The Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa

A history of a truly great hotel and Africa's finest:

The original land on which the hotel now stands was granted to Baron Pieter von Rheede van Oudtshoom in 1743. Later the estate was acquired by Auctioneer William Maude and named Mount Nelson in honour of Admiral Lord Nelson. Then the land was sold to Rear Admiral Stopford of the Royal Navy for use as a temporary residence. In the early 1800s it was purchased by Captain The Hon. Hamilton Ross who created glorious gardens with roaming deer and sparkling fountains, some of which still remain today. In 1890 a subsidiary of the British shipping company, Castle Line (founded by Sir Donald Currie) bought the estate in order to build a luxurious hotel for its passengers. Sir Donald Currie then created plans for the premier hotel in Africa which opened on the 6th March 1899 as the Mount Nelson Hotel.

In 1899 the Anglo-Boer War broke out in South Africa and the hotel becomes a base for the English Generals including Lord Kitchener, Lord Buller and Lord Roberts. The young Winston Churchill was also based at the hotel as a war correspondent. By the early 20th century the hotel had become well established as the first and only choice for Union-Castle Line’s first class passengers when staying in Cape Town. The hotel gained an international reputation for excellence and become the centre of Cape Town’s social scene, over the years the hotel has played host to numerous filmstars, celebrities, politicians, statesmen and royalty. In 1925 the Prince of Wales Arch and palm tree lined driveway were commissioned to celebrate the arrival of the then HRH Prince of Wales (Later became HM King Edward VIII and abdicated in 1936 to become HRH The Duke of Windsor, and died in 1972). In 1950 the first heated swimming pool in Africa was installed at the hotel. In 1972 the Oasis Wing of the hotel was built, on the 15th June 1993 the hotel sadly suffered a devastating fire but thankfully rose from the ashes and was refurbished to its original grandeur. In 1996 the Palm Avenue Wing was added consisting of The Hemsley, Green Park, Hof Villa and Taunton House. On the 6th March 1999 the hotel celebrated its centenary.

Today the Mount Nelson Hotel continues to charm and marvel all those who visit it. The hotel is acclaimed as the finest hotel in Africa and has played host to many famous guests ever since being built to accommodate the passengers of Union-Castle Line and its guest book reads like a Who’s Who of South African history. The hotel has played host over the years to many guests particularly writer and explorer, Sir Laurens van der Post, who first visited the Mount Nelson at the tender age of five. One of the most charismatic was Nelson Mandela. Another guest who possesses that distinctive quality is the Dalai Lama. Dynamic Baroness Margaret Thatcher has been visiting the hotel every year since 1998. The Prince and glamorous Princess Michael of Kent, President George Bush and John Lennon, as 'Mr Greenwood' who visited just a few months prior to his assassination in 1980. Each morning he would go up onto Table Mountain to meditate. The hotel has also been host to among others Jean Paul Gautier, Peter Ustinov, Sir Richard Attenborough, Steffi Graf, the German Soccer team who, after winning the World Cup in 1992, caused quite a stir amongst the staff, and the wives of Duran Duran, who enjoyed tanning topless at our swimming pool in front of the Oasis Restaurant!' Set on seven acres of parklands on the lower slopes of Table Mountain, the hotel is a ten-minute walk from the city centre and is the place to go for an old-world, colonialism experience. The hotel is truly the Grande Dame hotel of Cape Town and indeed Africa and has been a local landmark for over 100 years. The hotel has two renowned restaurants: The Cape Colony Restaurant and the Oasis Restaurant, in addition it is famous for its afternoon tea served in the Lounge. “The Nellie” as the hotel is sometimes nicknamed is eternally gracious and has retained a premier position into the 21st century and remains one of the world’s truly great, most distinguished and legendary hotels and today is a crown jewel in the portfolio of the international Orient Express Hotels, Trains and Cruises group founded by James Sherwood (who famously revived the legendary Orient Express train service in the 1980s to international acclaim). Truly the Mount Nelson Hotel is one of the few hotels in the world where one can gain a sense of history, a tradition, character and great style, this hotel is unique and long may it continue to bring enjoyment and play host to guests in the future.

Useful websites:

www.mountnelson.co.za

The Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa

www.orient-express.com

Orient Express Hotels, Trains and Cruises