Weekend Wanderings: A night at Cloud9 Hotel, Cape Town

When you think of a romantic weekend away (or even just one night) you most likely think of the countryside… yet a city break, in your own home town, can be just as exciting!

An invite from Cloud 9 Boutique Hotel located in the City Bowl arrived in my inbox recently and as it was accommodation based in Cape Town I probably didn’t rush to book a night straight away as I might have with other review options…

But I was totally wrong!

A quick night away in a totally different part of town was actually amazing.

I headed through to the hotel a bit earlier than my husband so I could get some good photos in the afternoon light and catch up on some blogging (Can I just say that a blogger’s work is NEVER done. I never feel the satisfaction of reaching the end of my to-do list!)

Anyway I digress….

I spent a few leisurely hours on my own enjoying our plush room… appreciating the incredible view of Table Mountain from the comfort of my bed!

After completing a post I decided I needed to make the most of the beautiful sunshiney day outside and set off on a little walk.

Cloud 9 Boutique Hotel is situated right in the heart of buzzy Kloof Nek Road, just above El Burro and Sorrows bar and right opposite Kyoto Garden Sushi.

After a brief jaunt around the neighbourhood, I headed back upstairs to Cloud 9’s own rooftop bar… complete with a swimming pool and 360 degree views of Cape Town, Lions Head, Table Moutain, Devil’s Peak, the City, the Waterfront and Signal Hill!

This is where I proceeded to spend the rest of the warm evening. My husband joined me not long after and we both enjoyed a glass of bubbles surrounded by the young party crowd gathering to enjoy the sunset.

And the sunset was spectacular!

Cloud 9 lived up to it’s name as swathes of wispy clouds turned every shade of pink and orange above our heads…

I couldn’t help by take hundreds of photos of this beautiful sight to commemorate this beautiful evening!

As the sun sank lower we decided to dare the jacuzzi and left the youngsters to their party while we changed into our swim stuff and found a private moment for 2!

As evening settled in we headed back to our room to change for dinner. What a treat to be able to walk out the door, turn right and find a table for 2 at a fantastic restaurant. We tried out El Burro’s tapas menu, ideal for sharing!

As Southern Suburbs dwellers we totally appreciate the novelty of walking to places instead of getting in your car, fighting traffic, looking for parking etc etc. After dinner we weren’t quite ready to head to bed so we opted to take a short walk down the road to Kloof Street to one of the best ice cream shops in the city!

The night was warm and everyone out and about was really enjoying the atmosphere. We loved getting a taste of “town life” even if it was just for a night!

The next morning I woke fairly early and snuck out onto our balcony to enjoy the sunrise over the city. Having a slight elevation meant I could appreciate it in all it’s glory… another daily occurrence totally taken forgranted in the suburbs!

As I sat and watched the warm light bathe Table Mountain, I noticed that the tiny chapel across the road from us was springing into life on the Sunday morning… nuns clad in white wafted in and out of the grounds, cars started arriving and then, totally unexpectedly, the church bell clanged loudly enough to make be jump!

Despite the shock I loved watching this little slice of life unfold before me and felt really spoilt to catch these glimpses.

The nature of parenting is, however, relentless….

It’s not terribly fair to leave someone else in charge of your kids (and their own) for too long, especially on a Sunday, so we had to head back to our brood fairly early but first we managed to enjoy a quick breakfast downstairs at The Sorrows (Cloud 9’s breakfast venue by day!)