Seaside High Tea at the Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa

There are very few exceptional locations in Cape Town – truly exceptional – and the Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa are one of those locations.

Built, by some magic, inside the Table Mountain National Park – it gives unmatched views of Oudekraal, the Twelve Apostles mountain range (hence the name) and the broader Camps Bay area. When staying over, you feel like you are a part of your surroundings, with the energy of the mountain and all it’s creatures welcoming you to the special location.

I recently visited the 12 Apostles High Tea at the Leopard Lounge with my friend Geraldine – a Scottish woman who is, quite simply, a high-tea connoisseur. If there is a tier list of Cape Town teas, she’s tasted most of them. I trust her palate implicitly.

The day was overcast and gusty in that very Atlantic-side way, but the beauty of the Twelve Apostles is that the weather almost doesn’t matter. The hotel sits so confidently between mountain and sea that even a moody sky feels appropriate. In fact, it adds to what makes it feel like such a natural integration.

The Setting: The Leopard Lounge

The Leopard Lounge leans fully into its theme. There’s an old-world explorer energy to the bar and lounge, with leopard motifs, bronze leopard statues, rich textures -a place designed for a small amount of guests looking to linger, not rush.

We settled in by the windows, where the ocean stretched out below us. On clearer days, you might get blazing blue skies with whales frolicking in the bay. On this day, we got shifting greys, whitecaps, and the sense that anything might surface (which it did!). Whales are never guaranteed, but they’re always a possibility here – and that anticipation becomes part of the high tea experience.

My Expectations For the Afternoon

Having visited previously for both the traditional and vegan high tea, I had a good sense of the standard at the Leopard Lounge. Post-pandemic, however, Cape Town’s hospitality landscape has shifted, and certain experiences that locals once took for granted can no longer be assumed.

It is, however, important to remember that the Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa is one of Cape Town’s leading hotels. It has repeatedly been featured in the Top 5 Hotels in Africa, Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards and is a member of Leading Hotels of the World. So it’s acceptable to accept it’s one of the best in the city.

With that, these were the expectations I had:

• Excellent service that’s calm and confident.
• Pastries that are technically sound rather than simply sweet.
• Traditional flavours gently interpreted through a South African lens.
• Relaxed but “moving” pacing of the tea.
• And – if luck was on our side – a glimpse of whales offshore.

High tea at this level is ultimately about precision; there is nowhere to hide when you’re one of Cape Town’s finest luxury hotels.

Highlights of the Afternoon

1. Service – 10/10. Our server, Asanda, had a wonderful energy. Attentive, friendly, willing, without being overbearing. My spare iPhone also went flying off the balcony in the notorious wind. The staff were so kind and concerned, I assured them it was entirely my fault.
2. Favourite Eats:
   • Cucumber sandwich. I know – probably the most “boring” of the lot. But such a classic and this one had a hint of dill, which elevated it in the most subtle way.
   • The macarons. To be clear, I am not a fan of meringues. Eaton mess? No thanks. Pavlova? Pass. Macarons – even standing in the high street of Zurich with ultra expenny macarons, they weren’t for me. BUT. This white chocolate and lavender macaron has made the front cover of my mind on multiple days. Exceptional and potentially the best macaron I’ve ever had due to the lashing of icing it included, gooey centre and crispy edges. A touch of gold leaf? Say less.
   • Geraldine also absolutely loved the take on a “salt beef bagel” which saw pastrami on a bagel included in the offering.
3. Delicious Drinks:
   • The teas – smooth and well-balanced – no bitterness, no harsh aftertaste – the kind you keep sipping as you drift away into day dreaming heaven.
   • And we were greeted with a glass of Villiera, which happened to be the MCC we used at our wedding.
4. Relaxed Setting: the views from the Leopard lounge are gorgeous and our pacing was excellent too. Not rushed but we weren’t there for 6 hours either – this is appreciated.
5. Reordering: And, of course, we tested what makes a high tea iconic – reordering as many items as you like. While this is a modern practice, it’s become a yardstick for all luxury high teas from London to Sydney – the Twelve Apostles passed with flying colours.

A Moment of Candour

In order to stay in my integrity I’m going to be including one or two elements that weren’t to my personal taste. Your time is precious, my time is precious, if we can’t keep it honest – let’s not bother. With that, here are areas where I feel things could improve or simply aren’t to my taste:

1. The crockery. I grew up in a De Beers mining town in Southern Namibia and we had 2 restaurants. One for corporate diners and one for the regular folk (of course open to all). The crockery of that casual restaurant? Identical to these brown cups. That may be my prejudice but, in my view, I believe the Twelve Apostles could elevate their crockery.
2. The tea stand. It was skew so the whole platter sloped downwards. Likely easily fixed, the pass should have flagged this .
3. Replacement sandwiches. I requested the salmon to be switched out. It was replaced with roasted peppers and red hummus. The flavours were fine, if not pedestrian, but the presentation was sloppy.

Final Thoughts

High tea at the Twelve Apostles is less about indulgence for indulgence’s sake, and more about balance – between setting and service, tradition and restraint. It’s an experience that doesn’t rely on sunshine or spectacle to make its point; the location does the heavy lifting, while the kitchen and service team ensure the details are quietly taken care of during every visit.

During our visit, we were lucky – a whale made an appearance offshore, surfacing and disappearing again into the grey. A quiet reminder of the extraordinary setting the Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa occupies.

Whether you arrive as a local revisiting a familiar favourite or as a visitor discovering Cape Town from the edge of the Atlantic, it’s the kind of afternoon that leaves you feeling unhurried, well looked after, and gently reminded of why this setting is so special.

Geraldine and I were kindly hosted by the Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa.

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