Protea Hotel Cape Town Waterfront Breakwater Lodge

South Africa , W. Cape-Cape Town-Garden Route
CAPE TOWN, PORTSWOOD ROAD, V & A Waterfront
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100 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

10 Mar 2026

Waltraut

We went down to Cape Town to participate in the 2026 Cape Cycle Tour and decided to stay closer to the start and finish lines. We stayed at the Protea Breakwater Lodge a few times before and found it to be perfect.
We'll probable do the same in 2027.

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jan 2026

Roxanne

Wonderful staff and amenities -- and the location was perfect! Woke up to a stunning view of Table Mountain, two steps away from all the activities at the Waterfront.

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

03 Jan 2026

Ridwaan

Staff were good, rooms were below par.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

24 Dec 2025

Lauren

staff were friendly and the rooms were clean and comfortable. Its a 10 min walk from the waterfront which is so very convenient.

10/10

Exceptional

18 Dec 2025

Makrao

We had the best time in Cape.
Our accommodation - location absolutely awesome.
Hotel - Was great, staff were friendly, helpful and accommodating. We love Marco, so friendly and great advise.

8/10

Excellent

17 Dec 2025

Nasser

I’ve no more comments

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

09 Dec 2025

Conrad

Lovely location, awesome history but the room airon, room size and no gym let it down.

10/10

Exceptional

06 Dec 2025

Janeth

Second time at this hotel. Very convenient location. Walkable to V&A Waterfront.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Dec 2025

Mark

Breakfast was amazing. Lots of options to choose from. service was exceptional. I loved the ambience of the hotel and the decor. It was exceptionally cozy and inviting.

8/10

Excellent

27 Nov 2025

Mark

It was a nice stay

Business

6/10

Pleasant

23 Nov 2025

Marilyn

Staff was fabulous. Layout interesting. Restaurants were a good hike away. I would have liked it better if eating and drinking were within the property.

Leisure Friends

6/10

Pleasant

20 Nov 2025

Hawa

The hotel is fine, but pretty ba

10/10

Exceptional

16 Nov 2025

Geraldine

Clean room, great location

Business

8/10

Excellent

01 Nov 2025

Charlotte

Room was clean

6/10

Pleasant

20 Oct 2025

Tomas

missing Gym!

Bar was bad, No pool, no Gym even though saying there was a Gym when booked.

Business

2/10

Poor

15 Oct 2025

MATTHEW

Hotel looks nothing like the pictures. It’s awful. The rooms are terrible. Do not book at this hotel. You will only be disappointed. Spoke to a member of staff about it and the said that even the pictures on their own website are deceiving.

Friendly staff but awful hotel!

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

10 Oct 2025

Glenn

Close to V and A

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

03 Oct 2025

Ester

Yes walking distance

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

27 Sep 2025

Marquette

Loud, paper-thin walls. Doors slamming all night. Pipes knocking nonstop.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

24 Sep 2025

Andrew

Great location. Good option for a 2 night stay.

10/10

Exceptional

17 Sep 2025

Hilton

Location

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

22 Jul 2025

Sarah

Friendly staff

Very friendly staff overall, great service from the staff at reception, we asked for ice and an entire bucket was delivered to us. I had requested prior to the stay, and was given, a room close to reception, so the hotel is good at listening to requests, Standard room with double bed, small but more than adequate for a one-night stay. Had dinner at the hotel restaurant, which was good, but the restaurant was very quiet, not sure if all clients know it offers more than just breakfast – although the hotel is right by the V&A Waterfront, so there is a wide variety of restaurants available. Only two issues, housekeeping only provided decaffeinated coffee sachets, I’m sure I could have called reception for normal coffee but I just wanted a cup of coffee before I showered, didn’t want to start dealing with reception at that hour of the morning… the shower was not great, it didn’t seem to be balanced – I couldn’t get a consistent water temperature and the water pressure was terrible. The hotel is currently undergoing “soft refurbishment” so hopefully this will include looking the showers.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jul 2025

Rachel

We absolutely loved staying at this hotel. My husband and I got married in Cape Town while we stayed here and we loved all the conveniences. It’s in the waterfront district so you can easily walk to all the shops and dining and it’s super safe. We had no problems walking on our own at night and felt completely safe- that was a big deal for us as most places are not like that. Beautiful rooms and great food. We loved our stay here- no complaints at all.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jul 2025

Carlo

Everything in the hotel was great. The location is perfect

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

04 Jul 2025

Laura

It’s great that this hotel offers family rooms and is super close to the V&A. We have stayed a couple of times now and both times we have been woken very early (about 5am) by other guests or noisy pipes. This is not a quiet hotel

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jun 2025

Laurel

Great location! Clean and friendly staff. Nice room.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

01 Jun 2025

con

Close to waterfront. Room was very good (harbour suite). Had issues with thermostat that they couldn’t fix while I was there (first it would not warm room at all, then after”fixing it it would con’t warming regardless of room temperature and had to be switched off in middle of night as it got to almost 30 degrees!)

