“You have only one life, and that might not extend to tomorrow… So you have to enjoy all of the moments you can today“… This was one of the things one of the team said to me as I debated a glass of something bubbly (…. yes, fine it was over breakfast) and never before has it been more applied to a hotel ethos and conduct. 

It’s The idea that you should enjoy life at every moment and eat samosas for breakfast or Baklava along side a cheeseboard at 1am should you want it. That if you want to listen to Greek music at 1am on the lawn while eating calamari… you should. That if you like modern art and Zulu artefacts… you don’t have to pick one. Get both!

I have stayed in some pretty luxurious hotels, but none of them have quite this Onasis level of MTV cribs luxury.

This place is what would happen if Aristotle Onasis, Elizabeth Taylor, Beyonce and Elton John had a house share.

Where to start? This place is a hot bed of luxury and extravagant items. As my guest said… whether you like modern or traditional, minimalistic or bursting with decor “it is the house of everyones dreams” and for me, perhaps the most exquisite mansion-house hotel I’ve seen. 

They are prolific collectors of both South African art and world pieces. They also have a great collection of culturally important art. Whether you know your art or just pretend you do like me, this place is incredible…

For any level of art enthusiast, you have to appreciate the vast collection. 

Undoubtedly one of the best things about 21 Nettleton is the view: 

Cape Town. If you know it, you’ll know that it is famed for it’s Penguin Beach, it’s Shark-cage diving, Table Mountain (Officially one of the 7 wonders of nature, do you mind) and wine. Ok, so I have never actually climbed (scaled? hiked?) Table mountain and I am deathly afraid of sharks, but I do like wine and if I am honest…. it is one of (don’t get precious people) the only places I could ever see myself staying for a 3/4 months. 

But, here is the real icing on the opulent cake. The most amazing thing about this place and my stay, is that NOTHING is out of reach. I had a fully stocked bar, warmed whiskey, coffee station, and snack cabinets all in a “personal snack area” outside my room which was complimentary. As was everything else as a resident.

FOOD

Anything you want AT ANY TIME, can be prepared for you. On arrival, we were peckish and so the incredible live in chef Roland whipped up a selection of canapés (a mountain of food) for us. We then decided an hour or so later that we might be peckish again… so he just made some more.

Want something specific? Just let them know and Roland will cook it. South African stew? Sure. Springbok with garlic potatoes? Done. Caiprinha? Sorted.

Another couple that were staying there said that they really fancied a cake… That afternoon, guess what came out of the kitchen…. x2.

Even more amazing is that this is 24 hours a day. During our stay, we were told that they had some guests arriving at 3:30am and had said that they quite liked hamburgers…. So guess what they received… at 3:30am… to their rooms.

Every day, they provide breakfast, lunch, sunset canapés, late night snacks and always tailored to what we liked… (Those coated cauliflower bites… ) 

I need to make special mention of the staff here, which I got to know really well as it is essentially a house that we are all in together…. Dirk, Federica, Emit and my boy…. Blue.

When you arrive, they give you an iPad with a messenger function. When I say that nothing is too much trouble, I mean that they all have access to this function and are on call 24/7. Want a coffee at 5am? Want a different set of pillows? Want a list of the best bars that are open at that exact time? Want them to book you a restaurant without you having to research it? Want them to arrange a table for you at their friends packed-out bar with 4 minutes notice? All of these things happened.

I have never, and I mean never met a more attentive group of people. I appreciate that this is largely because of the scale as this would not be possible in a 600 person hotel, but it really was spectacular.

On the last morning, like they knew what would make my great stay utterly perfect… the owners pooch joined us for breakfast. Not chaperoned, not with anyone else… but just casually joining us for eggs and a newspaper on a Sunday. Perfect.

ROOMS:

Rooms. As mentioned, this was formerly a private residence. They have converted this house which would make any self-respecting architect envious into a 6 bedroom house.

Absolute attention to luxury detail in the decor and a mixture of modern art and classic pieces. What is really spectacular is the views that you get from the rooms also. Every room is different, but each with a spectacular view of Cape Town and the sunset. 

Oh, and not to mention tapestries in the bedrooms.

I don’t care what you say, if you haven’t seen the sunset from 21 Nettleton, you havent seen it properly.

“You have only one life, and that might not extend to tomorrow… So you have to enjoy all of the moments you can today”

Check out the video for the wrap up of the best bits: 

21 Nettleton – 19 – 23 Nettleton Rd, Clifton, Cape Town, 8005, South Africa