MannaBay

Imagine that you know one of the coolest (and richest) cats in Cape Town, and he invites you to stay at this uber-modern holiday house. Welcome to Manna Bay.

• The backyard gate that lands you right into Table Mountain National Park
• The staff who knows just when to appear and disappear
• The breakfast feast that is served each day

MannaBay, a new boutique hotel in Oranjezicht, brings a whole new dimension of fun and pampering to staying in Cape Town. The multi-million dollar house in one of the city’s toniest suburbs (but only five minutes from downtown) could be a fun-loving tycoon’s mansion with a seriously spoiling staff. However, here you can check in to one of the eight guestrooms and get to call this achingly hip house your home. There’s a living room with a fireplace and crystal chandelier and a floor-to-ceiling black and white photo of Table Mountain. Behind it is a library/media room that looks like a frat boy’s play room with a giant TV screen and enormous blue velour sectionals with Union Jack pillows. It connects to an open kitchen on side and out to the pool on the other. The pool area, complete with a boma for barbecue dining, faces Table Mountain, and features a fire pit and red bean bags for star gazing. There’s even an Arne Jacobson-style egg chair swing hanging from a tree in the backyard.

Each of the eight guest rooms has been designed around a different theme—and bold wallpaper. The hotel’s owner David Ryan, a local entrepreneur who had a previous version of the hotel in another house nearby, worked with local artists to weave odes to South Africa together with a major glam factor. He wanted the rooms to have “a unique connection to the city and its cultures while maintaining an international flair.” One room, for instance, is called the Explorer’s Room and was inspired by legendary adventurer Bartolomeu Dias; its walls feature vintage landscapes and prints of sailing ships. Not surprisingly, the Flamingo Room celebrates its namesake bird on pillows, wallpaper and giant paintings. The Persian room has Persian carpets, paisley wallpaper and pillows and a portrait of a Persian prince. Abundance rules here with loads of whimsy, wit and color (except in the Black and White Room). The Versailles Suite is the largest room, but the Pom Pom Room features its own outdoor plunge pool. Contemporary South African art is scattered throughout the house; some pieces have been commissioned and others are on loan from local galleries.

The staff can arrange for a variety of activities, ranging from winelands tours and tastings to shark diving and township visits.

A group of friends or family who wants to take over a wow house or individuals who like sharing special digs with other well-heeled adventurers from around the world.

Minimalists (the design packs a punch) and those craving privacy (to make the most of the space you want to be in the shared areas) will be happier elsewhere. Families would be best taking it over if they stay but not just getting a room.