French elegance and Hollywood glamour in the heart of Cape Town

Brian Berkman stayed at The Marly Boutique Hotel and Spa, where you can forget about seasonal ups and downs, because the Camps Bay strip cooks all year round.

The Marly takes its name from Château de Marly, Louis XIV's pleasure residence just west of the Palace of Versailles.

References to French architectural styles are evident in wallpapers, curtain fabrics, mouldings and cornices. But, despite the Sun King's love of the gilding technique ormolu, gold is only found here in the quality of the service.

Mostly decorated in a monochromatic scheme, The Marly's interior reminds one of old Hollywood, which is further suggested by the Hollywood movie spotlight lamp in suite 4, complete with working adjustable horizontal louvres. You'd be forgiven if you expected to see Jean Harlow sitting on the allwhite sofa or Burt Reynolds posing on the floor in the faux-fur bed throw.

If it were possible for a place to exude sex appeal, The Marly does. And, its wonderful beds and fine linens offer all the horizontal comforts.

A NEW FLOOR

During its COVID-19 closure, The Marly expanded upwards with another floor of both sea- and mountain-facing suites and rooms, a new top-floor reception and parking, a new rooftop swimming pool, and Baptiste, a summer-season bar.

With 38 suites and rooms, The Marly is one of the Camps Bay strip's most desirable places to stay.

All rooms have Nespresso machines and Illy coffee pods, a complimentary in-room refreshment bar, and a Marshall Bluetooth speaker. Their smart TVs have a satellite bouquet and connections to many streaming services.

SMALL TREATS

Our room had a bottle of The Marly's Thelema-made house red wine as a welcome gift. Other expressions of generosity include bowls of glucose sucking sweets dotted around and individually wrapped nougat and nougat biscuits in the rooms.