Review of Beaumont House, by Angela Moore

Beaumont House is a boutique hotel in the swish, leafy, bougainvillea-strewn Cape Town suburb of Newlands, on the inland side of Table Mountain. It's possibly the most exclusive neighbourhood in Cape Town with high walls, higher trees and the highest property prices.

This small, elegant boutique hotel is run by convivial owners Gill and Peter and is very much personality-led. Beaumont House attracts a civilized, older clientele, who appreciate the tranquility and the excellent concierge service. Gill and Peter book guests into restaurants, onto golf courses, into private wine tours - very much trading on their local knowledge. From the approving conversation at breakfast, with people discussing successful dinners and extolling the virtues of vineyards, it would seem that they do this very successfully.

The facilities

From the lounge, the beautiful oak floor flows out through cleverly foldable glass walls into the tiles of the pool area.

In the boutique hotel's lounge, an honesty bar is laid out daily and guests gather for drinks before going out to dinner. You can hear the cork pop on Peter's choice of white wine at around 7pm. There are occasional parties around the piano.

The rooms

This boutique hotel is a soothing symphony of slates, magnolias and whites, full of light. In the bedrooms, oversized wardrobes reach up to high ceilings and giant headboards are hung with white runners. There is a photo of Bette Middler in every spacious bathroom, watching you coquettishly as you shower. The linens and towels are fabulous and made especially for the hotel - much here is bespoke.

The Pool and Garden rooms at the boutique hotel open directly onto the pool, so uber-private people should choose Mountain rooms. Children are permitted - though it's too quiet for the boisterous - and extra beds can be set up in some rooms.

The charming turndown here sums up the polish and attention to detail that goes into every aspect of Beaumont House. We came home from dinner at Myoga, where Gill and Pete had miraculously got us a table, to find the tv guide open, a box of choccies, everything topped up (including home-made biscuits and a jar of jelly beans) and our room restored to its zen-like state of calm.