Intercontinental Table Bay Cape Town Hotel Review
- Ava Lyn
- 19 hours ago
- 5 min read
Intercontinental Table Bay Cape Town
Quay 6, Victoria and Alfred Waterfront
Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Set along Cape Town's iconic V&A Waterfront, the Intercontinental Table Bay occupies one of the most recognisable positions in the city. Opened in 1997, the hotel was designed to mirror the architectural language of the historic harbour, blending into the working waterfront rather than standing apart from it. Over the years, the V&A waterfront itself has evolved into a polished mixed use district with retail, dining, museums and luxury hotels all within walking distance. Today, that evolution continues. Major redevelopment is underway, including the highly anticipated opening of The Edition Cape Town just next door, signally a shift toward a more design forward, luxury hospitality landscape in the area.
The location of Intercontinental Table Bay is absolutely perfect, with Table Mountain rising just behind it and the Atlantic stretching outward in front. The rooms that face the harbour offer constant activity, with boats moving in and out, seals in the distance and once you step outside, you are immediately within the V&A's retail and dining belt, with attractions like the Zeitz MOCAA museum and Robben Island ferry terminal within walking distance. Adding to this, is the fact that the hotel is directly linked to the V&A mall (with security) which means you don't even need to step outside on a rainy day to do your shopping.
We booked a Table Bay Classic room at ZAR 17044 per night and used our IHG Ambassador complimentary weekend night voucher for this stay. At check in, we were upgraded to a suite retailing ZAR 27179 per night, which is an exceptional upgrade, not just in size but in overall comfort and really set the tone for the stay.
Arrival for us was seamless, we had a car pick us up at the airport and we reached the hotel by 10 am, expecting to just leave our bags, perhaps freshen up in the gym. But instead, we were greeted by name at the door and informed that our suite was ready for us. Early check in at this hour is like a rare unicorn these days. We have only been granted this a few times and it is certainly one we value very highly. Equally notable was the departure experience. We had mentioned we were going on the Robben Island tour on the day of our check out and the team immediately noted that and told us we could check out after we returned from our cruise and had a shower before heading onwards. This was a 6 pm check out granted on the day we checked in. On the day however, our ferry was delayed and we only got back at 8 pm and the team was still extremely kind and told us to take all the time we needed to freshen up before checking out. I think this level of service is exceptional and I cannot recommend Intercontinental Table Bay Cape Town highly enough, just from this level of service.
Let's go back to check in, because the service doesn't end there. We were handed over to the concierge team right after check in and they too deserved a very specific mention. Rather than pointing us toward facilities, the lady at the concierge personally walked us through the hotel, showing us the lounge, gym, pool and key access points. She also introduced us to every single one of the staff we encountered. This level of orientation felt intentional and personal. Across our stay, staff consistently addressed us by name and remembered our preferences. It felt personal and genuine. I must admit, this level of detail was a first for us.
The suite itself follows a classic Intercontintental design language. Traditional soft furnishings with a clear separation between living and sleeping spaces. Everything was well positioned and comfortable and of extremely high quality. We had several well rested nights here and the suite was Table Mountain facing, which meant we got a superb view every morning and evening of the harbour with table Mountain in the background.
The bathroom was also large, with both a bathtub as well as a separate shower. Amenities were Byredo standard for IHG.
Club access was included as part of the suite upgrade and we felt that this significantly enhanced the stay. The lounge operates across multiple service periods, including breakfast, afternoon tea and evening canapes. It never felt overcrowded. In fact, we probably only ever saw one other guest during our time at the Club lounge. The team running the space maintained the same level of attentiveness seen elsewhere in the hotel, always coming up to introduce themselves to us if they had not seen us before. This level of service is phenomenal. Food offerings are by table service and whilst I didn't think too much about the quality, the offerings were certainly very diverse.
The pool area is definitely another one of the visually strong aspects of the property. It is well designed with ample seating and a beautifully functional layout. On a clear day, it is undeniably photogenic, with clean lines, open skies and glimpses of the harbour. That said, the ongoing construction around the waterfront does have some impact to our experience and we definitely cannot call it a quiet retreat with the noise from the nearby works being noticeable during the day. Other facilities include a gym and a spa. The gym is functional, adequately equipped for a short stay. However, there is no bath area and steam/sauna areas.
Breakfast is served either in the dining area that takes full advantage of the harbour views or in the club lounge with a vantage point of the piers. Both locations deliver visually, beautiful floor to ceiling windows give you a beautiful frame of the waterfront. In the main dining lounge, there is a small buffet selection as well as a separate a la carte menu which includes dishes like a classic french omelette, eggs benedict, tiramisu french toast, south african flapjacks. In general, we felt the food quality was just average. It is definitely not a breakfast you would seek out independently. And at this price point for a hotel night, I think quality matters.
Would We Recommend?
Absolutely yes. Intercontinental Table Bay delivers where it matters most, location and service. The hardware, is extremely solid, having undergone a huge renovation and opening only at the end of 2025 and the service, is absolutely phenomenal. What truly sets this property apart from any others is the consistency and sincerity of its service. From the personalised concierge introduction, to their flexibility with accomodating our plans during check in and check out, this human element is the bar at which hotels should strive for. The suite upgrade and the Ambassador benefits definitely further strengthened this value proposition. Yes, there are some areas that detracted our stay, including the ongoing redevelopment in the area and slightly poorer quality of food, but in general, someone who values privacy, high quality stays and exceptional service, should put Intercontinental Table Bay on their list of hotels to consider in Cape Town.
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