A truly global landmark: the iconic ‘Pink Lady’ facade, standing proud under a canopy of international flags.
It’s not often that I get the opportunity to visit a top hotel, but yesterday I was invited to the Mount Nelson in Cape Town for a meeting and lunch. Despite having lived in Cape Town for many years—though most of my life was spent in Johannesburg—this was my first time stepping inside.
The hotel has lingered in my memory since childhood. In the 1970s, my father Brian Grobbler, journalist and editor, would often go there to meet with publishers. It seemed to be the inner sanctum for that world; I recall names like Terry Scott, who commanded a whole stable of publications, and David Eastaugh, who was then building his own. From a distance, “The Nellie” carried a certain mystery—one of those places you hear about long before you ever see it.
Old-World Charm and “Balding Legs”
Walking through the main entrance, I was struck by its old-world charm. There is an immediate sense of stepping into another era. The building has retained its original dignity, and I was pleased to see that many of the features from my father’s era remain intact.
What surprised me, however, was the absence of local visitors. The guests seemed almost entirely international, many of them British. I noticed one gentleman in particular—a short fellow in shorts and slipper-type shoes, with rather pale, “balding” legs—ambling towards the door. It occurred to me that he would look entirely at home at the Savoy or any grand establishment along the Strand. He fit the scenery perfectly; prestige has a way of making even the most casual attire look like a uniform.
I wouldn’t normally write about a hotel, but I prefer firsthand accounts. Secondhand stories dull the edges of reality; doubts creep in, and the texture is lost. A place like this—where an overnight stay or a meal carries a price tag befitting its status—is better described from direct experience.
A Century of “The Pink Lady”
This feeling of a “distant past” is backed by serious longevity. The Mount Nelson opened on March 6, 1899, making it 127 years old. It was commissioned by shipping magnate Sir Donald Currie to rival the finest London hotels for his Union-Castle Line passengers.
History does not sit quietly here:
• The War Rooms: During the Second Boer War, it served as the British headquarters. Figures like Lord Kitchener passed through, and a young Winston Churchill walked these halls long before he led a nation.
• The Signature Hue: That soft pink façade was adopted in 1918 to mark the end of World War I—a gesture of relief and optimism that has endured for over a century.
• The Royal Entrance: The grand, stone-columned entrance and palm-lined driveway were added in 1925 specifically for the visit of the Prince of Wales.
Seances, Secret Treasures, and a Beatle
The hotel is a layered space—part refuge, part museum, part stage. While it currently holds Two Michelin Keys and a Five-Star Forbes rating, its true attraction for foreigners often lies in the ghosts of its past guests.
Royalty has always been a fixture; Queen Elizabeth II famously celebrated her 21st birthday here. But the hotel also hosted more eccentric characters. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, reportedly unsettled fellow guests by holding seances in his room. There are even rumors of an iron-bound chest found on the grounds in the 1870s, mistaken for a coffin and reburied—allegedly still lying beneath the old laundry chimney today.
And then there is the matter of John Lennon. It is a verified fact that the Beatle stayed at the Mount Nelson, though he wasn’t the “rock star” guest one might expect. He checked in under the pseudonym “Mr. Greenwood”, reportedly to meditate on Table Mountain and enjoy the gardens. By all accounts, he was incredibly self-contained—he was known to make his own bed and spent hours in quiet meditation in the very gardens where I stood looking at the fountain.
A moment of tranquility at the Lord Nelson Fountain, overlooking the hotel’s lush nine-acre sanctuary.
A Remnant of a Layered Past
Ultimately, the Mount Nelson is a remnant of an earlier South Africa—a past viewed through many different lenses. Some take issue with the British legacy, just as others criticize the mid-century nationalists. Yet, both eras left their mark on the country’s infrastructure, from the roads and underwater tunnels to institutions like this.
Forgetting the politics for a moment, the hotel remains a place where one can sit, have a meal, and be removed from the urgency of modern life. It is a place of “Old World” grace that continues to echo in the present—a Pink Lady that has seen it all and remains standing.
