Gorgeous George Hotel

You stay at Gorgeous George in Cape Town's city centre, in one of thirty-three rooms that mix industrial concrete and steel with Victorian design touches. Each room has hand-painted wall art by David Brits, a Marshall Bluetooth speaker, and a smart TV with Netflix. The smallest studios measure thirty-two square metres; the two-bedroom suites stretch to seventy-two.

The rooftop holds Gigi Rooftop, serving modern dishes with ethically sourced ingredients — line-caught fish, pasture-reared beef — and a bar with city views. The building itself combines two restored heritage structures, now part of the Design Hotels collection.

Rooms come with rain showers, minibars stocked with local products, and custom bathroom amenities. The penthouse on the ninth floor has two balconies and a kitchen, reached by elevator to the seventh floor then forty stairs.

The hotel sits on St Georges Mall, a brick-paved walkway in the central business district. Parking is available on site, accessed via Longmarket Street.