Hotels

South Africa

My lists

Alta Bay

Half the story is the location. Alta Bay, though it may sound like a maritime sort of place, finds itself in the upscale suburb of Higgovale, between Cape Town proper and the foot of Table Mountain. Here you’re close enough that the best of the city is within easy reach, yet far enough away (and ...

Cape Grace Hotel

Right in the heart of the city, and yet removed, constructed on a quay at the Victoria and Albert waterfront, the Cape Grace Hotel is equally well positioned to take advantage of the views (of the harbor, the marina, and Table Mountain) and of the convenience of a city center location. It’s hard ...

Cape Royale Luxury Hotel And Residence

Rugged colonial romance be damned: this is Cape Town at its most cosmopolitan and sophisticated, a spot of old-world Europe in the south. With Table Mountain behind and the Atlantic in front, Cape Royale couldn’t be in a much more scenic position. And behind that classic, somewhat Parisian-lookin...

Colona Castle Manor House

It’s not much of a castle, really, and not quite a manor house either — but Colona Castle’s name, in any case, puts the right sort of picture in your head. You don’t come to Cape Town for outrageous, cutting-edge design, but for the classic good life — traditional architecture, old-fashioned hosp...

Ellerman House

Cape Town suffers from no shortage of luxury hotels, that’s for sure. But rare is the degree of historical character on display at Ellerman House. It’s almost a century old now, and looks every bit as old as it is — which, in a business that’s increasingly obsessed with youthful looks and modern ...

Grace In Rosebank

The Grace lives up to its moniker with ease. Situated in the northwestern Jo’burg suburb of Rosebank, it inhabits a gentrified and culturally rich area, full of high-profile businesses, posh shopping malls, restaurants and art galleries – a lively little community where lattes can be sipped al fr...

Hyatt Regency Johannesburg

While foreign visitors know all about South Africa’s colonial-era charms, its mansion-style boutiques and classic old grand hotels, fewer seem to be aware of Johannesburg’s modern side — this is the de facto capital of sub-saharan Africa, and a global style center in its own right. So it should c...

Kensington Place

Just outside Cape Town proper, in Higgovale, a quiet enclave overlooking the city from the foothills of Table Mountain, Kensington Place is about as intimate as they come — just eight suites, in a magazine-ready contemporary-luxe style, with all the bells and whistles, including sprawling king be...

Londolozi Private Game Reserve

Here’s a safari camp that sets out in the direction of high luxury and never looks back. At Londolozi Private Game Reserve it’s about making the bush experience as stylish and comfortable as is humanly possible. To begin with, Londolozi’s physical location is about as auspicious as it gets. It’s ...

Royal Malewane

Some modern luxury safari lodges differentiate themselves by pushing against the boundaries of tradition. Others set themselves apart by pursuing the traditional concept of the safari camp to its logical conclusion. The sublime Royal Malewane, in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, fa...

Saxon

Impossible to imagine, but the Saxon, on the fringes of Johannesburg, was once a private residence — not bad, considering it now sleeps about fifty. And surrounded as it is by a ten-foot wall, it’s about as private as a boutique hotel can get. This is where Nelson Mandela came to work on his auto...

The Marine Hermanus

More than a few seaside resorts offer whale watching excursions. But at the Marine Hermanus, guests need not leave their rooms to watch the spectacle — this stretch of the southern coast of South Africa is a natural playground for the Southern Right Whales that breach near the shore from July to ...

The Plettenberg

Set perched in the rocky headlands above its namesake bay, The Plettenberg’s whitewashed walls house 37 stately rooms and suites that could each play the set to a modern-day Merchant-Ivory film. Though a five-star through and through, it breaks the gilt mold, forgoing decorous opulence in favor o...

The Twelve Apostles Hotel

Think of a luxury hotel in South Africa and your thoughts may run to isolated safari estates, old-world colonial compounds, or opulent waterfront mansions. Rarely, though, would the mind conjure images of boutique elegance, of a smartly designed spot that would look equally at home in Miami Beach...