53 Best Hotels in KwaZulu-Natal and Durban, South Africa

This attractive thatched lodge (the first built at Phinda) sits on a rocky hill overlooking miles of bushveld plains and the Ubombo Mountains. Wide verandas lead into the lounge and bar, with their high ceilings, dark beams, and cool tile floors. In winter guests can snuggle into cushioned wicker chairs next to a blazing log fire. Brick pathways wind down the hillside from the lodge to elegant suites with plunge pools, thatched roofs, and large decks overlooking the reserve. Children are welcome and will have a blast on the "Wild Child Progamme" or crafting, baking, and playing with designated staff in the playroom. (Only children from six years and older are permitted on game drives, unless you hire a private vehicle or book a family package safari). There's a state-of-the-art gym plus massage therapists available on-site for unwinding between safari activities. 

Ideal for honeymooners or romantic solitude, this turreted lodge feels like it's dropped from a Moroccan movie set. If you get tired of the eagle's-eye view of the deep valley below from your private verandah, you can write in your journal in the luxurious sitting room or take a late-night dip in your own private plunge pool. All of Phinda's activities are included—twice-daily game drives and nature walks. Scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, and spectacular small-plane flights are extras. Don't miss out on one of Phinda's legendary bush dinners: hundreds of lanterns light up the surrounding forest and bush, and the food is unforgettable.

Designed as an exclusive, single-use lodge for a family or small group of friends, Zuka (zuka means "sixpence" in Zulu) is a couple of miles from the bigger lodges and can now be booked per room. Luxuriously furnished thatched cottages overlook a busy waterhole, and you'll be looked after by the camp's personal ranger, host, butler, and chef. Children are welcome.

Four converted Victorian homes comprise the city's most intimate boutique hotel, a contemporary European-style property that's been reinvented and now has a stylish, yet old-fashioned feel. Rooms feature mahogany furniture, crisp white linen, damask-covered beds, and sunken tubs in luxurious bathrooms. Many of the rooms have small verandas facing Florida Road, with its swaying palm trees and sometimes busy traffic, but double-glazed windows help to dull the noise.

In the heart of the lush KwaZulu Natal Midlands, this lakeside English cottage–style hotel offers lawn tennis, walking trails, a distillery, and a brewery, with beers best enjoyed at the Boars Head Pub.

Tucked away in the Maputaland Coastal Forest, with glorious unspoiled beaches, this lovely lodge is perfect for families, though it's great for individual travelers and honeymooners, too. The Maputaland Marine Reserve is just offshore, so if you're a diver, a snorkeler, a birder, or just a potential beach bum, you'll be in seaside heaven. Tented rooms have reed walls, wooden floors and viewing decks, and are raised on stilts, as are the public areas, to overlook the bird-filled forest. Seven of the rooms are designed for families. Activities abound, including forest walks, world class diving with qualified instructors, superb snorkeling off the beach—just walk into the Indian Ocean—and turtle tracking.

This historic South African country hotel shares much of Ladysmith's tumultuous past—it was built in 1880, just 19 years before the town was attacked by the Boers during the South African (Anglo-Boer) War. Expect small rooms, although TVs and air-conditioning are standard features. The hotel serves a buffet for lunch and dinner and offers an à la carte menu on weekends.

The vacation rental properties in this exclusive resort between Ramsgate and Palm Beach offer a great getaway for a group of friends or a family, and golfers are drawn by the on-site championship course. Spacious one- to five-bedroom Tuscan-style villas, many with breathtaking views of the sea or the bird-filled lagoons, are set among gardens and tropical indigenous forest. At night it's lit by hundreds of twinkling lights. Stroll down paved walkways to the private beach, meander through the woods, and spot small antelope and monkeys. If DIY is not your style, opt for the 40-bedroom, four-star San Lameer hotel on-site which also has a spa.

For a more in-depth exploration of Shakaland, stay the night at the 55-room Shakaland. Overnight guests have access to additional cultural events and stay in a quasi-traditional Zulu dwelling. Beehive huts have modern amenities and the property overlooks the Phobane Lake. Rooms are attractive, luxurious, and Africa-inspired, in enormous thatch beehive huts supported by rope-wrapped struts, decorated with African bedspreads, reed matting, and African art. All have modern bathrooms and superb views. Meals are included in the price: The evening buffets feature samp and beans, local wild spinach, local stews, and shisa nyama braai or grilled meat.

In a high-rise building right on the beach, this upscale hotel is popular with both vacationers and businesspeople and has a long-standing reputation for gracious hospitality. The service is excellent and facilities, such as The Sugar Club restaurant, are superb. If your plan is to loll around in your bathing suit, get yourself to one of the many loungers around the pool, the focus for this hotel. There are lots of extras thrown in—like free ice pops, sunscreen, and poolside smoothies. The public lounge, festooned with huge floral arrangements and yards of gathered drapes, serves a full silver-service tea in the afternoon, and a pianist plays in the evening. Guest rooms are fairly small, but all have terrific sea views, particularly those on the upper floors. Suites are more spacious and villas have an open beachlike feel and private plunge pool.

Overlooking North Beach along the Golden Mile, this combination of two adjacent high-rise hotels is a two-minute drive from the city center and attracts a mix of business, conference, and leisure travelers. Due to the amalgamation, the hotels collectively offer two business centers, three pools, two gyms, and eight restaurants. The Maharani's rooms are in better condition, with a recent refurb, and the contemporary on-site restaurant, Vigour & Verve, does a commendable breakfast and lunch. Though most rooms have views of the ocean, request a room on an upper floor to take advantage of a full sea view. The Elangeni houses one of the few Japanese restaurants in the city, as well as the Lingela buffet-style restaurant. A minimum three-night stay is required during peak season.

You can't beat the location of this pleasant hotel midway between South and North beaches and only a five-minute drive from the city center. All rooms face the sea, but request an upper-floor room for the best views. Views from the pool deck on the 30th floor are superb.

This hotel mostly attracts businesspeople and gamblers, but it's a stone's throw from the beach and has some great sea views. Like the adjacent casino, it's designed in the art deco style of the 1930s, which is in keeping with some of Durban's architectural heritage. The rooms are rather small but elegantly minimalist with furnishings in pastel shades. The sea views from the higher floors are spectacular (it's worth the slightly higher price for a sea-facing room). Indian cuisine is a speciality at Jeera and will be a highlight of your stay (book ahead for their unique afternoon tea), and cocktails are de rigueur at Lounge Bar. The 36 suites in the towers are more luxurious than those in the hotel.

This exquisite lodge blends elements of royal Zulu with an eclectic pan-African feel evident in the thatched, turreted dwellings perched on the side of rolling hills that overlook mountains and bushveld. Inside, contemporary Scandinavian touches meet African chic and communal areas are decorated with beading, leather, wood and splashes of royal red. A huge stone fireplace divides the bedroom area from the comfortable and roomy lounge, while outside there's a personal plunge pool, private deck, and cushioned sala (outdoor covered deck). Dine on a superb meal with other guests or alone in your private boma under the stars. The spa is ultra-indulgent and there is a great variety of activities on offer. 

Perfect for a family or friends' reunion (although it's great for individual travelers, too), this intimate and luxurious eco-forward camp deep in the bush brings you into close contact with your surroundings. You might wake up in your spacious safari tent with en suite bathroom and private verandah to find a warthog or nyala grazing outside. The camp has its own vehicle, ranger, and tracker, and a huge sala with pool and sundeck. Jabula (meaning "happiness" in isiZulu) Tent is the ultimate bush honeymoon getaway. This is a great value, immersive bush experience and passionate guides deliver in-depth knowledge of the ecosystem rather than chase down Big Five sightings. 

Smack in the middle of Royal Natal National Park west of Bergville, amid some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the Drakensberg, this very affordable popular camp makes a great base for hikes into the mountains. One of the closest resorts to the high Drakensberg escarpment, Thendele offers accommodation across a variety of bungalows, cottages, and chalets and one 6-bed lodge all with excellent views of the Amphitheatre, a sheer rock wall measuring 5 km (3 miles) across and more than 1,500 feet high. Bring all your own food, although you can buy staples and local trout at the main visitor center. 

About 16 km (10 miles) from Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, this lodge lies in a forest of fever trees on the 3,700-acre Ubizane Game Reserve and makes a great base from which to explore Hluhluwe, Mkuze, and St. Lucia. Built of thatch and wood, the open-sided lodge sits on stilts overlooking the Mzinene River. Rooms are in separate cottages, also on stilts, along the riverbank. The rooms themselves are small but tastefully decorated. A qualified ranger will take you for a bush walk or a game drive (which is included in your stay) through the small reserve, or a little farther afield for a game drive in nearby Hluhluwe-iMfolozi.

This tiny guest lodge sits at the head of a steep valley, in a 2,000-acre nature reserve that's far from any other buildings, and has tremendous views of acacia-studded grasslands and hills. It lies at the end of a very bumpy rutted dirt roadbut a sedan is okay if you drive slowly. Rooms are decorated in contemporary style with fluffy white comforters (duvets) and raw-silk lamp shades—simple, comfortable, and elegant. The home-cooked four-course table d'hôte dinner focuses on traditional South African fare, including fresh farm produce, but there's no liquor licence so bring your own hooch. Picnic lunches and battlefield tours can be arranged.

You'll benefit from abundant peace and quiet at these six appealing guest rooms and three independent self-catering cottages—a pleasant, good-value alternative to the local hotels. All the rooms and cottages are clean and comfortably furnished with large beds, spacious en suite bathrooms, TV, Wi-Fi, and private entrances. A wonderful homemade breakfast is served on the terrace or in the bright dining area overlooking the garden and pool.

The buildings of this 5-star hotel—a disparate but harmonious mix of Tuscan and Balinese architecture—are the centerpiece of an intimate estate ensconced in lush, tropical gardens. Each of the 19 suites, including the sprawling Royal Suite, has a neutral palate that's highlighted by a few tasteful African touches, and steps lead to a large sunken bath and walk-in shower, both of which could easily accommodate two people. Pamper yourself further with a restorative stress-relieving treatment at the in-house Impilo Spa.

Built in 1939 in classic colonial style, the Edward is one of Durban's oldest hotels. Although it's been restored almost to its former elegance, it seems to have lost a little of its soul in the process. Nevertheless, service is excellent, and the stylish cut-glass chandeliers, molded ceilings, and subtle art-deco details bring to mind a more refined past. Rooms are tastefully furnished; 10 have balconies overlooking the sea, and the others have bay windows with sea views. The hotel faces beautiful South Beach.

If you find Shakaland too commercial, then consider delving into Zulu culture at this small settlement in a remote valley of Zululand, 60 km (37 miles) from Babanango. Simunye's introduction to traditional Zulu culture extends to contemporary Zulu lifestyles, too. Park at Depart Point and access the camp by a very bumpy road on horseback or 4x4—the views are breathtaking. You'll watch Zulu dancing, visit a working kraal, and meet the locals. Rooms, built of stone and thatch, are a mix of Zulu and pioneer cultures, with locally handmade wooden beds and chairs and decorated with Zulu cooking pots and cow-skin rugs. All the rooms have electricity and hot water. The dining room and bar overlook the quietly flowing Mfule River.

The superior, and quieter, of the two Quarters boutique hotels, Quarters on Avondale offers rooms in Edwardian style with a modern twist. Luxurious sunken tubs dominate plush bathrooms with fluffy white towels. Boudoirs are tastefully decorated, with white linen and damask draping generous beds. Each room has a small veranda overlooking Avondale Road. A scented garden is being established.