Radisson RED V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, review

Culture Explorer uses affiliate links, including those from Amazon, which are identified using an *. If you buy something through the link at no extra cost to you, Culture Explorer may be paid a commission, which helps to fund running of the site. You can read more about this here.

Neighbourhood:

Radisson RED V&A Waterfront sits at the edge of Cape Town’s trendy V&A Waterfront neighbourhood, a gentrified area next to the oldest working harbour in the Southern Hemisphere.

Right opposite the hotel is Zeitz MOCAA*, a fantastic gallery showcasing contemporary African art.

It’s also within walking distance of a myriad upscale restaurants, bars and shops.

You can see Table Mountain right from the hotel too, which makes this property a great option for first time visitors.

Vibe

Radisson Red is Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s lifestyle brand for millennials, with design and atmosphere inspired by art, music and fashion.

The Cape Town property is the brand’s first foray into Africa, and features works by local artist Cameron Platter.

It’s certainly cooler than your average chain hotel; music is played in the lobby and staff wear T-shirts and baseball caps.

By day, people use the space downstairs for co-working and by night, there’s a rooftop bar to take in the sights.

Rooms

All the rooms at Radisson RED V&A Waterfront are called studios, as in artist’s studios.

It means they’re not particularly spacious, but the feel is more minimalist than cramped, and there’s a good use of the available space.

The bedroom

Design wise, Radisson RED V&A Waterfront has gone for a bold, manga-esque look for their rooms.

The colour scheme is black and white with a flush of red, while raw, grey concrete gives it an air of industrial chic.

There are a few different room types, but a king or twin is the standard bed size here.

A particularly nice touch is that in the family rooms, there are bunk beds for the kids, and each bed has its own TV screen so there’s no fighting over what to watch.

The rest of the room is pretty sparse, save for a dresser, a table and a small tea and coffee set. The mini bar is empty, ready for you to stock it.

The bathroom

Cape Town suffers from drought every once in a while so Radisson RED V&A Waterfront is a shower-only kind of hotel.

It also uses its own-brand toiletries in the larger, eco-friendly formats.

Those who hate a dark bathroom are in luck – the mirror is lit up by a ring light that’s also fantastic for selfies.

The view

The view at Radisson RED V&A Waterfront varies depending on where you are in the hotel but many have a view of Table Mountain.

Some of the rooms also have balconies, although the view can be obstructed.

Food and drink

There are two dining spaces at Radisson Red Cape Town – OUIBar + KTCHN on the ground floor, and Red Roof on the 6th floor rooftop next to the pool.

Breakfast is served from the counters at OUIBar. Choose from freshly prepared fruit pots and pastries, and avocado and smoked salmon on toasted muffin.

Red Roof is all about comfort food like burgers, but it’s perhaps better known for the beer truck, which was hoisted up to the rooftop by a crane.

Other amenities

There’s a small rooftop pool here, which turns into a bit of a party spot after work. It can be out of commission if there’s a drought though.

Elsewhere, there’s also a pretty decent 24-hour gym featuring a punch bag for boxers.

Highlights

Value for money is definitely this property’s biggest selling point.

Book ahead and you can get a room at Radisson RED V&A Waterfront for perhaps half or a third of the price of its neighbours, most of which are on the luxury end.

It’s not the cheapest place in the city, but for somewhere nice, safe and in a good location, it’s very reasonably priced.

Downsides

The minimalist vibe is not for everyone. At times, the rooms can feel incredibly sparse.

That said, if you’re just looking for somewhere central to bed down in between sightseeing then this is ideal.

Asides

Radisson RED V&A Waterfront has gone for a one size fits all approach to hotel design and it works for them.

Plenty of corporate travellers stay here for example, including cabin crew, but they’ve also tried to cater to families.

For families

Having family rooms built into the design makes Radisson RED V&A Waterfront automatically family-friend in my books.

You can also request cots for babies.

But while the design is fun and quirky, there isn’t anything to do in the hotel.

Fortunately it’s close enough to other attractions to make entertaining kids relatively easy.

For digital nomads

Radisson RED V&A Waterfront is a great option for digital nomads.

The wifi is free and decent, and all of the rooms have tables that you can work at.

In some sooms, there are also bigger “picnic tables” that are great if you need space for collaboration.

If you need a change of scene, the main restaurant on the ground floor offers plenty of seating, including outside.

For pet owners

Radisson RED V&A Waterfront is extremely pet-friendly. In fact, it has its own resident dog called Baxter.

For pets staying here, there’s a fee of ZAR 250 per day.

Unlike elsewhere, they can be any size, although you’re only allowed two in each room. And they must be on the leash in public areas.

Pin this for later

Getting here

Cape Town International Airport is just a 20-minute drive away from Radisson RED V&A Waterfront.

There’s no public transport from the airport so you’ll need to get a taxi or hire a car*.

Loyalty scheme

Radisson RED V&A Waterfront is part of Radisson Rewards*, the loyalty program for Radisson hotels around the world.

It’s free to join and you get up to 15% off the standard room rate when you book direct, plus discount on food and drink.

You’ll also collect points on your stay, which can be redeemed against future stays.

Those on higher tiers can get free upgrades, early check in and late check out.

When I stayed

I stayed as a guest of Radisson RED V&A Waterfront in November 2017. My stay was hosted by the hotel.

This entry was last updated in July 2024 and was correct at the time of publication.