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Vanity Fair's Boutique South Africa

October 17, 2005 at 1:19 PM | 0 Comments

Johannesburg is one of South Africa's, and the world's, most vibrant and economically progressive cities, and it is also home to at least one boutique hotel that Vanity Fair writer, Victoria Mather considers to have a "sense of place".

In this month's issue, Mather tells her readers of a modern South Africa that is most characterized by swanky bars, nightclubs, and jazz. She affectionately, if not accurately, refers to Cape Town as the "African Manhattan".

Instead of heading for the "bush", safaris, and wine country, like most tourists to South Africa, she spends her days and nights experiencing the energy and music of a burgeoning new metropolis. One hotel in particular punctuated her experience with African elegance.

In her words:

I stayed at boutique hotels with a sense of place. Ten Bompas, in a leafy, smart Jo'burg suburb, has just 10 suites---each with a wood-burning fireplace and effortless WiFi---a superb restaurant, and a front desk full of great knowledge of the local scene. Every morning at little Kensington Place, in Cape Town, I drew my curtains and Table Mountain was glittering in the sun above my balcony. In the evening there was champagne and oysters in the bar. When I left, the staff hugged me. That would reinforce Blanche DuBoise's belief in the kindness of strangers.

No wonder we suggested the Amazing Racers stay there back in March--before the Amazing Race jumped the shark and went family of four.

Related Stories:
·   Amazing Race 7 Hotel Report: African Karma [HotelChatter]
·   Ten Bompas Hotel Reviews [TripAdvisor]