64 New Church Street, Tamboerskloof, Cape Town Central, South Africa | (888) 708-2081
Lively hotel with whimsical design
Modern rooms, some with private patios
Outdoor pool and terrace
Restaurant serves traditional cuisine and milkshakes that are extremely popular
Fun bar features live music
Modern meeting rooms
Fitness room and small spa
Free but limited Wi-Fi
In-room glass showers have no privacy
Standard rooms are small
Mini-fridges only in suites
Fee for parking
Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! Cape Town is a
trendy conundrum in the city center. It has a steady
business traveler clientele and meeting rooms that host frequent
conferences, but it brands itself as a wild party spot with a bar that features live music. Small
standard rooms have "executive" work desks that are little
more than cramped window ledges, and the open bathrooms have glass showers
lacking privacy. Wi-Fi is free but comes with a daily bandwidth limit.
The alluring restaurant serves concoctions with African flavors, but
is most famous for the burgers and milkshakes that bring locals in.
Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.
Scene
Trendy and bright, with lots of glass and dynamic lighting
After Marriott acquired the South
Africa-based Protea Group, the Fire & Ice! Cape
Town received a 2014 renovation and complete makeover to
most of its common spaces. Glowing, glass-covered interiors with bright white
walls have a medley of mismatched designer furniture that work well along with
decorative wood accents to add points of interest to
the almost monochrome palate. Whimsical surprises await in elevators
designed like underwater shark cages and bathrooms decorated with
different themes -- including one with a nude figure whose more intimate areas are covered
with a small hand towel that sets off an alarm when touched.
Location
In central Cape Town, near cultural attractions and nightlife
In the center of town, close to the Iziko
South African Museum, Green Market Square, and the parliament building,
the hotel is also within walking distance of several streets with active
nightlife scenes. Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, brimming with shops,
restaurants, and tourist attractions, is less than a 10-minute drive northeast.
Getting to the state park and Table Mountain Aerial Cableway is just
under 10 minutes in the opposite direction, and the hotel is about 25
minutes west by car from Cape Town International Airport.
Rooms
On the small side with iPod docks and open bathrooms
Faded
hardwood floors and rich dark-wood furniture give the rooms a trendy look completed by glass chandelier lighting. Flat-screen TVs are set in gilded frames, but standard rooms may be too
small to enjoy any of the hotel's funky design. Work desks are crammed into a space beneath the window and there's barely enough room to walk around
the bed. Superior rooms fare better on space and include real work desks, with
some units offering private patios or balconies. All rooms have open bathrooms,
and though the toilets are in enclosed stalls, the glass walk-in showers are
completely exposed. Laptop safes and iPod docks are standard, but mini-fridges
are only in suites.
Features
Outdoor pool, meeting rooms, and popular bar and restaurant
As if
forged from two opposing elements, the Fire & Ice! Cape Town has
a competing mix of business and leisure facilities. There's a small spa with
treatment rooms available by appointment and a spacious fitness room with treadmills,
cardio bikes, and weight-training machines. The no-nonsense meeting
facilities are composed of five meeting and conference rooms totaling more than
8,000 square feet of flexible space with on-site catering. The largest room is
capable of accommodating 200 people. On the
flip side, the hotel has a small heated outdoor pool and terrace with views of
Table Mountain beyond the city. The restaurant and bar are popular with locals,
and though the regular live-music shows draw a crowd, they also make conversing
over a late dinner difficult. Classic Americana and traditional African dishes share a menu consisting of burgers, milkshakes, and slow-simmered oxtail served
with butter beans and marrow sauce.
