Southern Sun Waterfront

Cape Town, South Africa

Star rating

Standard 2 Bed
Swimming pool view at the Southern Sun Waterfront
Suite
Yizani
Waterfront Bar
Waterfront Bar
Standard 2 Bed
Swimming pool view at the Southern Sun Waterfront
Suite
Yizani
Waterfront Bar
Waterfront Bar

The hotel

Situated on the doorstop of the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town's premier leisure complex, the Southern Sun Waterfront hotel is ideal for exploring the city, offering great value in an amazing location. The hotel boasts a contemporary design with impressive and modern rooms in addition to the great dining options available. An elegant swimming pool provides some well deserved relaxation after a hard day's sightseeing. 

Amenities

  • Babysitting service
  • Wheelchair access
  • Bar
  • Restaurant
  • Safety Deposit Box
  • Close to City Centre

Where is it

Just outside the entrance to the V&A Waterfront. Transfer time from airport: 25 minutes.

Hotel information

537 rooms on 14 floors in 1 building with 5 lifts. All with air-conditioning, complimentary WiFi, satellite TV, telephone, in-room safe, tea/coffee maker and hairdryer. Standard Rooms with 1 king-size bed or 2 queen-size beds, sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

Executive Rooms are larger in size, with 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 2 adults. 

Family Rooms have 2 double beds, sleeping maximum 4 adults. 

Suites have a seating area, with 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 2 adults. 

Yizani (contemporary South African fusion restaurant). Waterfront Bar (cocktail bar serving light meals). 

Outdoor swimming pool. Fitness centre. Utopia beauty salon and spa*.

Complimentary WiFi. Babysitting service*. Concierge. 24-hour room service. Self-parking*.

Wheelchair-accessible rooms with twin beds and roll-in shower.Wheelchair accessible rooms available on request. Please note that these rooms are subject to availability and may be restricted to specific room categories and bedding arrangements. Rooms and facilities vary between hotels so please check at the time of booking. For more information and contact details please check out our Special Assistance page

*Denotes local charge. 

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (1294)
  • Very good (1115)
  • Average (311)
  • Poor (98)
  • Terrible (67)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Over priced, cold, stale pastries

Jun 8, 2025 Tina P

Over priced, noisy air conditioning unit, bathroom light faulty, breakfast below average. Pastries stale and chewy, bacon not crispy. On a positive note beds clean and comfortable. Conveniently positioned to CICC and wonderful, prompt shuttle service to take guests to the waterfront. Friendly staff
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Non enforcement of Policy

May 28, 2025 Rachael929 McKinney

This hotel is tired and badly needs a refresh. But the worst is the staff and their adherence to policy. This is supposed to be non-smoking rooms, but the person across the hall from us smoked in the room morning and night, the smoke permeated into our room, we complained three times, to no avail, they finally put an air purifier outside the room,… Read more
This hotel is tired and badly needs a refresh. But the worst is the staff and their adherence to policy. This is supposed to be non-smoking rooms, but the person across the hall from us smoked in the room morning and night, the smoke permeated into our room, we complained three times, to no avail, they finally put an air purifier outside the room, this is ridiculous, then they actually told us that the only solution was for us to change rooms, instead of enforcing the no smoking policy, we were asked to endure the hassle of changing rooms, this is just unacceptable. If you don't like cigarette smoke don't stay here. In regards to dinning, the breakfast buffet is wonderful and the staff are lovely. The coffee is great and the food choice more than ample. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for the dinner buffet, the food is limited and not very tasty and the staff are not friendly, and one nite they were down right rude, trying to get our drink order in was like pulling teeth. The last night, as we were tired of the same buffet food, we wanted to order off the menu, this seemed to annoy the staff, but nevertheless they sat us. Now to our surprise here, the young man that waited on us was refreshingly friendly, and very pleasant, providing great service, the food was so so. The rooms were actually clean though, and the beds fairly comfortable, and in the bathroom a separate shower and bathtub which is great. All in all this a very average hotel, and the allowing of smoking in the room situation despite policy is enough for me to not recommend the hotel, and personally i will not stay here again. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Welcoming and efficient

May 6, 2025 aswrtb7 Rednal, United Kingdom

A centrally located hotel with great friendly and helpful staff which was always full of bustle and life. The rooms are quiet and clean but let down just by a few little things such as a leaking toilet, a rickety towel rail, a room safe that needed new batteries and a failure to replenish toiletries during our five night stay on more than one… Read more
A centrally located hotel with great friendly and helpful staff which was always full of bustle and life. The rooms are quiet and clean but let down just by a few little things such as a leaking toilet, a rickety towel rail, a room safe that needed new batteries and a failure to replenish toiletries during our five night stay on more than one occasion. To be fair when these things were pointed out they were swiftly remedied but they should not have needed to be done. A great breakfast buffet with loads of choice and an adequate but not extensive evening menu. All in all a good stay and I would use it again if in Cape Town. The friendly and helpful staff swung it. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Absolutely terrible!

May 1, 2025 Safari49986753607

I'm not sure how this can be classed as a 4 star hotel. We turned up to the room which wasn't clean - the previous guest's rubbish in the bin, the room stunk of smoke and the lamp shades were all stained. Plus you only get one small bottle of water per couple. We asked to move rooms and the one we moved to was better, but the lights on one side of… Read more
I'm not sure how this can be classed as a 4 star hotel. We turned up to the room which wasn't clean - the previous guest's rubbish in the bin, the room stunk of smoke and the lamp shades were all stained. Plus you only get one small bottle of water per couple. We asked to move rooms and the one we moved to was better, but the lights on one side of the room didn't work. We woke up in the morning to the room stinking of gas. We decided we couldn't stay and booked into another hotel. When we checked out the woman on reception didn't even bother to ask why we were checking out 3 days early. I'm guessing it used to be a nice hotel but has gone downhill. It's also not on the waterfront, despite the name, you have to get a shuttle there which comes every hour. It's fine to walk during the day but you can't walk to the waterfront at night. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Lovely hotel with courtesy bus to Waterfront

Apr 5, 2025 howardk156 Bridgnorth, United Kingdom

Lovely hotel. Walkable (daytime) to Waterfront but hourly courtesy bus is a great bonus, as, despite its name, this hotel is at the edge of the business district. Lovely breakfast and really friendly, helpful staff. I would definitely recommend booking a larger room if you are staying for more than a night, as this is definitely a business hotel.… Read more
Lovely hotel. Walkable (daytime) to Waterfront but hourly courtesy bus is a great bonus, as, despite its name, this hotel is at the edge of the business district. Lovely breakfast and really friendly, helpful staff. I would definitely recommend booking a larger room if you are staying for more than a night, as this is definitely a business hotel. Our initial room (0418) was very "cosy" with really limited storage, so we managed to move to 1237, which was much more spacious. However, our overall experience was really good and the staff are so welcoming, so would not hesitate to recommend Read less