The Silo Hotel Cape Town occupies the top six floors of the old grain silo on the V&A Waterfront, directly above the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa. It is the most architecturally unusual hotel in the city and, for most travellers, the most expensive decision on their Cape Town shortlist.
Best for
Couples and solo travellers on a special-occasion trip; design and art travellers who want the building itself to be part of the stay; anyone who wants to be inside the Waterfront rather than driving to it.
It is not a family-first hotel, and it is not the sensible choice for a long road-trip stay where you are out of the room from dawn until dusk.
Location
The Silo Hotel sits in the Silo District at the working end of the V&A Waterfront, a few minutes on foot from the shops, restaurants and the Nelson Mandela Gateway where the Robben Island ferries leave. That matters practically: you can reach an early sailing, dinner and the aquarium without a car, and airport transfers are straightforward.
The trade-off of the Waterfront generally is that it is a curated, secure, commercial precinct. It is not where you experience the ordinary rhythm of the city. If that is what you are after, read our City Bowl guide before booking.
Rooms and style at The Silo Hotel
Rooms and suites are built into the silo’s original structure, and the defining feature is the faceted, pillowed glass windows that bulge outward from the facade. Views run from Table Mountain across the harbour to Table Bay, depending on which side you are on.
Because the shell is a converted industrial building, no two rooms are identical in shape. If a specific view or layout matters to you, it is worth asking rather than assuming.
Facilities at The Silo Hotel
The Silo Hotel has a rooftop pool and bar with wide views over the harbour and the mountain, a spa, and a restaurant on the upper floor. The Zeitz MOCAA occupies the floors below the hotel, which makes the museum an unusually easy visit — but note that hotel guests do not automatically control museum access or opening times.
Who should consider it
Consider The Silo Hotel if the hotel is meant to be one of the experiences of the trip rather than a base you sleep in. It rewards travellers who will actually use the roof, the art and the views. If your Cape Town days are built around early departures for the peninsula, the Winelands and Table Mountain, a considerably cheaper Waterfront or City Bowl room will serve the same itinerary.
Trade-offs, honestly
No property suits every trip, and The Silo Hotel is a better fit for some than others. These are the points worth weighing before you commit.
- Price positioning. This is at the top of the Cape Town market. The building, not the room count, is what you are paying for.
- Precinct, not neighbourhood. Waterfront convenience comes with a managed, tourist-facing environment.
- Wind. The rooftop is exposed. In the south-easter it can be unusable when the same afternoon is pleasant on the eastern side of the city.
- Not a beach base. Camps Bay and Clifton are a drive away; for a beach-led stay this is the wrong side of the mountain.
Explore the area
- V&A Waterfront: what is actually there
- Where to stay in Cape Town: which area suits you
- Robben Island: ferries leave from the Waterfront
- Western Cape accommodation guide
Current rates and availability
We do not publish rates for The Silo Hotel Cape Town, because they move constantly with season and demand. Use the availability button on this page to see what the property currently costs on your dates, what is included, and the cancellation terms that apply at the time you book.
Getting to and from The Silo Hotel Cape Town
Cape Town International is roughly a 20–30 minute drive in normal traffic and appreciably longer in the weekday peaks. The Waterfront is well served by e-hailing, and the MyCiTi bus network reaches the precinct, so a car is genuinely optional if your plans are city-based. If you intend to drive the peninsula or the Winelands yourself, check parking arrangements and cost with the hotel rather than assuming they are included.
How The Silo Hotel compares with the alternatives
Within the Waterfront, the practical comparison is against the larger classic hotels on the quay, which trade the silo’s architecture for more conventional rooms, more space for families and, usually, a lower rate. Across town, a City Bowl design hotel gives you a walkable neighbourhood with bars and restaurants that are not part of a managed precinct, at the cost of the harbour on your doorstep. Camps Bay swaps both for the beach and adds a mountain pass to almost every journey.
None of those is a better answer in the abstract. The question is whether you want the building to be the memory, the neighbourhood to be the memory, or the coastline to be the memory.
Practical notes for a Silo District stay
The Silo District is the newest quarter of the V&A Waterfront, built around the converted grain elevator complex, and it changes what a stay here feels like. Everything in the precinct is walkable: the Watershed craft market, the Two Oceans Aquarium, the food halls and the Nelson Mandela Gateway, where the Robben Island ferries depart. If your itinerary is Waterfront-heavy, you can go several days without touching a car.
A car is optional rather than essential if you are staying at The Silo Hotel. The drive to Camps Bay, the Table Mountain cableway lower station or the start of Chapman’s Peak is short; the constraint at those places is parking, not driving. The V&A has paid parkades throughout, and hotel parking is charged separately by most Waterfront properties, so confirm the daily rate rather than assuming it is bundled.
Two seasonal points are worth planning around. The south-easter blows hardest between roughly November and February, and the harbour is exposed — a rooftop pool is a very different proposition on a windy afternoon. And December to February is peak season here, with the highest rates of the year; May to August is quiet, cheaper and wetter. The airport is around 20 km away, which is usually 25 to 40 minutes depending on the time of day.
Before you book The Silo Hotel
- Ask which side of the building your room faces if the view is the point.
- Check whether breakfast is included at the rate you are quoted — it varies by rate type.
- If you are travelling with children, confirm the room configuration rather than relying on the room name.
- Confirm the current cancellation window at checkout; it changes with season and rate.