Welcome to Blackheath Lodge, a Boutique Hotel, located in the heart of Cape Town, a simple two-minute walk away from Sea Point’s famous promenade.
This is where we came to stay in Cape Town during our 64-day road trip through South Africa.
We were only in Cape Town a short while, two days to be exact, but this was the perfect base for us!
Close to Cape Town’s city centre and other popular tourist destinations.
It was late in the afternoon when we arrived at Blackheath Lodge.
With relief, we parked the car, got out and began stretching our creaking bodies, after a busy day and one too many hours of driving.
Cape Town, ah, you can feel the magic in the air. The towering face of Table Mountain, golden beaches, equally as golden sunsets, trendy cafés, outdoor adventures, heap loads of wine waiting to be drunk and a feeling of home.
We had finally arrived!
(Our parking was an ordeal in itself by the way, the reason, however, we will keep a secret… but let’s just say that it was not our finest driving moment. There is a good reason friends keep secrets.)
Anyway, we were in and the mission was to quickly place our bags down, exit our room, make our way around the hotel, explore, take it in, and finally relax.
However, we didn’t get very far before getting lost in the bar with Riano, one of the incredible staff members at Blackheath. We chatted, giggled, and got served up a glass of delicious gin.
Gin in hand, we made sure to sneak in some of the Smarties that were placed on the bar counter, because who said gin and Smarties don’t mix… I mean come on, it’s Smarties. If you don’t know what Smarties are, shame on you, they are delicious, fun, candy-coated button-looking chocolates.
For a while we sat there looking around at Blackheath Lodge. It sure has a lot of style and charm within its design.
A similar boldness and confidence in its use of bright colour which we had just seen in their sister property La Fontaine Boutique Hotel.
Except, this time it was a little different. This is an old victorian house from around the 1800s that has been seriously renovated to incorporate touches of a more diverse African style and bold natural coloured prints.
We also noticed that in the reception hall they have a collection of different flags from around the world. Our curiosity got the better of us and it turns out that every day they fly a flag in honour of the nationality of the respective guest staying at the hotel, which we thought added a super personal touch.
After some more conversation with the exceptionally friendly staff at Blackheath Lodge, and some hiking tips from Karin, we went out to meet up with Byron’s brother Darren (a now permanent Capetonian) and headed down to the promenade to watch the sunset.
As the sun set, it cast a golden glow over the whole Atlantic seaboard, turning the very active members of society who were running and cycling into nothing more than silhouettes dancing along the horizon.
What fantastic memories for the beginning of our short stay, with only more to come the longer we stayed. For instance, another favourite memory:
I (Byron) was walking around snapping some photos of the lodge when I came across Riano disinfecting the tables with a sanitisation atomiser. Our gaze met for a moment, we shared a smile and continued on, very aware of each others' presence. Now I was trying to capture him in action, but every time I lifted the camera, he stepped away to be clear of the shot for me. We did this camera lift and step back dance a good few times before we burst out laughing and tried verbal communication! 🤪 Whoops!
There are 18 luxury rooms & suites in total. Starting off with a superior suite (with its own kitchenette, balcony, and fireplace), deluxe apartments, a loft room, deluxe and standard rooms, and even a very cool-looking funky room!
Each room is completely different and very unique. We were well pleased with the design of our room. We loved how modern and contemporary it felt with its black and white design elements.
The bathroom is also stunning and carries those same modern themes with matt black fittings contrasted against white tiles.
Ooh! There’s a coffee machine”
☕
𝐓𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐲: “We just had coffee…”
☕
𝐁𝐲𝐫𝐨𝐧 *placing capsule in*: “So you don’t want one?”
☕
𝐓𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐲: “I didn’t say that…”
Byron’s story time: We were nearing halfway on our journey and the trip was definitely catching up with us. We thought it would be fun to take some couple photos lying on the bed and looking out towards the patio. So yes, it was fun, but let me tell you that mustering the motivation to stand up again after lying down on that comfy bed was no easy task! 😴
*Later that same day* It was about 11pm. ⏰
We had enjoyed the most divine dinner 🥗, captured everything we needed for the evening and sat down to start working.
We had just stayed at La Fontaine Boutique Hotel in Franschhoek the night before (also part of the Oyster Collection) and had enjoyed a hike around the Berg River Dam. I wanted to edit a short video to send to Justin but was battling to fight the allure of that comfy bed.
As I began to import the footage, I placed my hands on the table. Wooden. Smooth. I looked up at the desk lamp and thought, ‘𝙝𝙢𝙢, 𝙄 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙠.’ I turned to see Tammy moments away from what I could only hope would be a sweet dream 💭. I looked back at my laptop, the footage was loaded.
Where I was, who I was with and what I was doing. Everything was perfect. I had my moment sitting at that desk at Blackheath Lodge and the feeling has not left me yet.
If you follow our journey on Instagram you will know that Byron and I love to sit and indulge in what we call a “teamo”. It’s a chance for us to sit outside, enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and catch up. We talk about our day, revisit our goals and dreams and encourage each other for the next coming day. So, a balcony and a place to chill out is always spectacular for us.
No fear, each morning, breakfast is served. We had a lovely continental breakfast, consisting of fresh croissants, fresh fruit, muesli, and yogurt. We also had the choice of a hot English breakfast. They were kind enough to make me a vegan option, too!
Dinner and lunch are not standard parts of your stay with Blackheath Lodge, but you can definitely request both ahead of time and they will go above and beyond to meet your desires. I even got a vegan poke bowl!
I would say that depends on why you are in Cape Town.
We stayed at Blackheath Lodge during the cooler, winter months and still had a ball!
We were warm, got to enjoy dinner with a burning fire and we were out and about the whole day anyway.
The only thing we couldn’t do at Blackheath Lodge was swim (although Riano tried to make us, haha!).
Summers (November to Mid-March) are hot and dry and clear.
Autumn (Mid-March to April) are warm in the daytime, while a little cooler in the evenings.
Winter (May to Mid-August) long nights, chilly and wet days.
Spring (September to October) The winters have passed and the flower season is in full swing!
There is honestly so much to do in Cape Town! It is a must-visit city with a lot to see, so be prepared! There can be no short answer to this, but here are some tips on where to start:
How long should you stay? That, I’m afraid, is up to how long you are in Cape Town. It’s great as a weekend stopover, but it also serves just as well as a second home for those longer business trips.
Blackheath Lodge is conveniently located in Sea Point. Sea Point is a suburb right on the Atlantic Seaboard near Cape Town’s city centre, and some very famous tourist sites like Signal Hill, the Sea Point promenade, the V&A Waterfront and Camps’s Bay to name a few. We were literally within walking distance from the promenade!
You can either rent your own car to get around independently or you can call upon The Oyster Collections’ tour vehicles and have them take you around, a good idea too if you are interested in doing any of their bespoke tours.
I would book directly through their site.
Email: stay@bhl.co.za
Blackheath Lodge is part of The Oyster Collection who have various different accommodation options throughout the country, ranging from Boutique hotels to luxury guesthouses to self-catering cottages and whole-house rentals.
Here are some of their other properties that we have stayed at:
Disclosure: We received a sponsored stay at Blackheath Lodge Boutique Hotel in exchange for this written article and inclusion in our video travel guide series. We always give our honest opinions and beliefs on products and services; our views, reviews and opinions are entirely our own. See our Disclaimer Policy for more info.
