There are hotels for all occasions. While there are low-priced and, frankly, tacky options that offer per-hour rooms, most hotels, even discounted ones, deliver a good basic standard.

When this is what you’re looking for, rather than a plush destination hotel where you plan to spend most of your time, the Holiday Inn Express offers good value in a perfectly adequate room.

For the writer, the following are non-negotiable: good, free Wi-Fi; air-conditioning; an in-room safe large enough to hold a laptop; a strong shower; and comfortable beds. While it is lovely to feel cosseted and spoiled, the frills won’t matter if the plan is to be away from the room most of the time.

With the Holiday Inn Express Cape Town, an IHG hotel, in St George’s Mall, you are located directly opposite Newspaper House, a Food Lover’s store, and the five-star Gorgeous George Hotel. Here, the city and environs become an extension of your hotel, which is especially true if your plan is to mostly walk.

Although the inner city is much improved and I’ve enjoyed the benefits of increased foot patrols, I remain wary of some sections of the city after dark.

Heading to the buzzy Heritage Square, just a few blocks away from the Holiday Inn, was an excellent choice with a stand-out dinner at Hacienda, the coastal Mexican eatery in what previously housed Chef’s Warehouse.

Coastal Mexican

Hacienda, a Pan Collection Hospitality outfit that includes Iron Steak and Bar, Burger & Lobster, and others, celebrates the Baja region of Mexico and includes a large selection of tequilas and mezcals from that area.

The menu is quite different from other Tex-Mex or Mexican eateries in Cape Town and comes at an elevated price, but the presentation and flavours are worthy of the premium.

Settling for two of the more affordable options with the plan to share, the sous vide chicken thighs, Dicha De Barbacoa (R145), delivered meltingly tender and yet intensively BBQ-flavoured bites and exciting texture from a garlic and pistachio crisp.

Their version of thick-cut pastrami brisket is called Maestro de Carne (R159) and comes in an árbol chilli-pickled sauce with popped sorghum and flavoured with Tajin, the Mexican seasoning of chilli, lime and sea salt. These items, off the Comida de Fiesta (‘In the Streets’) section of the menu, come with two tortillas each.

If your dream tortilla is that plate-sized soft flour wrap widely available from supermarkets, you may be disappointed. Not only are Hacienda’s far smaller, akin to a large saucer, the taste and texture are different, too.

At Hacienda, they’re hand-make with maize flour and first cooked in lime water through a process called nixtamalization, attributed to the Aztecs of thousands of years ago.

Aside from offering a tasting menu and tequila/mezcal flights, standouts include guacamole made table-side (R209), and mole (R169), the fermented sauce (think sour-dough starter). The mole was 172 days old when Farmer’s Weekly dined.

Gorgeous cocktails

After-dinner drinks at Gorgeous George’s restaurant Gigi Rooftop is always fun. Cocktails are between R140 and R150 and include Stone Fruit Sours, Poco Loco, The Mother, and Birds of Paradise.

You may snag a seat in front of the ‘Hello Gorgeous’ sign spelled out in light bulbs or next to their roof-top folly and pool. Wherever you sit, expect a sophisticated party crowd.

Inside seating ranges from Chesterfields to high-backs invoking libraries and gentlemen’s clubs, while most dining tables are beneath a lush hanging garden.

Back at the hotel

The public areas at the Holiday Inn Express are on the first floor and include two balconies, with outside tables intended for smokers. The ground-floor lobby is small and can feel crowded during peak hours, but the breakfast room and the bar counter on the first floor with big windows on two sides feels quite roomy and comfortable.

Breakfast is entirely self-service, with the coffee station (filter, bean-to-cup, boiling water) on one side, and the hot and cold buffet on the other.

If your plan is to sustain yourself for the day with a variety of items, you might be satisfied. However, I found the hot breakfast offering tepid and lacking in appeal.

Holiday Inn Express rooms are sparkling clean and comfortable, and having hangers that don’t require a special dexterity to get on and off the rails is a huge bonus! The designers have done well in utilising the limited floor space, and the bathroom in particular is very cleverly configured with a door that separates the toilet from the shower.

A nice touch is full-sized Dove amenities in the bathroom.There is a fitness centre on the rooftop.

Parking in St George’s Mall is almost impossible, and the hotel provides valet parking at an additional R60 per night.

Walking in the Company’s Garden and exploring Government Avenue with its museum and art gallery is easy and only a few paces away.

Walking up an appetite

The promenade in Mouille Point and Sea Point, however, is a favourite place to walk and visit.

There are many excellent places to eat along the strip but Sòtano, directly opposite the famous Mouille Point lighthouse, is especially recommended following its interiors upgrade and new menu focus.

Sòtano has been good and popular since it opened 14 years ago. Over the years I have enjoyed many breakfasts, lunches and dinners at the restaurant and sitting outside, under their pergola and umbrellas looking to the ocean, is as spectacular a setting as they come.

Saucy prawns

Recent improvements include new pendant lighting that suggests sea creatures and an installation of hand-made clay fish swimming towards the ocean. The menu keeps its Mediterranean flavours but focuses even more on fish, seafood and their sushi offering.

The baked feta prawns (R220) come in a garlic, lemon and parsley butter sauce with warm ciabatta for what remains. This dish works very well as a starter for two people.

A new item is the seafood espetada (R285) with king prawns, octopus, calamari and line fish separately cooked and assembled on a skewer. This is served with grilled seasonal vegetables and baby potatoes.

They do an excellent mix-yourself steak tartare (R290), which comes with all the right trimmings, including an egg yolk in half an egg shell. Chips and thinly sliced melba toast complete the DIY meal.

The battered fish and chips (R190) is also highly recommended.

Co-owners Brendon Crew, Jean Muller and Marc Langlois have outstanding track records working with the Cape Grace and Mount Nelson hotels before opening Caveau Restaurant & Wine Bar in Heritage Square and, later, in Newlands.

Crew explains the thinking behind their sushi offering:

“Our signature sushi sets us apart from traditional fare, though we also offer global favourites like rainbow rolls and California rolls.

“One of my personal favourites is our Asian soya salmon – thinly sliced raw salmon served on a bed of red cabbage, dressed with sesame seeds, soya and roasted garlic.

“Another standout is our highly popular crunchy calamari roll, which is a tempura calamari and avocado roll topped with panko-coated calamari strips and sweet chilli mayo. We also do salmon and tuna tartare in an Asian style.”

Sòtano is open daily from 7am to 10.30pm, offering breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between.

The difference in price between a stay at the Holiday Inn Express (from R1 560/room/night) and five-star alternatives like Gorgeous George (from R4 500/room/night) may well fund your food experiences at all of the above.

To book at the Holiday Inn Express Cape Town, visit bit.ly/4hOIA4C. For reservations at Hacienda, phone 021 422 0128, or email [email protected].

Visit gorgeousgeorge.co.za, or phone 021 612 0999. To make a reservation at Sòtano, phone 021 433 1757, or book online sotano.co.za.