Fodor's Expert Review Royal Hotel

Established in 1873, this hotel dates from the very beginning of the gold rush in Pilgrim's Rest—you'll see its corrugated-iron facade in sepia photos all over town. The hotel is spread out over a number of quaint wood-and-tin buildings, and the 50 rooms have brass four-poster beds, wood ceiling fans, Victorian baths, and marble-and-oak washstands. The Church Bar was formerly a chapel in a Cape Town girls' school, which was dismantled, shipped to Mozambique, and transported to Pilgrim's Rest by ox wagon. The wood-paneled walls, old wooden bar counter, antique cash register, and a fascinating display of photographs depicting early life in the village all add to the convivial gold-rush atmosphere of the bar.