The new One&Only Resort in Cape Town is constructed on the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, overlooking the marina and having panoramic views of Table Mountain. The seven-star resort developed by Sol Kerzner of Kerzner International Group features 131 luxury rooms and suites plus a wide selection of facilities.
Forty of the resort’s accommodations are built on a private island at the centre of the waterfront. A seven-storey Tower, Marina Rise, is the central attraction, consisting of 91 rooms and suites along the waterfront, with expansive views of Table Mountain and Robben Island.
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The grand opening of the resort was on 4 April, 2009. The resort also features three duplex 800-square metre, two-storey, four-bedroom residential apartments with articulated roofs to enhance the sense of space and light.
The apartments are fully serviced by the resort and have private lifts and substantial terraces with pools. The apartments are located on the top two floors of the resort’s Tower Marina and are on the market for more than R100 million (one sold for R110 million, a record for a Cape Town property).
Contractors
The resort was designed by Dennis Fabian & Berman and Ruben Reddy of Cape Town so that it integrates with the Waterfront District. The interior design was the remit of the New York-based interior designer Adam D Tihany.
The style has retained a take on African Culture and heritage and the resultant rooms are spacious and comfortable. The construction of the hotel began in the third quarter of 2007, despite first being planned in 2004, because of legal disputes over planning with the Cape Town Metro Council. Construction was completed ahead of schedule and the resort was opened on 4 April, 2009.
The investment in the resort amounted to about R1.1bn.
Layout
The resort is based around the one-hectare site of the seven-storey waterfront tower, which is connected to the three nearby private islands by bridges. The residence island has forty guest rooms of a minimum size of 60 square metres with private terrace or balcony.
Two of the suites on the island include their own en-suite spa treatment rooms. The main pool area of the resort is located on another private island and features a 350 square-metre freeform, infinity-edge swimming pool, a private sitting area with double chaises longues for sunbathing and shaded trellis pavilions.
The resort also has its own exclusive spa island. This 1,200 square-metre facility has 11 treatment villas, including two spacious suites with private wet areas for single and couples’ treatments, two vitality pools, scenic relaxation spaces, sauna and steam rooms, as well as a hair salon and Bastien Gonzalez pedicure and manicure facilities. The spa is operated by ESPA brand.
Meeting facilities
There is also be a business centre with a meeting and banqueting room measuring 260 square metres, which can host up to 200 people for party gatherings, as well as a boardroom for up to 18 people.
Dining facilities
The resort has three restaurants. The signature restaurant by well-known Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa offers a Japanese-inspired menu with South African twists.
Nobu Cape Town is the first Nobu in Africa. Nobu Cape Town is the first Nobu in Africa. The second restaurant, Maze by renowned chef Gordon Ramsay, features a menu of seafood, meats and speciality South African dishes. Then there is Isola, a casual dining restaurant by the poolside, which serves Mediterranean and South African cuisine.
There are also two restaurant-cum-bars: Wine Loft and Vista. Wine Loft is a speciality bar with a collection of 5,000 bottles and 600 references. Its structure includes a glass and steel wall three levels high.
At Vista, continental breakfast is a highlight, while in the evenings cocktails from all over the world are served.
Other facilities
The resort fitness centre is located in the main resort tower and measures 200 square metres, with state-of-the-art fitness equipment from Technogym. Guests can take advantage of personalised workout programmes, a Kinesis training room with tri-dimensional pulley system training, and studios for yoga, Pilates and tai chi.
The resort also has a KidsOnly Club for guests of 11 and under, offering fully supervised activities. For teenagers or kids aged 12-17, special fitness programmes and spa facilities are available.
