Occupying two historic buildings, the hotel retains the architecture and many meticulously restored interior features of the original South African Reserve Bank and the old BOE building — formerly the Temple Chambers, built in 1890. Seventeen additional storeys house hotel suites, guestrooms and residences with magnificent views of the Mother City and the iconic Table Mountain.

The Taj’s doors open to a precinct that includes the national and provincial parliaments, Government Avenue leading through the 350-year-old Company Gardens from St George’s Cathedral, the cosmopolitan crafts of St George’s Mall and Greenmarket Square and a diversity of culture, art, entertainment and cuisine.

Taj is one of Asia’s largest hotel companies and for over 100 years it has been creating, enhancing and caring for landmark properties around the world. Its portfolio currently comprises some 80 hotels including 15 international hotels in the Maldives, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, the Middle East, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and now South Africa.

The 166-room Taj Cape Town offers selection of 11 room types. These include a two-bedroom, split-level Presidential Suite and 10 Heritage Suites. The Taj Club floor with its private lounge is served by a dedicated butler team, providing breakfast and evening canapés and cocktails. Within the restored historic buildings there are 20 Heritage Luxury rooms, with mountain views and a further 10 overlooking the city. The 17 new floors accommodate rooms with panoramic views of Table Mountain or the City. All the Tower rooms have a walk-out balcony.

The rooms combine old-world quality and modern amenities. As well as the gamut of facilities that guests would expect in a five-star hotel room such as a mini-bar, safe, voicemail and international plug sockets, standard features include high-speed wireless internet, an iPod docking station and charger, an internet-enabled television and a work station with a multi-media hub so laptops can be interfaced with the television.

Taj Cape Town will offer two restaurants and a seafood and champagne bar. The Grille Restaurant is bounded by an open-plan show kitchen, a floor-to-ceiling wine wall and full-length glass sliding doors giving uninhibited views of St George’s Mall, a pedestrianised artery running from the historic City centre to the Foreshore.

It will be an all-day informal restaurant. Patrons can opt for the intimacy of the wine-tasting nook, the relaxed atmosphere of the contemporary interior or enjoy the sights and sounds of Cape Town at open-air tables under the trees in the Mall.

On the ground floor, the hallowed halls of the Reserve Bank have been restored to house the Indian fine-dining restaurant. The elegant décor and authentic Indian cuisine offer a more formal and exotic culinary experience.

Stepping in from the bustle of Wale Street, the seafood and champagne bar is a relaxed, but sophisticated gathering place, ideal for a fresh seafood snack and glass of excellent South African wine with friends. Local bands often provide live evening entertainment. It also incorporates a coffee bar serving light meals.

The restored ground floor of the Reserve Bank, with the original marble columns, skylight and anatomically correct lion medallions pressed into the ceilings, remains a triumph to the fastidiousness of James Morris, who designed the building in 1929. He famously bullied the Astronomer Royal into measuring the position of the sun every day that year to ensure the banking hall, now lobby, would be bathed in Cape sunlight.

Leading off this magnificent lobby are a formal lounge, cocktail bar and a cigar bar.

The Jiva Spa is a feature of the hotel which should prove popular with both guests and Capetonians. Jiva Spas draw from Ayurveda, an ancient Indian healing tradition, and deliver a range of signature treatments, yoga and meditation. The spa includes two suites dedicated to skin, nail and beauty treatments, four generously sized massage suites, a double massage suite with a jacuzzi and an Ayuvedic consultation and treatment suite.

A fitness centre comprises a fully equipped Technogym, heated indoor pool, two saunas and male and female changing areas.

The Taj Cape Town is a blend of the history and contemporary times of Cape Town, seamlessly blending heritage with the comfort and convenience of a modern, luxury hotel. Surrounded by history it is also at the epicentre of a rejuvenated city centre, where an array of top restaurants offer a smorgasbord of local and international cuisine, nightlife abounds and shoppers can choose from international brands and African crafts. The real Mother City experience — rich history and a blend of cultures, art, entertainment and cuisine — is all here.

Click here for more from http://www.tajhotels.com.