The Protea Breakwater Lodge Hotel is one of the company’s standout properties and is in a great location near the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. The white-washed walls of the 19th-century former prison look like a fortress standing on a small hill allowing for great views of the waterfront and Table Mountain from the lounges located on the four corners of the building. Unfortunately our room didn’t come with an outstanding view and was essentially looking at a wall and the interior garden, but I’m positive there are some good views to be had. Check in at the hotel was extremely prompt and pleasant, even though we were several hours ahead of our scheduled check in.

The interior of the rooms had modern furnishing throughout, a large flat screen television, clean crisp white linens on the bed, new carpet, and tasteful artwork throughout the room. The double bed seemed a bit on the small side and was rather snug sleeping, though there was a fairly large couch in the room as well (almost as large and comfortable as the bed itself.) The rooms also had complimentary WiFi, though the connection speed on the paper is labeled “slower” — and slow it is, so don’t expect to get much work done.

The shower of the hotel was an open plan walk-in shower that while aesthetically pleasing, tended to get spray all over the bathroom floor even with a towel on the outside. However, the bath tub was nice and cozy however, perfect for tall travelers. For those that are expecting to be pampered with toiletries, it’s best if you bring your own as they are fairly standard here, and there is no conditioner on offer either.

This hotel is great for those who spend the evening in but once morning comes, but it seems like they try to escort you out of the room as soon as possible. Internet was “expired” already upon waking at 7:00 a.m., even though we still had several hours before checking out of our room. The maids opened the door to our room three times before 10:00 a.m. without knocking, and we had to yell out that we were still in the room — it was a little unnerving. There was also no complimentary breakfast, so it seems like it was for the sake of forcing people out to eat. If one wanted to, there is a Lavazza coffee shop across from the entrance from the hotel that’s surely better than the instant packs provided. So if you plan on sleeping in and spend a lazy morning reading the paper or watching television, good luck.

People planning on staying at this location should also note that it is connected to a college. During our stay, there were at least 50 19-20 year-olds hanging out in the lobby and outside the building throughout the night, so there wasn’t really anywhere to sit or relax. Overall, Protea Breakwater is a comfortable hotel if you want to be close to the V&A Waterfront without shelling out an arm and a leg for more upmarket offerings in the area.