15 On Orange for comfortable seats, bar none

15 On Orange is African Pride Hotel's Cape Town flagship property and part of Protea Hotel Group. Locals will remember the Orange Street and Grey's Pass, Gardens address as the Dutch Reformed Church's synod.
The food is great.
The food is great.

Although the public areas are swish and smart, this hotel is geared to residential guests who get the best views of Table Mountain through floor-to-ceiling windows. Other rooms look into the atrium from windowed-boxes each with a '70s-style Perspex hanging chair.

Where Melrose Arch Hotel in Johannesburg was designed as a "hip hotel", borrowing elements from the Starck-designed Ian Schrager hotels in Europe and the US, 15 on Orange seems to get its design juju from The Jetsons. Local designer Haldane Martin has two pieces in the reception lobby - the Songololo couch and Fiela's Feather light but then much of the other seating seems from another planet and not very comfortable.

Sofa, so good

How's that for a window with a view?
How's that for a window with a view?

I don't like the fact that the hotel has a pre-lobby at street level and then stairs or a lift, despite a very fabulous gold settee in the lift to reach the main area. I do like the witty use of TV monitors displaying oil painting images and the cavernous atrium reception and restaurant area. By contrast, The Judge's Lounge has a low ceiling and a warmly naughty feel about it - half gentleman's club half bordello.

The Murano Bar looks wonderful and, for those interested in history, the blown glass links in the "curtain light", come from The Venetian Room in the former Heerengracht Hotel. I moved around that bar like someone with ants in their pants or Goldilocks trying every bed, never finding a seat I found comfortable. We ended up sitting outside on deep sofas, the sort on which you can fold your legs comfortably.

Just right for Alexis

Modern and just the place to hang around in for a bit.
Modern and just the place to hang around in for a bit.

Our Deluxe corner room was sensational. Floor to ceiling windows in the bedroom and the bathroom give the illusion that you are floating on the mountain. The bathroom, in particular, is a spot of which Alexis Carrington would be proud. A free-standing tub is angled into the corner window while double vanities are carved from under-lit mustard-coloured marble. Very glam. The large shower and toilet cubicles are behind frosted glass.

I've noticed that a number of Protea Hotels bill for parking separately rather than include it in the room rate. By contrast they have a whole bunch of latest-issue magazines in the room to read and ready-to-watch DVD's including an adult one which, based on the scratch marks, is the most watched. Wi-Fi is fast and free.

Great food, great rooms, but...

Great decore, but the bar stools were a bum deal.
Great decore, but the bar stools were a bum deal.

There is a small unheated lap pool on the roof and a few recliners but it certainly isn't a feature of the hotel. There was no service while we were up there and the place looked messy with plates and glasses from other guests that weren't cleaned away (the plates and glasses, that is - not the guests). There is a small gym on the same level, adjacent to the third-party owned spa.

In summary, this hotel scores high marks for brilliant contemporary rooms and excellent food but if the focus of your visit is leisure there are probably better options at a similar price.

For more information, you'll find the hotel on the corner Grey's Pass and Orange Street, Cape Town, or you can phone +27 (0) 21 469 8000 or go to the website - www.africanpridehotels.com/15-on-orange-hotel.html.

About Brian Berkman: contributing editor, travel

Brian Berkman can be contacted on 083-441-8765 or email moc.namkreBnairB@nairB.
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