Western Cape

The Western Cape contains some of South Africa’s most extraordinary landscapes and architecture, from Cape Town’s dramatic position between mountain and ocean to the vineyards of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, the wild Atlantic coast and the semi-desert landscapes of the Karoo. Cape Dutch farmhouses, Victorian buildings and historic wine estates provide one architectural language, while the region has become an exceptional showcase for contemporary South African design. Concrete, stone, timber and glass appear in houses, wineries and hotels that respond boldly to mountains, vineyards and coastline. Add Cape Town’s Art Deco and Modernist heritage and the Western Cape becomes one of Africa’s most interesting destinations for anyone who travels partly to look at buildings.

Food and wine are equally compelling. Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl and the wider Cape Winelands produce everything from Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay to Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage, increasingly accompanied by ambitious architecture and destination restaurants. Cape Town brings one of Africa’s most dynamic dining scenes, shaped by the Cape’s complex cultural history alongside contemporary African influences. Seafood, exceptional produce, Cape Malay cooking and farm-to-table restaurants make eating particularly rewarding, while wine estates have perfected the dangerously civilised art of turning lunch into most of the afternoon.

The Western Cape has an exceptional range of hotels: restored Cape Dutch estates, vineyard retreats, urban design hotels, Modernist houses, coastal hideaways and remote lodges surrounded by wilderness. The best use architecture to strengthen rather than compete with their setting. At DNA Hotels, we curate the places where design, food, wine and landscape come together—hotels that reveal just how varied the Western Cape can be, from cocktails in Cape Town to waking among vineyards, mountains or beside an Atlantic Ocean that rarely feels obliged to behave like a beach holiday.