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

30 May 2025

Camila

We stayed at the Protea Hotel by Marriott Breakwater Lodge for 7 nights and had a wonderful experience. Upon arrival, we were pleasantly surprised with a complimentary room upgrade and a few days later I requested a late check-out, which worked out perfectly with our flight schedule.

Our room was very spacious and comfortable, making our stay extremely pleasant. The hotel is currently undergoing some renovations, but this did not impact our stay at all.

The front desk staff were always attentive, helpful, and available whenever we needed assistance. One of the best aspects of the hotel is its proximity to the V&A Waterfront—just a short and safe walk away, both during the day and at night.

On a few nights when we returned tired from day tours, we ordered room service. The food was very good, though the menu is quite limited, offering mainly sandwiches and pizzas.

The only downside was the bathroom design—the shower doesn’t have a door or enclosure, so water would spill onto the floor quite a bit.

Overall, we had a great stay and would definitely consider coming back!

Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 May 2025

Mark

The people in 1024 the first night were horribly loud repeatedly after 10 pm (high school or college age I think). Coffee and to-go coffee cups not set out in the front lobby until after 0645, seems way too late, especially in a weekday. Otherwise all good. Staff were excellent in their manner and effort!

Self

8/10

Excellent

19 May 2025

MERLE

We were disappointed with our initial rooms. However after talking to management we were moved to another room which was very nice.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

11 May 2025

Erin T

The staff waa SUPER SUPER helpful the front desk and African Eagle ladies in particular. Only downside was lack of outlets esoecially one by night stand to charge cell.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

04 May 2025

Carol

Good location. Friendly staff

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Apr 2025

Amy

The staff is amazing and so helpful! The rooms were very clean!

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

20 Apr 2025

Ronak

Very good location near water front and feels very safe

10/10

Exceptional

27 Mar 2025

Beth

Great spot at the Waterfront

Terrific location at the V&A Waterfront. Large, comfortable room and an excellent breakfast with lots of options. The staff members were very friendly and helpful.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

18 Mar 2025

I liked location and room... did not like the glass bathroom/shower. Need more privacy in room when sharing it with someone else.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

26 Feb 2025

Verified traveler

Ageing hotel, not very clean

The hotel was OK. The can definitely put more effort into cleanliness. There were several strands of hair on the countertop from a pervious guest, the bathrooms are mouldy and the laminates/vinyl floors are old and worn and need to be retired. For the price of the hotel, it does not live up to the expectation.

8/10

Excellent

12 Feb 2025

Francisco

Great location. Easy walk to the waterfront. Great service. Dated rooms need updating

Self

8/10

Excellent

29 Jan 2025

Douglas

The “family” room we had was 2 bedrooms sharing 1 bathroom. They were small but perfect for what we needed. The location near the V&A waterfront was perfect. Breakfast was included in our stay and was excellent.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

23 Jan 2025

Jacqueline

Disappointing

We arrived at check in about 15 mins earlier than the time on our booking confirmation to be advised they the hotel had changed it's check in time to an hour later. We were told to wait and the receptionist would see if our room was available. She subsequently disappeared and after 45 mins I asked another receptionist what was happening and he knew nothing as the original person hadn't done anything. He managed to get us a room straight away but have no idea how long we could've waited. The location of the hotel is good but it is tired and needs some TLC. I cannot fault the porters who brought a trolley to our car to collect our luggage so we didn't have to carry it. Breakfast was in another building and very chaotic where we had to wait for food refills and when we asked for cutlery was brought one set when there were 2 at the table. Just felt that they weren't really interested. We had a problem with our aircon and were asked to wait in the room for an engineer even though we said we were going out. No one came.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

22 Jan 2025

June

Really convenient and safe area with great staff. Some rooms need upgrades

6/10

Pleasant

17 Jan 2025

No gym even though advertised on hotels.com

We were disappointed with the checkin process.
Protea emailed the day before we travelled to see if we needed anything, and we said would be great if room could be available early so we can freshen up after a long flight.
When we checked in there were no rooms available which so not a problem as check-in was at 3pm.
We went back at 3:30pm and still no room for us, which was disappointing.
What was worse though was the hotel being advertised with a gym and there wasn’t!!
I always book hotels with a gym so this was misleading. The option was to pay and use the Virgin Active club in the town.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jan 2025

KAREN

Great location, excellent access to Cape Town waterfront.

