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

This massive luxury hotel adjacent to the International Convention Centre is a short taxi ride from the city center and beachfront and is favored by businesspeople and conference-goers. The rooms are well appointed for the business traveler and tastefully decorated in light wood and neutral tones, with African touches, and have either beach or city views. If you're staying in an executive room, you're invited to the large club room with business facilities on the ground floor, where guests can get breakfast and free Internet access. Sweeping public areas are graced with marble pillars. The Coral Lounge is a great place to grab a light snack, or for something more substantial, check out Vasco's for tandoori oven–prepared dishes and a variety of pastas, curries, and stews. Impeccable service makes it one of the top Hilton hotels in Africa. Rates can vary significantly, often relating to what's on at the convention center.

As one of the first cottages built in the area over 100 years ago, this laid-back and airy white-washed beach house enjoys a prime position on the quiet coastline, and it's one of the few spots where you can walk straight from your bed onto the sandy shores in under a minute. You can rent out the entire house, which sleeps 12 in four rooms, or check into one of the cute self-catering wooden beach bungalows that share the expansive lawns, which are fringed by jungle-like banana trees and tropical swirling vines. Surf instructors, plus a selection of rental boards, are available for every level of surfer. 

Ideally located on North Beach, 250 meters (820 feet) from the Suncoast Entertainment Complex, the Blue Waters Hotel is an excellent value, and always busy with both vacationers and locals attending conferences and weddings. Nab one of the sea-facing rooms with a balcony that offer a spectacular sunrise over the Indian Ocean. Rooms have desks, good beds, and minibar fridges.  

Located in the Hluhluwe half of the park, the camp's self-contained chalets have high thatched ceilings, rattan furniture, and small verandas. Unless you plan to cook, forgo the more expensive chalets with fully equipped kitchens and eat at the restaurant. If you're on a tight budget, opt for a basic rondavel with two beds, a basin, and a refrigerator; toilet facilities are communal. Chalets with best views are No. 40 upward. A restaurant, pub, convenience store, and a gas station are on-site.

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.

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. 

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.