There are few more fitting places to stay during Cape Town’s stint as World Design Capital 2014 than this design hotel in the Green Point neighbourhood. The quirky decor mixes funky ‘70s retro with a clean Bauhaus-style aesthetic, and the visual fun begins in reception, which doubles as a museum of chintzy electronics. In display cases bordered by go-faster stripes, Polaroid cameras are shown alongside handbag phones, View-Masters and twisty Toot-a-Loop portable radios. The rooms and first-floor lounge are subtler takes on the concept, with the latter’s vintage bowl chair reflecting the circle motif found in canvases, lights and wallpaper throughout.

Owned by an American businessman who fell in love with Cape Town, Villa Zest’s eclectic décor is quintessentially Capetonian – fun-loving, stylish and easy-going. The service reflects this laid back local vibe, setting a relaxing, informal tone and offering the personal attention one expects in a seven-room boutique hotel. The first drink is on the house; there are laptops for guest use; and local knowledge is cheerfully given as excursions are planned over pancakes at breakfast. The lack of a bar is a little disappointing, but drinks and snacks can be ordered, and the garden is a peaceful haven. Aloe and frangipani trees overlook its sunken lounge area, outdoor fireplace, trickling stream and 10-metre pool.

Rooms are named after classic movies; we stayed in American Graffiti, the smallest and most basic (they did warn us). Facilities here included an iPod dock, DSTV, DVD player, air-conditioning, hairdryer, bathrobes, safe and en-suite bathroom with shower only. The superior deluxe rooms and suites are a better option, with features such as retro leather furniture and city views. The roof terrace and public rooms have glimpses of Table Bay and Signal Hill, but this urban retreat scattered with design books is more focused on style than scenery. The garden picks up traffic noise from nearby Main Road, but it does not permeate to the rooms, and the central location is convenient for the Waterfront and city centre.