange airport transfer. The concierge called a buddy who has a taxi. However, the concierge had assured me that the taxi took credit cards, but he insisted on cash.

As for tours, we Googled around and found some half-day tours at good prices. They picked us up at the hotel and dropped people either at their hotels or somewhere else in town (as they preferred). I can dig up the company if you're interested.

McCoy

Thanks, skrosvik and anabolism.
Yes, any tour company recommendations would be grand, especially wine tours!

wingzing

Will also be heading to the Westin CPT in March. Tour recommendations (esp wine) would be appreciated. The name of a good airport transfer service would also be appreciated (I heard that arranging through the concierge is expensive).

Thanks!

Thunderroad

I don't know tour companies or airport transport services, but FWIW when my wife and I went to the Westin a few years ago we took the double decker bus service for which the top deck is open and that has various routes going all over the city. Never done that elsewhere before, given that we like to walk around cities as much as possible or where necessary just take a taxi or public transit to get from A to B. But for a city as spread out as CPT with such diverse attractions, it was great. The buses run very regularly, so you hop off for an hour or two at one spot and hop back on when the schedule indicates the next bus will return. At least when we were there, the buses stopped at the curb practically right outside the hotel.

NoY

Seconded. Excellent service & the bus can be used as a drop off to the Table Mountain cable car ride to the top. A great way to enjoy the weather too.

3544quebec

I have used http://www.way2gotours.co.za/ half a dozen times and they have always been punctual. They used to have pricing on their website but I can't see it there now - their prices have always been a little less than what a taxi would cost.
For the budget-minded, the public transit bus that was built for the World Cup runs from the airport every 20mins to the central terminus which is a 5 minute walk from the hotel - perfectly safe during the day, don't know that I would do it at night with luggage. Cost was R55 (I think) earlier this year compared to about R250 for a taxi/shuttle

anabolism

We used African Eagle Day Tours for a half-day Cape Peninsula Tour. (They have a lot of tours to choose from, including wine). The one half-day tour we did wasn't luxurious, but it was fun, inexpensive, and they did pick-up us and others from our hotels and offered to drop us off either back at the hotel or somewhere in town. ALso, they take credit cards.

RTWSTARALLIANCE

I am inbound next month. This will be my second time to CPT but the first being way too short. Stayed at Cape Grace and not impressed so looking forward to Westin. Did the standard one day city tour before but left much more to be seen hence the second trip to this "A" list location. Can we start a some threads on highlight best sites people have enjoyed? I seem to remember a heli tour out to Cape Point. Anyone do that? Anyone have a contact e-mail for the Westin? Any and all info appreciated. The Lounge sounds great!

ajnaro

A nice excursion is south to the Cape of Good Hope. Going down on the M4 through Simon’s Town is less than an hour and a half, although you can wonder off the road a bit for scenic purposes. Returning north via the M65 and M6 on the other side of the peninsula will provide you with different views. Chapmans Peak Drive through Hout Bay is one of the most spectacular roads anywhere on the planet. The concierge at the Westin arranged a driver and a car for us for the day at around $200, but you can rent a car at the airport and drive yourself quite easily. We've done it that way too. Another interesting drive is to Hermanus on the N2, but that takes a little longer if you detour on R44 to see the penguin colony at Betty's Bay.