82 Best Hotels in South Africa

Sabi Sabi's delightful little camp is tucked away in the bushveld on the banks of the Msuthlu River and combines spaciousness with a sense of intimacy. At night glowing oil lanterns lead you along a wooden walkway to your comfortable thatch-roof room or suite decorated in earthy tones of brown, cream, and white. After your action-packed morning game drive—during which you'll see game galore—and your delicious brunch, relax on your secluded wooden deck with plunge pool overlooking the bush, or go active and take a guided game walk with your armed ranger. In the evening dine out under the stars—if you're a city slicker, you may never have seen such bright ones.

Built of local Sabie stone, this charming bed-and-breakfast is the perfect base for exploring Mpumalanga's scenic attractions. The guest rooms (some wheelchair-friendly) are all animal-themed and attractively furnished with comfy beds, colorful bedspreads and soft furnishings, a minibar-refrigerator, and tea and coffee making facilities. A hearty English breakfast, served in the breakfast room or on the patio, is part of the deal. Guests have free use of the garden, guest lounge, swimming pool, and patio. Barbecue facilities are available, and by special arrangement a complete evening braai (barbecue) for guests in the boma (outdoor eating area) can be arranged.

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.

If Ernest Hemingway had built his ideal home in the African bush, this would be it. From the moment you walk into the main lounge with its genuine antique furniture, leather chairs gleaming with the polish of years of use, old photographs and paintings, mounted game trophies, and hand-carved doors and windows, you'll be transported to Old Africa at its best. Your room gives exactly the same feel—beautiful antiques, a claw-foot bathtub, a four-poster bed, and a dressing room big enough to swing a leopard by the tail. Write in your journal at the antique desk or laze on your deck next to your private plunge pool and soak up the stunning views. The variety of interleading room suites makes this a top choice for intergenerational family safaris. 

Resembling a Mediterranean village—albeit a very luxurious one—this lodging is made up of a collection of two-story buildings with their own swimming pools. Uncluttered and modern, rooms and suites are elegantly appointed with simple furnishings, gas fireplaces, and stylish detail evident in the cotton throws and wide choice of pillows. The surrounding orchards and shade trees make the complex and walkways both verdant and private. There's a kids' clubhouse offering a variety of activities including nature walks, treasure hunts, and visits to the on-site raptor rehabilitation center, so you can enjoy your wine tasting in peace.

Located on the Cape's oldest—and still working—wine estate, this intimate and beautiful luxury hotel built mostly within renovated heritage structures is surrounded by manicured gardens, vineyards, a modern tasting room, two great restaurants, and a championship 18-hole golf course. Renovated to a luxurious, contemporary standard, the original barn and manor house now are home to spacious, elegant guest rooms in tones of silver and aqua furnished with antiques that contrast perfectly with the gorgeous modern touches. Premier rooms built in 2006 are more modern in look and feel, but also have lovely private patios. Three Heritage Suites, each with its own design style and decor, offer exceptional accommodations in two stories, all with fully equipped kitchens and private pools and lovely views. The estate's Catharina's restaurant is famous for its Sunday brunches spilling out under the giant oak trees in good weather, and the more casual Bistro Sixteen82 is an ideal spot to while away an afternoon sampling the estate's fabulous vintages and feasting on an excellent array of tapas. Don't leave without trying the estate's famous Sauvignon Blanc.

Almost within soaking distance of the pounding surf, the setting at Storms River Mouth Rest Camp is nothing short of spectacular, making it a must-visit for international visitors. There’s an incredibly wide range of accommodations, including attractive seaside apartments called "oceanettes" that have fully outfitted kitchens. Handsome log cabins, referred to as “chalets,” are popular because they sit closest to the ocean. Forest huts are the cheapest option. There are plenty of activities like kayaking and snorkeling.

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. 

In a private section of Tswalu, this exclusive, self-contained homestead—decorated similarly to the reserve's Motse lodge and offering much the same level of luxury—is perfect for families and other small groups since it sleeps up to 10 people in 5 suites and comes with its own chef, game vehicle, and tracker. The food is almost as memorable as the scenery, and every meal is served in a different location: on a lantern-lighted dune or alongside a crackling fire in the lodge's boma. There's opportunity here for one couple to relinquish their beautiful quarters for a night and sleep under the stars, either on the Molori star bed (where two children can also join), or at Naledi, an even more back-to-nature star bed experience in the mountains.

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.

If you're a small family or a bunch of friends and want to have a genuine, very exclusive, out-of-Africa experience, then stay at this restored 1905 colonial farmhouse. There are three spacious en suite bedrooms with balconies furnished in early Settlers style, albeit with contemporary enhancements, and you'll have your own tracking and guiding team, plus a dedicated chef. The game-viewing experience is excellent, and you'll have memorable moments sitting around a blazing log fire as you swap fireside tales in the evening. Try one of Kwandwe's specialist safaris that range from learning about carnivore research to walking trails and excursions revealing the colorful past of this area, which is steeped in cultural, military, and archaeological history.

