Pullman Cape Town offers oasis in City Bowl

It’s not always easy to find an oasis in the middle of a CBD where you can escape the bustle of a busy day of meetings or conferences.

But in the heart of Cape Town’s central business district stands the Pullman Hotel, where tastefully appointed rooms and warm, welcoming and friendly staff make you feel right at home.

Pullman Cape Town’s rooms are spacious and comfortable, and the floor layout between rooms ensures absolute tranquillity from any commotion in the hallways.

Upon arrival in the room, we were welcomed by a complimentary bottle of wine, a cheese platter, and delicious macarons. Being a Friday afternoon, we eagerly set about digging into the treats provided while logging into the hotel’s free wifi to wrap up some work.

I often find that hotel rooms are designed for little more than sleep and ablutions, but the rooms at Pullman Cape Town were spacious enough for us both to work comfortably at the circular table, while the little one relaxed on the comfortable bed.

I love hotel beds. I don’t always love the way they force you to exert every last bit of energy you may have left at the end of a day to release the tightly tucked, crisp white covers before making you comfortable. But the acres of space make it worth it.

Pullman Cape Town has plenty of areas to relax if you’re not too keen on chilling in your room until dinner time.

There’s a well-appointed business centre, a lounging area around the pool, the adjacent Ghibli Bar, tasteful Piano Bar, and ground floor entrance Sea Street bar where you can also enjoy snacks and light meals.

You can’t boast having a sleek hotel without a chef and kitchen staff to back it up and in this regard, Pullman pulls no punches.

The portions are huge, with balanced flavours.

We opted for Cajun-dusted calamari strips, salt and pepper squid, and butternut soup for starters.

The calamari was divine — a wonderful crunch from the coating to silky smooth and tender calamari beneath. I was not expecting the squid to be battered before frying and this was not to my liking, but you might find it an innovative way to enjoy them.

The butternut soup was delightful, bringing back memories of childhoods spent in Cape Town’s wet, cold winters.

For mains I ordered the sirloin. While the sides were cooked immaculately, and the flavour profile of the meat basting was good, I was left slightly disappointed by the texture. My steak was slightly overcooked. The wait staff were more than willing to replace it, but by then I had already dug into my wife’s lamb shank which she could not finish by herself.

The lamb shank, served on a bed of silky, rich mashed potatoes and grilled veg was absolutely divine. The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender, the gravy glazed beautifully, and was a hearty meal that fed us both.

Pullman boasts an impressive wine collection too, so you’ll be able to pair your dinner perfectly.

The little one was never meant to stay the night as my parents would collect her on their way home from their own dinner plans, but it was getting late. No problem at all for the incredibly friendly and helpful staff - within 20 minutes, a manager arrived at our table to inform us they had set up an extra bed in our room to accommodate her.

We hadn’t even yet finished our dessert.

@lancethewit10 We spent the night in Pullman Cape Town a few weeks back. Will definitely book again if we need to overnight in town for any reason. Amazingly friendly staff and great ambience 👌🏽 #explorewithme #hotel #hospitality #review ♬ original sound - Lance Witten450

With so many conferences and events taking place in Cape Town as the world returns to post-Covid normalcy and the MICE scene returning to vibrancy in the Mother City, a hotel like Pullman Cape Town in the heart of the city offers the perfect place to set up base.

The Cape Town International Jazz Festival is coming soon, too, so you’d better get booking...

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