Situated at the centre of Cape Town’s fashionable Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, overlooking the marina and with panoramic views across to Table Mountain, the new 131-key One&Only Cape Town resort is now scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2009. The property, Sol Kerzner’s first hotel in his homeland of South Africa since he completed the Palace of the Lost City in Pilanesberg in 1992, will be one of Africa’s most spectacular urban resorts.

Commenting on One&Only Cape Town, Sol Kerzner, Chairman and CEO of Kerzner International, said, “I am very pleased to open a spectacular resort with a fresh and exciting new concept in my home country in what I’ve always believed to be one of the greatest sites in Cape Town. Opening in plenty of time for the 2010 World Cup, the resort will appeal to the international traveller and play a key role in the local community.”

One&Only Cape Town will provide a comprehensive range of luxury services and serve as a gateway to the myriad experiences of the continent - from safaris to pristine beaches to the exploration of the world-renowned Cape wine region. The resort will also include three, two-storey 800-square metre residential penthouses.

The four-bedroom penthouses with access by private lifts as well as substantial terraces with pools, will be located on the top two floors of the resort’s chic crescent-shaped Marina Tower, thereby taking full advantage of the iconic views of the marina as well as two World Heritage sites: Table Mountain and Robben Island.

The owners of the penthouses will benefit from a wide array of personalised services from the resort including a concierge and butler, a housekeeper and access to the spa and fitness centre. In addition, Nobu, the renowned Japanese restaurant located within the resort, will offer private catering.

Cape Town-based architects Dennis Fabian & Berman and Ruben Reddy have ensured the seven-storey stylish property integrates with the Waterfront District, and the resort interiors are being created by internationally acclaimed New York-based interior designer Adam D. Tihany.

The resort’s feel will be contemporary whilst drawing heavily on Africa’s culture and heritage. Tihany’s approach of imbuing each of his projects with a sense of the surrounding culture runs parallel to One&Only’s core philosophy of providing distinctive experiences. This is not Tihany’s first time working with One&Only Resorts: in 2004 he designed the stunning Agua restaurant at the award-winning One&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, Mexico and, most recently, he designed the resort’s new Jean-Georges Vongerichten restaurant, Market.

Forty of the resort’s spacious guest rooms will be set on an adjacent lush green landscaped island in the Waterfront itself, giving these rooms a distinctive resort feel and convenient access to a second spa island. The resort’s rooms and suites, among the largest in Cape Town with a minimum size of 60 square metres, will all have a private terrace or balcony. The rooms at the 91-key Marina Tower will have panoramic views of Table Mountain. Two suites will offer their own ensuite spa treatment rooms to afford guests maximum privacy and relaxation.

The resort’s main pool area, located on one of two private islands linked by bridges, will feature a 350-square metre freeform, infinity-edge swimming pool, a private sitting area with double chaise lounges for sunbathing and shaded trellis pavilions for those seeking respite from the sun.

The exclusive spa island, surrounded by water and dense vegetation, will cover 1,200-square metres and offer 11 treatment suites of which two will have private wet areas for both single and couples treatments. Two vitality pools will complement the relaxation spaces, sauna and steam rooms, and a hair salon and the celebrated Bastien Gonzalez pedicure and manicure studios provide additional facilities.

The 200-square metre One&Only Fitness Centre, located in the main resort tower, will feature state-of-the-art fitness equipment from Technogym with personalised workout programmes developed for guests and residents. A dedicated Kinesis training room will offer tri-dimensional pulley system training and there will be spacious studios for yoga, Pilates and tai chi.

One&Only Cape Town will also have a specially-designed KidsOnly Club for younger guests of 11 and under, which will offer daily complimentary supervised activities including full and half-day programmes.

For guests with business in mind, there will be an extensive meeting and banqueting room measuring 260 square metres, able to host up to 200 people for cocktails, as well as a boardroom for up to 18 people.

On the dining front, innovative chef Nobu Matsuhisa will bring one of the most celebrated global restaurant brands featuring his signature Japanese-inspired menu, with a few South African twists, to Nobu Cape Town - the first Nobu in Africa. One&Only Cape Town will also offer a second restaurant called Plate serving tapas-style cuisine and a third outdoor, poolside restaurant, Island Terrace, for more casual dining. Vista, the lobby bar, will have a magnificent three-storey clear glass wall highlighting the scenic Table Mountain views.
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