Londolozi's largest camp, centered on a thatch A-frame lodge that houses a dining room, sitting areas, and lounge, has been around for more than nine decades and is the very soul and center of Londolozi. Meals are served on a broad wooden deck that juts over the riverbed and under an ancient jackalberry tree. The thatch rondawels, which were the Varty family's original hunting camp, now do duty as a library, a wine cellar, and an interpretive center, where you can listen to history and ecotourism talks—don't miss the Londolozi Leopard presentation. If you're looking for romance, have a private dinner on your verandah and go for a moonlight dip in your own plunge pool. In suites, the pool leads right to the riverbed. All rooms are decorated in African ethnic chic—in creams and browns and with the ubiquitous historic family photographs and documents—and have great bushveld views. Families are welcome (children must be over six), and the fascinating kids' programs should turn any couch potato into an instant wannabe ranger. Then there's the unique Healing House wellness center on-site. This is no typical spa massage parlor, instead offerings include wilderness walking and ancient forms of sound therapy.

Located on more than 7 acres of rolling gardens overlooking the Liesbeek River, Cape Town's oldest hotel—built in and around the 18th-century home of Lady Anne Barnard—boasts comfortable rooms and numerous excellent facilities. Rooms are clean, comfortable, and stylishly decorated in tones of fresh pale green or silver and gray, enjoying either the spectacular views of Table Mountain’s backside or the beautifully landscaped courtyard. With four dining options, friendly service, endless places to sit and enjoy the views, as well as plenty of comfy nooks to tap away on a laptop, this hotel succeeds in keeping both leisure and business travelers happy. Although 15 minutes by car from the city, the hotel is walking distance from plenty of shops and only a five-minute drive from Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden.

In Dutch, welgelegen means "well situated," and this charming boutique hotel in two beautifully restored Victorian mansions is just that: nestled under Table Mountain in a quiet street just minutes away from city attractions. The spacious rooms are all individually and stylishly decorated with a mixture of African chic and romantic whimsy, and many have (at least partial) mountain views. The pretty courtyard (with a small solar-heated plunge pool) and the gorgeous old library are great places to relax after a busy day, and on-site spa treatments are available. With many staff members having been here for well over 10 years, this four-star guesthouse prides itself on giving guests five-star service.

If you can't make it to Kgalagadi, stay a few nights in a three-bedroom chalet or a simple bungalow at this beautiful lodge, owned by the provincial government and situated in the southern Kalahari within the 3,500-hectare (8,650-acre) Witsand Nature Reserve at the foot of the Langberg Mountains. Decent thatch-and-stone accommodations sit in thick bush under large camel-thorn tree, and the lodge blends in well with the reserve, which covers vast white dunes, up to 200 feet high and stretching across an area 9 km (6 miles) long and 4 km (2½ miles) wide. In hot and dry conditions, you can experience "roaring sands"—dunes that produce a deep hum when walked on (as the sand moves, air escapes, producing a vibration). Although not easily seen in their natural state, fulgerites, glassy gray tubes reconstituted from melted silica that was struck by lightning, are on display at the information center, as are 500-year-old ostrich eggs that were buried by Bushmen. The variously sized lodgings sleep between two and six people and have self-catering facilities and outside fire areas; you can rent bicycles and sand dune boards, and there are 4x4 trails to explore, for which a fee is payable.

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 thatch cottages overlook a busy waterhole, and you'll be looked after by the camp's personal ranger, host, butler, and chef. Children are welcome.

If you're looking for an inner-city accommodation that's well priced and far away from the late-night noise of Long Street but close enough to enjoy the nightlife, the Adderley is for you. Each spacious suite has separate sleeping and lounge areas, as well as a fully equipped kitchen. The beds are outfitted in comfy white linens, and only part of the bathroom is fully enclosed, with basin and tub in the bedroom section, and the shower and toilet behind frosted glass. The downstairs restaurant Bowl serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but with so many good cafés and restaurants nearby, you should take advantage of their location and explore when not self-catering. During the day you're in the center of the action, but at night it's very quiet.

Situated in the heart of Hout Bay's shops and restaurants, this classic Cape Dutch edifice decorated in a playful funky African style has been a working hotel since 1871. The 16 rooms are airy and light, successfully melding elegant antiques, modern comforts, and African fabrics and beadwork. Wooden floors, dazzling chandeliers, and free-standing baths in some rooms complete the picture. The bright and creative design aesthetic extends to the hotel's public spaces, including a stylish bar (serving a tapas menu till the wee hours), and a lovely (if dark) lounge area with a cozy fireplace. A spa, pleasant courtyard under ancient oak trees sitting next to a small pool, and two restaurants are all on offer. Just a few minutes' walk from Hout Bay's buzziest restaurant and shopping area (and a popular weekly outdoor market), the hotel also sits next to walking trails up the mountain, and is just a few kilometers from the beginning of Chapman's Peak Drive.

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.