When driving from Johannesburg to Cape Town or the Garden Route, many people drive the route over two days with a stopover. A common stopover destination is Kimberley in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. While stopping here, it is a good idea to visit some of the historical attractions in Kimberley, such as Kimberley’s Big Hole or the Kimberley Mine Museum. The Protea Hotel Kimberley is the closest accommodation to these attractions. You can find out about the hotel’s location, rooms, parking and other facilities here.
The Protea Hotel Kimberley near the Kimberley Big Hole
The Protea Hotel in Kimberley is owned and operated by Marriott Hotels. Let’s learn more about this hotel.
The Location of The Protea Hotel Kimberley
The hotel is centrally located and only 1 kilometre from the city centre. You can easily visit Kimberley’s museums or other attractions while staying at the hotel.
The Protea Hotel Kimberley is right next to the Big Hole of Kimberley. You can see the Big Hole from the viewing deck if you walk towards the back of the hotel’s property. This is not close enough to look down into; you can only do this when you visit the Big Hole.
On one side of the hotel is the old mining town; if you stay at the hotel, you can access the town for free. Getting to the Kimberley Big Hole and the Kimberley Mining Museum from the mining town is easy.
Parking at The Protea Hotel Kimberley
The hotel has plenty of secure parking. When you enter the parking area, you get a token from the security guard at the entrance gate. When you want to leave, you need to give the token back to the security guard.
The Hotel’s Interior
The Protea Hotel Kimberley is beautiful on the inside. The décor fits with the history of an old mining town. The foyer features ceiling-high wooden bookcases. There are comfortable lounge chairs and couches everywhere.
The dark wood finishes of the bookcases and the stairs add to the luxurious look of the reception. In the lobby, there are free juices and bottled water for guests to enjoy throughout the day.
Checking in
The reception staff are friendly and efficient. With every visit to the Protea Hotel Kimberley, check-in took less than 5 minutes. You can check in from 14:00 onwards. Check-out takes place between 6:00 and 11:00.
Read more about the other attractions in the Northern Cape.
The Rooms
The Protea Hotel Kimberley’s room options are standard or deluxe rooms or suites. All hotel rooms are en-suite.
There are two buildings housing the hotel’s rooms. The main building has some rooms, and the second building is at the back of the main building. We’ve stayed in both buildings for different trips.
The rooms are family rooms with two double beds. Each room has a television, showers and/or bath and coffee/tea-making facilities. The hotel also provides free, uncapped Wi-Fi.
We found the rooms comfortable with standard amenities. We did not get a good night’s sleep when we stayed at the hotel. The hotel rooms are not soundproofed, and you can hear the guests in the rooms next to yours.
Eating at the hotel
An on-site restaurant, the Cullinan restaurant, offers a buffet supper and breakfast. Room service is also available. There is a bar on the property as well.
The hotel offers a full English breakfast or a buffet breakfast. We never had breakfast there as we left early in the morning to drive the next leg of our trip.
The Cullinan restaurant offers a buffet dinner at reasonable prices. The food offerings consisted of various salads (5/6 salads), two protein choices, two vegetables and starch. Dessert options included two pies and a variety of other desserts, such as mousse. We enjoyed dinner at the hotel and found the food tasty and high-quality.
The swimming pool
After a long day on the road, there is nothing better than cooling off in a swimming pool. You can find the pool at the Protea Hotel Kimberley next to the restaurant and bar area. The pool is unique and looks like a typical farm dam with a windmill next to it. You can get swimming towels from the reception. The pool is not big, but we were the only guests using it each time we used it.
Facilities
You can play billiards at the hotel or rent a bicycle to explore the surrounding areas. You can also have a drink at the bar or take a dip in the swimming pool.
The hotel has conference facilities as well and can cater to 120 delegates.
Frequently asked questions about the Protea Hotel Kimberley
Here are some of the frequently asked questions about staying at the Protea Hotel Kimberley:
What can you do near the Protea Hotel Kimberley?
Kimberley has many attractions, making it a good place for a stopover or a short two to three days trip.
The Protea Hotel is near all of Kimberley’s attractions. The hotel is within walking distance from the Kimberley Big Hole and Mine Museum. Other attractions nearby include the Sol Plaatje Museum, the Oppenheimer Memorial Gardens, Kimberley’s Railway Museum and the McGregor Museum. The historical Occidental Bar is near the hotel as well.
Other attractions a little further from the hotel are the Duggan Cronin Gallery, the Pioneers of Aviation Museum, the Wildebeest Kuil Rock Art Centre and the Benfontein Nature Reserve.
How do I get from Kimberley Airport to the Protea Hotel Kimberley?
One way to get from Kimberley Airport to the hotel is to arrange a private transfer. The hotel can help you make these arrangements or book your own. Alternatively, you can rent a car from Kimberley Airport. If you like booking a rental car online, try our preferred site to rent a car.
What is the Protea Hotel Kimberley near the Big Hole contact details?
The hotel’s address: Kimberley Big Hole, West Circular Road, 8301 Kimberley, South Africa, 8300. Their phone number: +27 53-802-8200.
You can book the hotel by clicking here!
Click here to learn more about the accommodation options in South Africa.