Port Elizabeth, at the tail end of South Africa’s Garden Route, may be better known for its surf and sunshine than its artistic pedigree, but the city is in fact home to the country’s largest collection of Art Deco buildings.
Yet it took turning one of them into the splendid No5 Boutique Art Hotel to really showcase PE’s artistic potential. With its sleek façade and eclectic interiors, this luxury boutique masterpiece looks as if it would be more at home in Hollywood than steps away from the Indian Ocean, and one can almost imagine a glossy starlet or two sipping martinis on a red velvet barstool in the Salon Privè, or taking a dip in the lap pool. No5 by Mantis offers ten exquisite suites, with clean lines, bold prints and a selection of contemporary South African art.
