Our Story

Built by people who already loved this city.

Why We Exist

Riva One was never meant to be a hotel. It was meant to feel like the home of someone who knows Cape Town intimately, and wants you to know it the same way.

Guests do not travel across the world for another hotel room. They travel for a place — its light, its mountain, its ocean, its people. Riva One exists to bring guests closer to that: not by adding more, but by removing what usually gets in the way, so a morning coffee on the terrace, an afternoon at a partner's table, or simply the quiet of the pool as the light changes, feels like your own time in Cape Town rather than a stop on someone else's itinerary.

Everything here is intentional; nothing is excessive. The most thoughtful way to experience the city, made by people who love it.

Cape Town is not simply where Riva One is located. It is present throughout the stay.

Fabio and Alessio, founders of Riva One
Fabio · Alessio
The Founders

A near-four-decade love affair with the Cape.

Riva One exists because two people who already loved Cape Town decided a house here should be run the way they'd want to be hosted themselves. Fabio, an Italian whose connection to South Africa spans almost four decades, returned with his son Alessio to build it — not as a business plan, but because the affection came first and the house followed.

Together, through the long uncertainty of the COVID-19 years, they built it by hand: a family project first, a residence second. That's the reason the house is run the way it is — not because personal hosting tests well as a phrase, but because it's the only way two people who love this place would choose to welcome someone else into it.

Fabio
Founder
Alessio
Co-founder
The Architecture

Built with GSQUARED, line by line.

The house was designed in partnership with GSQUARED, the Cape Town architecture firm, with a brief that prized restraint over spectacle: light, proportion, and natural materials over anything showy.

The result reads as a residence rather than a property. European standards of craftsmanship, finished by hand, quietly engineered around how a day actually unfolds, from the first light on the terrace to the last glass after dark.

Riva One architecture, designed with GSQUARED
In partnership with GSQUARED
Riva One architecture and interior detail, Camps Bay luxury residence
Table Mountain view from Riva One, Camps Bay, Cape Town
What we believe

Luxury, to us, is the thoughtfulness you feel and never have to ask for. Not the biggest. Not the loudest. The most considered.

Frequently Asked
Is Riva One a hotel or a private residence?

Riva One is a private residence in Camps Bay, Cape Town, run with the care and service of a great hotel. It can be booked by the suite or taken as exclusive use of the whole residence.

Where exactly is Riva One located?

Riva One sits at 1 Stern Close, Camps Bay — moments from Camps Bay beach, beneath the Twelve Apostles and Table Mountain, and about 25 minutes from Cape Town International Airport.

Can the whole residence be booked exclusively?

Yes. Riva One can be reserved for exclusive use, giving your family or party the entire house, its terraces, pool and full hosting team. Enquire for exclusive-use rates and availability.

Is Prima Vista Penthouse a separate property, or part of Riva One?

Prima Vista Penthouse is the fourth suite within the Riva One residence, not a separate property. It spans the top two floors of the same house, above Sole, Luna and Mare, and is bookable individually or as part of an exclusive-use stay.

What is included in a stay at Riva One?

Every stay includes personal hosting and concierge, daily housekeeping, and access to curated Cape Town experiences — from private tastings in the winelands to gallery access — arranged for guests of the residence.

Do guests need a car in Camps Bay?

Not for the beach, the village or the pool — everything within Camps Bay is walkable. For the Winelands, the Peninsula or an evening in the city, we arrange a driver, so guests never need to hire or navigate a car themselves.

Can Riva One arrange a private chef?

Yes. A private chef can be arranged for any meal, from a simple breakfast to a full dinner, through your concierge — with notice appreciated for larger groups or specific requests.

How do I check availability and reserve?

Send an enquiry through the website with your dates and party size and our team replies personally, usually within a day, with availability and a tailored proposal.

When is the best time to visit Cape Town?

November to March brings warm, dry Atlantic summer days ideal for the beach and winelands; April to May and September to October are quieter with mild weather. Riva One hosts guests year-round.

The makers we keep company with

Waterford Estate  ·  Rosetta Roastery  ·  Terres d'Afrique  ·  Tina's  ·  Zeitz MOCAA

Meet our partners →

Come and feel the difference.

A house, a family, and a city arranged around your week. Tell us when you'd like to arrive.

Enquire about a stay
Check availability