A relaxed, pet-friendly yet luxurious hotel in the heart of Cape Town

More and more hotels are allowing guests to bring their pet dogs along for the stay. The SunSquare Cape Town Gardens is among these, and offers a delightful stay for humans, too!

- Brian Berkman

Traditionally, hotels, particularly upmarket establishments, have tended to follow a strict ‘no pets allowed’ policy. In recent years, however, some hotels have relaxed this approach, and SunSquare Cape Town Gardens is among the most notable of these.

General manager Richard Keet, a dog lover himself, has driven his hotel’s conversion into a pet-friendly property.

“On the first floor, we’ve converted five rooms into ‘Sunpet’ spaces with vinyl flooring and special dog beds made by Sealy. Based on the success of this project, certain other SunSquare hotels will open Sunpet rooms in the future,” he says.

FARMER’S WEEKLY’S RATING OF THE VENUE

Overall experience: 3/5

Amenities and services: 3/5

Level of customer service: 3/5

Value for money: 3/5

Keet has been with the hotel group for his entire working life, and worked at the hotel’s previous iteration, the De Waal Sun Hotel. This was a much-loved live music venue and also offered an acclaimed buffet at ‘Ouma’s Kitchen’ before the V&A Waterfront drew guests away. At SunSquare Cape Town Gardens, dogs can join their owners on the wide covered veranda overlooking the beautiful garden with its well-established trees. Light meals and drinks can be enjoyed here at one’s convenience.