Sugar Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa

Saccharine the Sugar Hotel isn't, though we love its silly name. In fact, its grey exterior is rather forbidding, and when you winkle your way past the security door the small lobby is enlivened only by an austere black granite reception desk. That sets the tone for the hotel, where boutique certainly doesn't mean chintzy. The walls are grey, the bunches of flowers made from wire, the satellite TV bursting with 110 channels, the bar decorated in black and splotched with bar stools in bright yellow, blue and neon green. There is also a full-time therapist on hand with hot stones and strong fingers if stylish living gets just too exhausting. And we really like it that Sugar Hotel, unlike many small hotels in Cape Town, welcomes kids of all ages – proving that it is possible to live a stylish and contemporary lifestyle even after giving birth. A massage room, a bar, a pool – and PlayStation to keep the little ones occupied as you drink, swim and are pummelled. What more do you want?

The rooms
Every hotel in the world claims to have large rooms, but we suggest you take a compass and map if you check into Room 2 at the Sugar Hotel, otherwise you might lose yourself on the way from bed to mini HiFi. There are seven rooms in all, defined by the colour highlights of their cushions, curtains, sinks and the funky lighting embedded in the bathroom floor. One room has a queen bed and green decor. The others have king or twin beds and blue, red or silver decor. Five face the waterfront (well, really the street, to be honest), while the two facing the mountains have decks with plunge pools. One of these is the family room, which actually has two bedrooms (one with bunk beds), a huge family bathroom and its own PlayStation. Are you following? It doesn't really matter, because any room is good. Bathrooms are fantastic, with separate baths and showers and double sinks, as well as under-floor heating and a tap for filtered water. You'll also find wireless Internet access, cordless phones and built-in adaptors. Despite the grey walls, coloured light is filtered through the gauze curtains and beaded bedside lamps, making you feel like you're floating in an aquarium, at least in the green and blue rooms. As for the red room, who knows what you'll feel like?