We stayed at this guest house for 2 nights – the 19th and 20th February 2010.
Floreal House is situated in the extremely pleasant suburb of Oranjezicht, which has a truly relaxed feel about it. Wide tree-lined roads, beautiful large houses (many of them converted into guest houses), and with a backdrop of Table Mountain and views over the city. Quite simply, all these combine successfully to give you a real ‘feel good’ factor about being in Cape Town.
The guest house itself has 9 rooms, and my tip would be to ask for one of the ‘new’ rooms. Some of the rooms have been refurbished recently, and the decor is terrific – stylish and contemporary. The older rooms (which are still awaiting refurbishment) are still extremely comfortable and pleasant, but they lack the ‘wow’ factor that the new styled rooms give.
There is a small pool area, with sun loungers and tables, and offers a perfect setting for relaxing with a bottle of cold wine which can be purchased from the delightful deli on the opposite corner – Carluccio’s.
The breakfasts were modest but enjoyable – a selection of juices, cereals and cold meats and cheese, and fruit and yogurts – and there was a menu from which you could also order hot food from too.
There is space for 4 cars inside the gates, otherwise you can park on the street (which is perfectly safe, but do make sure that you don’t leave anything on show in your car – so don’t leave maps / coats / hats on back seats or on parcel shelves – just to be on the safe side).
It is a 5 minute taxi ride to get you to Kloof Street, with its variety of restaurants and bars, and about a 10 minute taxi ride down to the Waterfront or over the Kloofnek Pass to Camps Bay. We walked down to the Waterfront – it took about an hour – but I would definately not advise walking back late at night – always take a taxi.
Natalie, who is the front of house manager, is a delight to deal with – extremely friendly and efficient.
All in all, a great place to stay – either at the start of your trip or at the end, and also either for first-timers or repeat visitors to Cape Town.