4/10

Poor

28 Dec 2024

Michele

Very disappointed by the property

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

25 Dec 2024

Mark

Very close to the V and A waterfront

2/10

Poor

22 Dec 2024

Andrew

Terrible

Lifts didn’t work on arrival. Terrible room - clinical, sharp edges everywhere.
Worst family room I have ever stayed in.

Mould in bathroom…

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 Nov 2024

Carlos

Great Hotel, Great location!

Self

10/10

Exceptional

28 Sep 2024

Susan

Great location - easy walk to Victoria and Albert Waterfront area.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

31 Aug 2024

Kathleen

Needed help getting to the airport and said our only option was their very expensive van.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

06 Aug 2024

Jon

Incredible location, lovely property with a fascinating history and current co-residence with the school of business. Breakfast are incredible. Staff are outstanding.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jul 2024

Mary

Luxury room for economy price near V&A Waterfront

The Protea is a terrific value, close to the Victoria and Albert Waterfront and the number 1 stop for the red hop on hop off buses, and right across from the acquarium. I was upgraded to a free corner suite with views of the bay and Table Mountain for being Marriott Bonvoy member. The only downside to this hotel is having to walk outside and through two different buildings to reach its restaurant, the only place to get bottled water on the premises. Big bonus: there is an onsite spa where you can get massages and facials for less than half what they would cost in the US. Desk staff are friendly and helpful. Concierge almost doubles the cost if outings, so skip them and talk with the red bus staff at the nearby station instead.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

07 Jul 2024

Annabelle

The hotel is old and need a remodel but close to shopping and the port. Convenient location but the rooms are small and you hear every noise.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

06 Jul 2024

Romineh

Great family rooms. Liked the fact there were two bedrooms with a connected split bathroom.

Business_and_leisure

4/10

Poor

05 Jun 2024

Carolyn

It was an old prison. Some of the rooms are very small. It’s not very updated. It’s in A great location. There isn’t a view. There is only 1 plug in the entire room. We enjoyed Cape Town but will not be going back to this hotel

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

25 May 2024

Marjorie

Close to waterfront, aquarium and HopOn HopOff

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

20 May 2024

Elizabeth

Convenient to Waterfront

Convenient to Waterftront with City Bus Tours and Market Place. We felt safe walking front the stairs in front of the restaurant to the lower street. We could view ships on the waterway.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

09 May 2024

Rima

Very quiet and comfortable room across the street from the aquarium and the tourist strip by the harbour.

Business

6/10

Pleasant

05 May 2024

Manikum

Room is too small.

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Apr 2024

Sharon Michelle

The hotel is part of what was once a jail. Room was clean comfortable and a good size. Tea and coffee making facilities. Right next to the aquarium and all that the waterfront has to offer

10/10

Exceptional

12 Apr 2024

Kevin

Great location within V&A. Spacious clean and comfortable room. Very safe location with parking.
Staff very friendly and helpful

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

08 Apr 2024

Tiffany

Location, Location, Location! This hotel was within walking distance to the V&A waterfront, which gave us so many options for activities and tours.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

28 Mar 2024

Paul

Conveniently located next to the V&A Waterfront, this property was a great choice for those looking to be close to the action at an affordable cost. While rooms were on smaller side, they are perfect for the travelers on the go.

Leisure Family_with_children

6/10

Pleasant

19 Mar 2024

Rosemary

Needing some upgrading

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

03 Mar 2024

Kate

For a family of 4, it was a bit tight, but wonderful location and free parking!

10/10

Exceptional

28 Feb 2024

Brian

Really unique hotel experience

Very unique mix of hotel, business school and prison, loved it!!

