O on Kloof

Mr & Mrs Smith have a trip to this Cape Town boutique hotel in the diary, and just as soon as they’ve unpacked their bags, a full account of their stay in South Africa will be with you. Meanwhile, just to whet your wanderlust, here's a postcard from this boutique bed and breakfast in Bantry Bay...

‘Kloof’ is the road, ‘O’ is the owner – the perennially enthusiastic hotelier Olaf Dambrowski, whose Western Cape project, O on Kloof hotel, has become one of our favourite Cape Town destinations. Olaf himself spends a large amount of time at this petite retreat in affluent Bantry Bay, and we really can’t blame him: it’s simply a gorgeous place to be. The eight rooms are all individually designed with a masculine – but far from overbearing – eye for style, with lots of black marble, sharp white and dark wood at play. Downstairs, the pool area is floored in taupe and walled in crimson, with an open-plan poolside gym, plus a stool-lined juice bar and a chill-out sofa space – it’s more like an upscale nightclub than a fitness centre. Next to reception, the restaurant may not compete with evening eatery options such as Salt or Ginja nearby, but it’s a great place to informally explore South African culinary classics – Olaf buys the ingredients himself each morning and Amanda, the chef, makes a darn fine bobotie – South Africa's national dish of egg-topped spiced beef. Tasty.