With just 11 suites, Cape Town’s The Marly is proof that big things come in small packages.
Named for Chateau de Marly, the 17th century leisure residence of Louis XIV, the hotel lives up to its grand moniker. An abundance of appropriately decadent materials such as marble, velvet and leather sit alongside high maintenance white on white interiors, while trompe-l'œil columns impart a sense of grandeur and are a clear nod to the famously design-savvy Sun King.
If it all sounds a little chintzy, it’s not. Interiors are tempered with modern details, and thoughtfully placed mirrors, minimalistic furniture and contemporary art smooth out any risk of the hotel appearing ostentatious. A kaleidoscope of configurations, including sea and mountain-facing rooms, make the most of the hotel’s beachfront Camps Bay location, just minutes away from central Cape Town. Balconies offer sweeping views of the Twelve Apostles mountain range or the ocean, while private outdoor jacuzzis, showers and sun loungers enhance The Marly’s consistent theme of luxury and unabashed splendour.
In the hotel’s four restaurants the design is noticeably more pared back. At Umi, Marly’s Japanese restaurant, delicate cherry blossom arrangements are paired with muted leather upholstery and neutral ornamental wood wall panelling for an elegant atmosphere, while the Italian Zenzero conjures visions of La Dolce Vita with al fresco dining, leather upholstered walls and lush plants. The king would approve.
ADDRESS
201 The Promenade
Victoria Road
-
Remembering Robert A.M. Stern, an architect who discovered possibility in the pastIt's easy to dismiss the late architect as a traditionalist. But Stern was, in fact, a design rebel whose buildings were as distinctly grand and buttoned-up as his chalk-striped suits
-
Didn't make it to Alcova Miami this year? These are our 10 favourite thingsAt the third US edition of the exhibition, designers reinterpreted ancient traditions, artfully refracted light and encouraged sexual exploration
-
Inside the Melbourne exhibition which puts fashion renegades Rei Kawakubo and Vivienne Westwood in conversation‘Westwood Kawakubo’ at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Melbourne draws on the designers’ shared ‘spirit of rebellion’, curators Katie Somerville and Danielle Whitfield tell Wallpaper*
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Few & Far Luvhondo: an intimate South African eco-lodgeWith just six cliffside suites, Few & Far Luvhondo offers front-row seats to the untamed wilderness of South Africa’s Limpopo
-
The best new hotels to love without reservationExplore the best new openings in the world, from a ‘Japandi’ spa hotel in Finland to a modernist-inspired bolthole in South Africa
-
Singita Ebony Lodge celebrates 30 years of wild beautySingita Ebony Lodge in Hazyview, South Africa, begins a new chapter with a refresh by Cécile & Boyd
-
A refreshed Cape Grace hotel embraces the best of South African heritageCape Town’s Cape Grace hotel reopens its doors following an extensive and playful renovation by international interior design studio, 1508 London
-
Cape Town: 8 things to do and see for the design-minded travellerCape Town is a capital of art, design, food and wellness; local resident Sean O’Toole on the best things to do and see, from a Bree Street meander to a Constantia wine route
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico -
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland -
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia
