My suite at The Silo hotel in Cape Town came with an entrancing 180-degree view of the marina, the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and a cobalt-blue expanse of the South Atlantic. Despite the opulence of its interior, with its chandeliers, velvet sofas, art deco-style furniture and original contemporary art, I often found myself heading outside to my small balcony, to revel in the gusts of sea air and to listen to the cries of the seagulls. There, my eye was frequently drawn to the horizon and specifically to a low-lying smudge of land.