The creative people within Cape Town are an amazing species. Give them a laptop with Wi-Fi, a few cans of paint or a notebook and pencil, along with ground coffee beans from an exotic country, and they will magically hatch ideas behind long fringes, square glasses, and tight jeans. Of course their favourite hang-out at present happens to be Once in Cape Town!
Last year at this time, the building at 73 Kloof Street was more of a “Maybe Lets Not” sort of place. It was a bare structure of a building which would need a lot of work done on it, to bring it up to standard. Yet only a few short months later, Once in Cape Town and Yours Truly pub in Kloof Street emerged, and have become beacons of light for those seeking a safe, budget-friendly stay in the heart of the Mother City.
The old Once branded cab, the eco-friendly hanging plants, the photographs of the building through the ages, the quirky décor, and the caring, efficient staff all add up to a great experience that appeals to one and all.
Once is a place where models stay for those month-long work contracts. It’s where the locals come to drink beer and wine while mingling with international guests who, despite their differences, fit in with the eclectic, artsy, Cape Town crowd. Everyone is surprisingly friendly, but whether that’s due to Once bringing out the best in people, or only friendly people seem to stay at Once is irrelevant. Go experience it for yourself (and trust us, you’ll love it)!
The bedrooms were the best surprise during our stay-over! They’re spacious and comfortable, with high quality linens, starched towels with a soap bar on top (created by women involved in a community improvement programme), and individual en-suite bathrooms with a bath/shower combination. As each room has a dressing table area with power outlets just below the mirror, you can tell that a woman had a hand in Once’s design and room layouts – as it perfectly caters for female requirements, and guests on short or longer stays.
For those feeling homesick, the Skype Phone Booth is the perfect spot to head to. It’s about the size of a public telephone box that has a stool within it, and is decorated with eclectic photos plastered on 3 of the 4 walls. The 4th wall holds a blackboard, on which to write a message for loved ones to read. If the booth is occupied, the media centre, adjacent to the conference room, will suffice.
At Yours Truly, the attached pub and restaurant, you can enjoy divine pizzas and a wide menu variety. Drink a draught of their on-tap brews of Citizen and Darling, including Saboteur, Alliance, & the popular Slow Beer, or opt for more sophisticated beverages such as wine, sangria, or mixers.
If you stay over at Once on Friday nights, you’ll enjoy a fire-pit braai, held at the back of Once in the still-being-converted herb garden (did we mention that Yours Truly uses fresh ingredients?), or head to the communal kitchen to whip up a meal of your own – but remember to read the list of Kitchen Rules before leaving a mess for others to clean.
Enjoy weekend movie nights outdoors, watching from a safe undercover outdoor area at Yours Truly, as you sip your chosen drink and nibbles. Of course, being only a hop, skip, and a jump away from the nearby trendy Long Street means after the movie, you and your friends can burn off some of the calories dancing the night away.
Once in Cape Town has become a local icon, with guests returning again and again. After staying here, you too will long to return, for you truly cannot stay just once at Once in Cape Town.
Let us know what you think of Once in Cape Town and Yours Truly!
