316 Best Hotels in South Africa

Occupying an entire city block in the heart of Cape Town, this mixed-use complex consists of apartments, offices, retail space, and a Three Cities hotel comprised of several buildings. The Tower is the most contemporary and spacious with two-bedroom apartments, while the Fairbairn has an art-deco bent, and the Kendall benefits from wood flooring and inlaid stone work. An excellent location from which to explore by day, the area can feel eerily quiet at night. Doppio Zero on the ground floor is the complex's Italian family-dining franchise. For views of Table Mountain and the Harbor, book as high in the Tower as possible. Rooms in the Winery tend to be noisier, as the reception area is directly beneath.

Accommodations at this small, family-operated game reserve are in luxury tents under the shade of the indigenous camel-thorn trees, with each intimate and secluded tent including a viewing deck overlooking a water hole. The former farm was bought in 1991 by wildlife veterinarian Dr. Johan Kriek, who has developed it as a breeding area for rare antelope species, and the reserve opened its gates to the public only in 2006. It offers 36 different species, including the rare roan antelope and sable antelope, across 4,856 acres of privately owned land. Game-capture tours are also available, as are fly-in bushveld dinners and game-viewing from quad bikes. Facilities include a fully licensed bar, restaurant, pool, mobile spa, and its own helicopter airstrip and helipad; airport shuttle service can be provided from Kimberley. Day visitors are also allowed and encouraged, so you don't necessarily have to stay here.

This secluded and charming resort on the peninsula is great for families, as well as popular for small conferences and events. Thatched-roof log cottages sit in an indigenous milkwood forest overlooking a nature reserve and the white sands of Noordhoek Beach. Options include suites or self-catering cottages with either two or three bedrooms, and fully equipped kitchens. Most cottages also have large balconies, many with sea views. All accommodations share a rustic log-cabin aesthetic and are attractive and tidy with cottage-style furniture. Some have fireplaces and pretty Victorian bathrooms. An on-site restaurant serves three meals a day and is popular with locals for Sunday lunch. Children's programs for all ages can be arranged on request.

This always-buzzing, warm, friendly hostel with some private rooms is light and bright and conveniently located near the middle of town. It's easy to find a sunny or shady spot in the garden to just relax with a book, and the lively bar is a great place to share adventures come evening. All in all, it's an excellent value and the private rooms offer a touch of affordable luxury. There's an information desk, and staff is happy to make recommendations and reservations, as well as drop you off at adventure activities like bungee jumping or attractions such as Monkeyland.

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.

Originally built as the home of a British missionary, this lovingly restored guesthouse also once served as a school before becoming a hotel with rooms decorated with rich fabrics and luxurious finishes. Two have their own plunge pools, one has a Jacuzzi, and others have generous fireplaces. You're a five-minute stroll away from Franschhoek. On arrival, you're automatically booked in at highly rated Bouillabaisse, the sister seafood restaurant down the road, but you're welcome to eat anywhere in the food lovers' paradise that is Franschhoek.

People come here as much for the living museum that owner extraordinaire Jopie Kotze has created as for the rest of the establishment, which originated as private homes, but it's a serviceable place to stay if you need to sleep over in Springbok. It's a family business, operated since 1947, when it was known as the Springbok Café and Private Hotel. Former tour guide Kotze's displays include a mineral collection, a photography exhibit on the Richtersveld and historic Namaqualand, and floral and landscape paintings by local artists. The mammoth operation sleeps 200 people in a variety of accommodations: rooms that sleep 2 or 3; family units that sleep 4 to 6; self-catering suites; and houses that sleep up to 13 people (note: avoid the rooms right behind the restaurant). Breakfast and dinner are available at the restaurant, and a gift, postcard, and curio shop carries a wide range of books. The restaurant (open until 10 pm nightly) has an eclectic menu that includes pizza, fish, burgers, and famous fries and milk shakes, as well as Jopie's "holy water."

On a quiet street in leafy Oranjezicht, this midsize boutique hotel has spacious, contemporary rooms laid out on two floors around a lovely courtyard in a beautifully restored old building. Amenities include high-quality linens and robes, great bath products (a designer biodegradable line), free off-street parking, and a local mobile phone for your use. Public spaces are somewhat limited, with the breakfast room–cum-bar on the small side, but there is a nice if small pool and outdoor area with an exercise bike and elliptical machine tucked in a corner. The best public feature is probably the roof deck area with stunning views of Table Mountain and the city, though in summer the wind may keep you downstairs.

This old Victorian house has been elegantly transformed into a stylish and comfortable guest lodge; white linen and subtle furnishings create a restful atmosphere. Some bathrooms have Victorian claw-foot tubs. Regularly voted one of South Africa's top-100 dining establishments, the restaurant (which charges around R120 per main course) will likely have you coming back for more, especially for dishes such as roast beef fillet with a verjuice-hollandaise sauce. The menu changes daily, and there are also interesting food-and-wine-pairing dinners that are worth inquiring about. For the lodge, arrangements must be made in advance for children.

This small, tidy hostel is quieter than most, so it's a good place to stay if you're on a budget and the lovely garden has great mountain views where you can even sleep in a safari tent. If you don't feel like making use of the communal kitchens, you can book meals (continental breakfast and dinner only) in advance. You can rent bicycles, shoot pool, and use the barbecue facilities.

Decorated in restful shades of blue and white, this is a great base from which to take long whale-watching walks. Ask for a room with a view and put your feet up while you watch the Southern Right whales splashing in the bay below. Alternatively, take a stroll along the nearby whale-watching cliffs. An honor bar and tea and coffee are available throughout the day.

Horses and cows in the field, a huge vegetable garden, and endless views over the ocean create a sense of space and abundance at this friendly hostel set high on a farm above Wilderness. Brothers Riaan and Theo Barnard, both qualified tour guides, offer excursions all over the Garden Route, as well as surfboard rentals and regular shuttles to and from Wilderness. You're welcome to use the well-equipped kitchen or barbecue, though you might want to start the day off with a big farm breakfast for R35. The hostel also offers three dormitories.

Hidden among beautiful gardens that extend down to the Lourens River, this peaceful lodge makes a good base for exploring the entire southwestern Cape, including the peninsula, the Winelands, and the Overberg. Large, airy, comfortable rooms with sliding doors open onto the gardens; in the distance the peaks of the Helderberg are visible. D'Vine Restaurant has equally high standards and is regularly voted onto the country's top-100 list. The menu changes seasonally, but the owner is Italian, so there's a strong emphasis on Mediterranean flavors and fresh, local produce.

If you come to Hermanus anytime from July to November, consider staying at this hotel in the heart of town. It's a family-run hostelry that offers comfort but little pretense. Rooms are outdated, so the real reason to stay here is its position atop the cliffs, making it a great place to view the annual whale migration. Request one of the second-floor, sea-facing rooms, with sliding-glass doors and unbeatable views. During holidays, a games room with a pool table and table tennis is set up for older children. Breakfasts are ample.