Business

10/10

Exceptional

27 Feb 2024

Aulani

Close to everything

The room is compact. I recommend if you want to be walking distance to the Waterfront. Being close to the waterfront is a must. This hotel is budget friendly and there is daily buffet breakfast.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

21 Feb 2024

robin

Cape Town Business Trip

Nice comfortable stay for 3 nights

Business

10/10

Exceptional

19 Feb 2024

Gregorio

Nice hotel, great location, across the street from “hop on hop off” transportation, many restaurants, walking distance to mall 5 minutes, would stay again

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

13 Feb 2024

William

Great historical building! comfy, clean and conveniently located.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

19 Jan 2024

Stefan

Very comfortable rooms, ours one of the large ones. Stayed 1 week. The room we booked through Expedia was a small inconvenient room, not what I requested, but the staff graciously moved us to another, larger room. Hotel VERY convenient, like across the street, to Alfred & Victoria Waterfront, Aquarium, lots places to dine. Concierge services very accomodating and informative. Breakfasts \"sumptuous\" and became our major meal of the day. If/when we return to Cape Town this will be our residence.

Business_and_leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

08 Jan 2024

Ruth

This was a jail in it's past life. The rooms are minute, basic, austere. It is smaller than dorm rooms and very poorly laid out. To get to the bathroom, you have to close the bedroom door and vice versa. There is an ironing board hanging on the wall! I had no shelves in the closet and one tiny drawer at a desk. They say students come to the business school next door, but then don't call it a hotel.A hostel maybe? After a few days they did move me to a bigger room and that was more comfortable. Be sure what you are booking. The family rooms are awful. The staff was very polite, helpful and as accommodating as they could be under the circumstances, commenting that other people complain about the size and cramped rooms. And the soap, shampoo and conditioner in one?? Cheap! I will not return,

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jan 2024

Pinimidzai

Fabulous stay at Protea Hotel Breakwater Lodge

Our stay was fabulous and the staff were courteous and professional. The rooms were clean and the food was great. Our kids loved the stay and they enjoyed every moment to the point that they sometimes never wanted to leave the room.

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

30 Dec 2023

Verified traveler

The rooms are great in terms of having being spacious but the rooms are not uniform in that we booked two adjacent rooms and one was clearly more modern with newer features while the other one was old. The developments around the hotel disrupt the peace and tranquility of the place

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

22 Dec 2023

Thesigan

1. We did not get the room we requested, they wanted to put us in a room in the next building, which we declined as it looked more like dormatory style, after some persuasion Dean at reception finally found us a room on the 2nd floor.
2. At night the aircon started leaking, got towels from reception to stop the passage from flooding. The next day after more persuasion, we were moved to a similar room few doors down. Furthermore, their systems were offline, they could not give us card keys, the cleaning lady had to open our room door for us, after much, much persuasion, we received a temporary card.
Considering our huge inconvenience, management could have at least offerred an upgrade, which was not even proposed. All we got was sorry, there's nothing we can do.
3. We found it quite of the lady at housekeeping who does check-ups on whether we have and ironing&iron etc, she knocks once on the door and then opens it, not waiting for the people to answer, we found this behavious absolutely rude as one of us could be in the shower or changing. She did this twice.
4. Very noisy - people opening and closing doors has an impact on other room doors...the acoustics/insulation is very poor.
This particular Protea Hotel does not keep up to the Protea name.
We had a very dissatisfied disappointing stay.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

05 Dec 2023

stephen

Excellent, very comfortable beds, and easy safe walking distance to VA waterfront

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Dec 2023

James

Helpful staff and very convenient for V&A

Business_and_leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

24 Nov 2023

Jim

2nd Rm room worked well for 3 adults.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

19 Nov 2023

Excellent, clean friendly

Business

10/10

Exceptional

19 Nov 2023

Excellent

Business

10/10

Exceptional

12 Nov 2023

Bruce

Great property across the street from the Aquarium and 2-3 block walk to V&A Waterfront shopping/entertainment

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

05 Oct 2023

Candice

Convenient and good value for money

The first room I was given smelled like cat wee. I asked to change rooms and the request was filled straight away. Staff at this hotel are helpful and accommodating. The room was large and well appointed, the only criticism is the same I encountered in other hotel rooms in South Africa, mouldy shower cubicals. The rooms could do with a deep clean, but other than that, this hotel is convenient in that it is walking distance to the V &A waterfront and good value for money. There’s a self serve fruit flavoured water fountain and coffee in the reception area which is welcome.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

30 Sep 2023

Susan

Great hotel with fantastic location for the V@A

Great location for the V&A just a stroll down the steps at the back of the hotel. Car parking free. Very clean and spacious room. We had a double. Good room facilities, usb socket. Separate bath and shower. Late Check if available. Friendly knowledge and professional staff from all to included housekeeping, bar and reception. We did not eat at hotel as stayed for one night only but food did look good. Only downside not a lot of bar/ lounge space to relax as this is situated at the back of the restaurant.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

