Review of O on Kloof Boutique Hotel, by Angela Moore

O on Kloof is set in the seaside suburb of Bantry Bay, Cape Town. It's a proper boutique hotel, with views of a tumble of rooftops and a sliver of sea, lined with huge ships awaiting berth in Cape Town harbour. It's tough to be a townhouse hotel in an outdoorsy city like Cape Town. But for every possible issue, wonderful owner Olaf has come up with something so good that it more than compensates.

For a start, there's the dazzling welcome from Patricia, the practically perfect front of house manager. Upstairs, there's very limited outdoor space - the lounge and bar open out onto a little deck. It's lovely, though, a peaceful little place, in cool slates and greys with splashes of turquoise. Loungers and fresh flowers are everywhere. Breakfast changes every day and three nights a week you can have dinner in O on Kloof - people drive back from the Waterfront for it.

The pool area is downstairs, half-indoors and half-under a retractable roof. The gym is set up right near it and two bedrooms open onto it. But it's hard to mind, on your lounger in a sunny spot, when Patricia brings you - unasked - iced jugs of water laced with mint or lemon, or a bottle of cold chenin blanc made just over the mountain.

The bedrooms are O on Kloof's greatest asset. They're cool, handsome and very comfortable. Suite One, in particular, is fabulous - it has the only private outdoor space in the house, complete with a gorgeous double hammock. You'll never leave. Otherwise rooms don't tend to have private outdoor space - though the three downstairs share a little terrace.

O on Kloof pulls a hip, independent crowd who know what they want. It has a design edge but is never pretentious. It feels very friendly and relaxed and there's always someone around to pour you a drink. Recommended, for an easy-going couple of nights in Cape Town.