The Grand Daddy Hotel Review: I Slept in Cape Town’s Famous Rooftop Trailer Park

In the centre of Cape Town on Loop Street is The Grand Daddy Hotel, a heritage boutique hotel that dates back to 1895 and is home to one of the most unusual stays in the city: a rooftop Airstream trailer park. Some genius (that sounds sarcastic, but it’s genuinely not) decided that what Cape Town really needed was a trailer park parked seven storeys above street level. And they were right! 

I have been itching to stay in one of the trailers since I first moved to Cape Town. I’m happy to report that that itch has been scratched. I will sleep better now that I have slept here. 

What Makes The Grand Daddy Hotel So Unique?

The building itself dates back to 1895, when it was actually built to be a hotel. It is also home to what is believed to be the oldest working elevator in Cape Town and possibly the whole of South Africa (which is either charming or mildly concerning depending on how you feel about Victorian-era cable systems). 

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It is home to more “normal” hotel rooms, 25 of them.  I say “normal” loosely because the decor is definitely a lot bolder and more vibrant than that of your average beige business hotel, where the artwork looks like it was chosen by a committee of exhausted accountants. Instead, the decor is bright with a proudly South African twist. 

But obviously, why would you stay there if you can stay in a rooftop trailer?

The rooftop Airstream trailer park is home to seven Airstream trailers. From what I understand, they were originally decorated to be quite bold and wacky, verging on unhinged. Then they were redecorated in more recent years by top local interior designers to be more sophisticated and even somewhat classy. The concept was to create an entire South African road trip on one rooftop. 

The current themes include Cape Winelands, Beach house, Rooftop Safari (I think that one has an outdoor shower), Karoo Dorps, Blooming Daisies (to capture the Namaqualand daisies that bloom on the West Coast), City Flights (an aviation themed trailer - not entirely sure how that one fits the road trip theme, but okay) and Gold Rush. 

Staying in the Cape Winelands Airstream Trailer

The hotel was kind enough to give me the Cape Winelands / “The Penthouse” trailer for my stay. At roughly the size of a bus, it is the biggest and most spacious of all the Airstream trailers on the rooftop. Towing it would give me such anxiety! Fortunately, it’s not going anywhere. 

The long trailer had an ensuite bathroom with a shower at one end, then there was a seating area, another seating area (that could double as an extra bed) down the one side, a counter on the other with a tea station, a mini-bar fridge, and a wine rack (fully stocked). On the other end was a queen-size bed. 

It was quite elegant and sophisticated with a hygge aesthetic - a Scandinavian design style associated with charm and cosiness, that incorporates a lot of soft textures (the sheets were so soft!), natural materials like wood, neutral colour palettes (beige, grey), and dim lighting.  

It also brought in the Cape Winelands theme with wood panelling down one side (reminiscent of a wine barrel) and wallpaper depicting vines on the other side. 

Designed by Changing Spaces Interior Design, it was lovely, very chic and elegant. But that was the problem! 

As somebody whose personal decor aesthetic can best be described as “eccentric well-travelled aunt who impulse-buys oversized porcelain cats and almost anything with a unicorn on it”, I did find it a tiny bit… restrained. The decor was a bit “normal" for my taste. 

In my mind, trailer parks are supposed to be tacky. I brought Rodrigo along with me, my carry-on luggage plastic lawn flamingo that has been travelling with me since 2010. I thought that this would be his moment, his time to shine, his Met Gala. But instead, it felt a bit too classy for him. 

I think I might have to give the Old Mac Daddy trailer park a visit.  (Both properties were founded by the Daddy’s World group.) But I think the ground-level edition may be more on brand - for him, anyway. I thoroughly enjoyed my bougie rooftop Airstream trailer.  

Rodrigo trying to put the trailer trash in the trailer park

A Cape Town Rooftop Bar Unlike Any Other

In the middle of all the rooftop trailers is a seating area, which is often used for private functions (I know, I attended one there). It also has a large screen. You can rent it for movie screenings. 

The rooftop is also home to a rooftop bar, the Sky Bar. On any given day, if it’s not being used for a private function, you can come up here for a cocktail, and you don’t even need to be a guest of the hotel. (I know because I’ve done that too.)

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Event Venues at The Grand Daddy Hotel

In addition to the rooftop trailer park, The Grand Daddy Hotel is also home to two private event venues in Cape Town’s city centre. The Rabbit Hole is a classy and sophisticated venue that uses a lot of gold and some green in its decor (but not in a springbok rugby kind of way).

Alice is another venue with some very unhinged Alice in Wonderland wallpaper, which looks like it takes inspiration from the Tim Burton movie but in a way that avoids any copyright infringements. And what makes it extra impressive is that it’s been like that since before AI got as good as it is now.

They also have a boardroom, if you unfortunately need to do work instead of drinking rooftop cocktails beside a trailer.

Dining at The Grand Daddy Hotel: Grand Deli Eats and Thirty Ate

Referred to as Grand Deli Eats and Thirty Ate, this cafe serves contemporary light meals. Breakfast came included with my stay and I really enjoyed dining on chocolate chip pancakes (because adulthood is meaningless if you can’t occasionally eat dessert for breakfast).

I also enjoyed people watching and taking in the atmosphere. I thought the basketball hoops over the bins were quite cute and sniggered at the sign that says “No climbing on the ceiling.” It reminded me of the time I lived with my friend Sarah and how our house rules included things like “No fatally venomous exotic pets, no foam parties, no more than 17 people in the bathroom at one time, etc”. You know, normal responsible adult house rules.

This cafe is also open to the public and not exclusively to guests of the hotel, and they serve breakfast all day. (Monday to Sunday | 6:30 AM – 9:00 PM)

Is the Grand Daddy Hotel Worth It?

Yes. If you like novel and unusual experiences, here you get to sleep in an Airstream trailer on a city rooftop and ride in what is possibly South Africa's oldest working elevator. The trailers have air conditioning, en-suite bathrooms and Wi-Fi, so you're hardly roughing it. Beyond that, the hotel has so much character, and the prices are very affordable. 

If you love ultra-modern luxury hotels with marble everything and a staff-to-guest ratio that makes you feel like royalty, this may not be your vibe. The charm of The Grand Daddy lies more in its creativity, character and sense of fun than in over-the-top luxury.

Click here to find out more about the Grand Daddy Hotel, or to book.

Other things to do in the area:

• Eat Japanese-South African cuisine in the world’s tallest hemp building 
• Tour the city from the sidecar of a vintage motorcycle
• Have your mind messed with at Cape Town's strangest museum  
• Make friends and dinner in Woodstock 
• Discover more strange and unusual things to do in Cape Town