13 Sep 2023

Jim

Good Hotel, poor decision by management

This is a very nice hotel, but for some reason they scheduled painters to paint in the lower level of the building I was staying in. The lacquer based paint produced horrible fumes that permeated the rooms as there was a large open area between the levels.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jul 2023

Angel

Great location and great staff.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jun 2023

Alex

We were extremely pleased with our recent five night stay at the property. It is located very close to the city sightseeing pickup/drop off point, the Aquarium, the Watershed and the rest of the waterfront. Literally a five minute walk from the lobby - super convenient especially if it's raining. The staff we encountered were all polite. Check-in and out were easy. They assisted us with laundry and arranging for transportation to the airport. The property is clean and secure. We ate at the daily breakfast buffet and for one dinner at the restaurant. They offered good variety and quality. I would definitely recommend this property for visits to Cape Town.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 May 2023

Kevin

Had a wonderful stay here in this hotel. We were visiting for a rugby match and only stayed for two nights.The staff were very kind and friendly and went out of their way to talk to visitors.
The room was much bigger than I expected with plenty of space and a comfortable seating area. The bathroom was massive. Great selection of food for breakfast.
The layout of the hotel was amazing and I really liked how the old features remained in one building.
When Munster play the Stormers again we will more than likely be staying here again!

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

23 May 2023

Matthew

I stayed for one night on business. While the hotel is central and clean, the facilities in the room need attention. The TV had limited channels and the quality of the colour was terrible. For this price I paid I would have expected more attention to detail.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

11 May 2023

Skyler

The hotel room was very nice--spacious and clearly recently redone. The location was terrific--super walkable. The only remotely negative thing is that the setup of the hotel is rather odd since it shares space with a business college.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Feb 2023

Dexter

The gym needs to be expanded or upgraded

Business_and_leisure Self

4/10

Poor

02 Jan 2023

Simon

Pleasant hotel, good location. Unfortunately 7 guests were checked into a 2 person room below us (that we could count) - this was incredibly noisy.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

31 Dec 2022

Amazing location and staff but tired Hotel

The staff are amazing and the location is ideal however the Hotel is tired and dated . Definitely needs a revamp or renovation:

Friends_and_family Family

2/10

Poor

30 Dec 2022

Marleen J

There were no rooms available in the hotel.

There were no rooms available at the hotel. Please refund my monies in full. You cannot book hotel rooms in hotels are full.

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

30 Dec 2022

Peter

Close to everything in waterfront. Rooms were tiny.

Business_and_leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Nov 2022

Tsz-Yan

The location is fantastic! A very short walk to the aquarium, the hop on hop off bus terminal and the main area in V&A Waterfront where there are many restaurants to choose from. The hotel buildings co-locate with the University’s business school and the whole site used to be a prison. The room was clean and the staff were very polite. I would definitely use this hotel again when I return to Cape Town.

Business_and_leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

13 Nov 2022

James

Small rooms and windows

Business_and_leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

10 Nov 2022

Leslie

We liked this hotel for its location and history. It is within walking distance from the V&A shopping area and wharf. Also, it’s right across the street from the Two Oceans Aquarium.

Leisure Family_with_children

4/10

Poor

14 Sep 2022

Sarah

Badly designed hotel room

The check in staff member was very helpful (we checked in early and said we would return for our room key later when the room was available). Regrettably the second receptionist we dealt with when we asked to swop our room was extremely arrogant and unhelpful. However, the room we finally ended up with (we asked to be swopped as the original room allocated only had a bath – no shower attachment and therefore no facility to wash your hair!) was badly designed and far too small for the king size bed. There is only one USB point so travel with a couple of charged power banks or a USB multiplug. The water pressure was appallingly bad, and the shower (which didn't have the rainfall showerhead promised on our check in documents) went from scaldingly hot to cold and back again, as you showered.
On the plus side room service was efficient and the sandwich was great. The hotel is well positioned.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

21 Aug 2022

pam

Problem with check in and rooms by Expedia. 2 booked and paid for almost a year ago but only 1 on the hotel system. Fortunately there was a room and the payment yet to be finalised

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

06 Aug 2022

pam

Great location and lovely staff. Perfect for a short stopover in Cape Town.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

12 Jun 2022

Johnny

It’s an old hotel. In my opinion it needs a make over. Won’t be back in a hurry