The doorman at Cape Royale Luxury Hotel and Residence, clad in top-hat and tails, greets us with a warm African smile and ushers us into the shiny lobby. Robust iron meets marble in the decadent entrance lit with library lamps.

The hotel, which from the road reminds me of an upmarket apartment block in Manhattan, claims that it's 'Cape Town's most desirable address', and with World Cup matches coming soon to the Green Point stadium across the road I suppose it will be.

On top of that, it's slap bang in the middle of the trendy Green Point strip that houses staples like the ever-popular Italian deli Giovanni's and the well-known Hussar Grill; and just down the way from Victoria Junction and the nightclubs that attract gay tourists from across the globe. It would be hard to find a trendier spot for a hotel.

Sun, snow and lots of space

We sit ourselves down on a pair of modern Victorian chairs and start our visit with a glass of chilled orange juice. There are 93 suites in the hotel, and we are offered a deluxe suite, with the other options being family (four-bed), presidential (four-bed), and penthouse (four-beds).

Rooms are sleek self-catering units combining state-of-the-art with a comfy, home-from-home feel. A flat-screen television rests atop a futuristic white cabinet; wooden floors add a sense of space and warmth, and the kitchen appliances designed by Porsche smack of sophistication. The spacious walk-in cupboard/bathroom would satisfy even Carrie Bradshaw's closet needs.

After settling in, we jumped into a lift decorated to resemble a beach scene ? wooden slats overhead making the experience rather believable ? and made our way up to The Sky Bar, which is essentially the deck and pool area on the top floor of the hotel.

The winter sun is glorious, and from here you have a 180? view ? Signal Hill, The Waterfront, stadium, and even the Stellenbosch mountains topped with snow.

The ultimate grill

Dinner was booked for us that evening at 1800?C ? the hotel's official restaurant ? which boasts a signature grill imported from New York. The first of its kind in South Africa, it cooks steak at a temperature of 1800 degrees Fahrenheit.

Our well-spoken waitress greeted us with a welcoming smile, and seated us in one of the 'booths' of the quaint restaurant.

After furnishing us with wine ? myself the Simonsig Chenin Blanc (R20) and my partner the Capaia Blue Grove Hill Sauvignon Blanc (R35) ? she explained the special offering at 1800?C.

Unlike ordinary grills, theirs cooks from the top, forcing the moisture to the centre and sealing the meat very quickly to ensure that it retains maximum flavour and succulence.

Then there are the tempting sauces to accompany your fillet sourced from around the world, including: Argentinean Chimichurri, Indonesian Coffee, Madagascan Peppercorn, Spanish Madeira and Peruvian Anticuchos sauces.

You can further enhance the flavour of the meat yourself with a variety of imported, hand-harvested, gourmet salts from the Himalayas, Hawaii and Chile amongst others.

The tempting starters menu makes choosing just one dish difficult. We settled on the gravadlax with fennel and apple coleslaw (R65) and the soup of the evening ? the prawn bisque (R39).

Mains called for red wine, and so we tried the Brampton (Stellenbosch) Shiraz 2007 (R105), which was average, but so much more appealing in the massive wine glasses it was served in, the waitress swearing that you could fit an entire bottle in one glass ? "tried and tested", she said.

For mains I had the line fish of the day (R97), a succulent slice of yellowtail done according to the chef's whim with new potatoes and greens. My partner went for the 300-gram fillet (R160) with pepper sauce (R16) and salad.

We dodged the Hot Chocolate Bomb with white chocolate martini ice cream, which sounded divine, and opted to share the lighter coconut pannacotta on a bed of passion fruit jelly (R48) for dessert. A bite-size portion that was heavenly but not really worth the price.

Another terrible day in Africa

Another beautiful day saw us well-rested and rather plump after a night of indulging. Luckily it was a 10-minute stroll to the Sea Point Promenade, and so a quick jog was in order before breakfast.

If you prefer the indoors, their in-house Equinox Spa has a 24-hour gym facility, along with a list of tailor-made treatments and a range of professional therapies for the stressed-out visitor.

Breakfast is served until 11am and so we sauntered down to 1800?C well after 10am, only to find a throng of people with the same idea. We still managed to secure a booth for two and helped ourselves to the continental breakfast.

I was tempted to try one of their smoothies, which I now regret not doing. There are a range of options from non-dairy fruit spice smoothie to the healthy sweet veggie with apple carrots and the like.

At Cape Royale you get a hot breakfast along with the continental. Our choice ? their signature scrambled eggs with salmon and chives.

After a friendly smile from the hostess and a smooth exit it was back to reality, and another beautiful day, what a tough life in Cape Town...

Love Winter special

The Cape Royale is running a special during winter. You pay R2990 for the room per night, for two persons sharing, but a minimum of two nights stay is required for this offer.

The Rate includes: Breakfast daily at 1800?C Restaurant, a dinner voucher to the value of R400 per couple, Equinox spa voucher valued at R180 per person, chauffeur drive pick up at the airport, five-kilometre radius transfer per day from the hotel. Offer expires 30 September 2009.

Cape Royale, 47 Main Road Green Point, Cape Town. Call + 27 21 430 0500 or visit www.caperoyale.co.za for more information.for more information.