The good: Extremely friendly and competent staff. The first day the staff learned my name, and then greeted me by name thereafter. My room was very comfortable. The hotel has a great patio terrace area with a new awning and nice views of the city. The De Waterkant neighborhood is picturesque and upscale; it has gentrified over the last 30 years. There are many nice small shops nearby, as well as a large upscale mall two short blocks away with several nice cafes and restaurants. The guest house has a cozy living room with a fireplace, and a few nights there was a real fire going in the fireplace. Overall, much more personal and intimate than the big, fancy hotels.
The bad: The first night I arrived at 11pm. Despite having notified the hotel that I would be checking in late, I still needed to have my shuttle driver call someone to the reception so I could check in, a process that took 10+ minutes. The reception closes at 10pm, so any late arrivals will need to be able to phone someone to come to reception. While I felt very safe in the De Waterkant neighborhood, at night I didn't like that I was often approached by people asking for money (this is common in all of Cape Town, not just the area around this hotel). There are multiple security staff on foot in the neighborhood at night. The lock on my room door was of a very old-fashioned type, and did not seem very secure. There is a free in-room safe that I used.
My stay: 10 days, in early May, 2010.