On 1 March 2017, The Silo in Cape Town opened its doors to its first guests. The Giltedge team had been waiting a long time for this moment and were eager to look around.
While an abandoned grain silo may not seem like a starting point for a luxury boutique hotel, we knew the result would be stunning when Liz Biden took on the project!
The Silo is housed in the historic grain silo at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront. It’s above, what will become, the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCCA) set to open in September this year. Back in 1924 when the grain silo was constructed, it was the tallest building in sub-Saharan Africa; its fantastic location delivering sweeping views of Table Mountain to one side and the harbour to the other.
The Silo is the latest addition to The Royal Portfolio, an exclusive collection of properties owned by husband-and-wife team Liz and Phil Biden. Liz has a talent for designing and creating beautiful spaces. You can clearly see her touch in the interiors of The Silo: its industrial architecture mixed with plush furnishing and playful colours.
There are 28 rooms in total, ranging in size from the 41m2 Silo Rooms to the incredible 211m2 Penthouse. The interior of each room is unique with pieces of furniture chosen by Liz during her world travels, and pays exquisite attention to detail from the original artworks to the crystal chandeliers.
The most striking feature of each room is the floor-to-ceiling faceted windows: light streams in, and the city or harbour lies stretched out at your feet. It really is incredible! When guests want more privacy, the push of a button causes motorised blackout blinds to descend from the ceiling.
We began our tour at the Willaston Bar, which was named after the SS Willaston – the first ship to carry grain from the original silos to Europe. And we ended our tour with a glass (or two) of bubbly at the rooftop bar and restaurant. The Silo is spread out over six floors with the views getting better the higher you go.
Being above the MOCAA has added real emphasis to The Silo’s private art collection. As we walked around, I kept stopping to look at contemporary pieces by South African artists such as Cyrus Kabiru and Mohau Modisakeng.
How to visit the Silo
The Silo is an extraordinary luxury hotel, conveniently located right in the city centre. To find out more or start planning your Cape Town holiday, simply get in touch with a Giltedge Senior Travel Consultant.