The best hotels in South Africa
In terms of an all-singing all-dancing time travelling escape to the end of the world, with the appealing advantage of no jet-lag, South Africa beats the rest, and the best hotels in South Africa make the journey time worth it. A 12 hour flight from London during winter can deliver you to the southern most tip of Africa in summer, where Cape Town's unique beach, city, mountains trifecta sees it reign supreme as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. From there it's a choose-your-own adventure, where the well-trodden options include road trips around the picturesque Western Cape, tastings in the wine regions or game drives within Kruger National Park – home to the world's first luxury wheelchair-accessible safari.
As a firm favourite for destination weddings and winter sun escapes, the rainbow nation more than delivers when it comes to places to stay. Sometimes the lodges or camps operate at destinations in themselves. For a shortlist of the best, here we round up the best hotels in South Africa. For more game reserve recommendations, see our expert South Africa safari guide.
Editor's picks
- For wine country: Babylonstoren, Cape Winelands
- For beach: The Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa, Cape Town
- For Cape Town: One&Only, Cape Town
More South Africa recommendations
How we choose the best hotels in South Africa
Every hotel on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveller journalist who knows the destination and has stayed at that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider both luxury properties and boutique and lesser-known boltholes that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination. We’re always looking for beautiful design, a great location and warm service – as well as serious sustainability credentials. We update this list regularly as new hotels open and existing ones evolve. Find out more about our editorial standards and how we review hotels. This is our pick of the best hotels in South Africa.
Emma Jude JacksonhotelSterrekopje Healing Farm, Franschhoek
The Dutch partners Nicole Boekhoorn and Fleur Huijskens have created such a thoughtful healing hotel that when guests arrive at the 1693 Cape Dutch farmhouse, their stresses seem magically to leech away. On the partners’ 124-acre farm, named after the nearby Star Hill, natural beauty abounds. There’s a spring-filled dam to swim in; Great Danes and fat pigs to stroke; and 20 acres of gardens designed by Leon Kluge and Nicole Boekhoorn to wander in.
Afternoons are best spent supine in the Bath House spa, floating in a marble bath, being massaged with botanical oils, and joining sound, breathwork, yoga, and meditation sessions. Guests are encouraged to explore activities that make them feel good; that might mean taking cooking lessons, painting in a light-filled barn, reading on a velvet fireside sofa, sitting in wildflowers, or napping in tasteful, antique-filled interiors. Food is tasty and healthy, and the service sunny. For anyone in need of rest, Sterrekopje Farm has become a guiding light – and South Africa’s wellness star. Lisa Grainger
hotelOne&Only, Cape Town
I’m not overly inspired by the front-facing exterior of the One&Only; however, my skepticism is quickly dispelled as I walk into a lobby that can only be described as grand. The sweeping view of Table Mountain is the focal point, not to mention the bespoke carpet designed to represent the topography of the mountain itself. The chitter chatter from the Vista Bar & Lounge creates a warm atmosphere, giving me that final push into holiday mode. We head to the check-in desk, where friendly faces and a chilled rooibos-based beverage greet us.
We stayed in the Marina Table Mountain Room, where the homage to South African culture is abundantly clear. The highlight undoubtedly was the balcony with the view of Table Mountain – we spent the evenings watching cotton-candy clouds float by and the famed tablecloth melt away in the mornings. The interiors were a combination of creamy brown hues punctuated by tasteful art and furniture that complement the environment, creating a serene space to hunker down and relax. The bathroom had (another) freestanding tub sans the view, a rainfall shower and a sizable closet and sink area. I requested a bath ceremony one evening – rose petals were scattered across the water, the scent of bath salts ever-present and a lit candle created the most peaceful after-dinner treat. We made the most of our home-away-from-home, taking advantage of all the little luxuries we discovered within our room. Amber Port
hotelCape Grace, Cape Town
Sitting proudly in its private quay, Cape Grace holds prime real estate on the Cape Town Waterfront. It reopened its doors as a Fairmont hotel in February 2024 after a hefty nine-month renovation, and the result is a modernised aesthetic and a more open, light-filled space that celebrates its Table Mountain views. Bascule Bar & Lounge, the original hotel’s reputable whisky destination, has kept its name, location and buzzy atmosphere, but interiors have been revived, locally sourced artwork now decorates the walls, and an exclusive wine cellar has been added.
There are 112 rooms and suites, each strewn with natural light thanks to expansive French windows and, in some cases, private balconies. Interiors play with texture, and parquet wood floors are spliced with marble panels, bordered with slim gold trims. Carpets are patterned in a contemporary, graphic way and the art on the walls is carefully selected to champion local creatives. As is expected in a hotel of this calibre, the bed is exceptionally pillowy and so vast you could get lost in it. In the main restaurant, expect family-style feasts designed to be shared and enjoyed after a long day of travel. Sommeliers specialising in local produce ensure wine pairings are exquisite and complementary to each meat or fish dish, as well as the flavoursome vegetable sides that simply can’t go unordered. At breakfast, there’s a buffet that surpasses the norm. There's an on-site spa with a salt relaxation room an experience shower, and a small pool with a bar serving casual food and drink by day. Sarah Leigh Bannerman
BabylonstorenhotelBabylonstoren, Cape Winelands
There's an immediate excitement outside the Dutch farmhouse fronting of Babylonstoren, the sister property to The Newt in Somerset. Arriving here feels special in a way that's far-removed from glossy hotel entrances and doormen with shiny white smiles. Find toddlers feeding donkeys and day-trippers leaving the farm shop, arms filled with balsamic vinegar, biltong and bratwurst. Set against a backdrop of red clay landscape and dramatic Simonsberg mountains, the garden doesn’t feel crowded – from a prickly pear maze to a springy chamomile lawn, you could explore for a whole week and spot something new each day.
In the Farmhouse suites, find huge four posters and marble bathrooms, and a short drive in an electric golf buggy takes you to the Fynbos Cottages with glorious vineyard views and a hidden swimming pool. This is where to book if you're travelling as part of a big group. Each house feels private yet part of the hotel, and a sprawling shared kitchen makes self-catered lunches, fuelled by the on-site farm shop, easy breezy. Other experiences include a sunset mountain drive, garden tours, and breathwork sessions in the grounds, as well as walks around the wine museum accompanied by a tasting for adults. Sarah Leigh Bannerman
Melissa BrownhotelLast Word Kitara, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve
The Klaserie Private Nature Reserve was created in 1969 by 50 farm owners who voted to join their properties together, remove the fences along the Kruger National Park, and give wildlife an even bigger area to roam across. For 20 years, the South African mining-equipment magnate Fred Crabbia ran his 3,000-hectare, northwest portion of the nature reserve as his own bush home. In 2019, he partnered with the South African hotel brand Last Word to transform it into a boutique bush hotel. Together, they’ve turned the formerly dark, traditional stone and thatch wilderness home into a comfortable, homely, unpretentious bush base, in a lush, forested area overlooking the Klaserie River, and obtained permission from six neighbouring properties to traverse a total of 7,000 hectares by foot and LandCruiser.
Set either side of a central stone living area sit three stone and thatch cottages, each divided into two spacious suites: four with pretty views from a shaded verandah over the river, two set back in the shaded gardens. The property feels partly like a traditional bush home – with its high thatch-and-pole ceilings and stone walls, dark-wood English-style furniture and bar – and partly like a fresh, contemporary African home, thanks to its Last Word additions of wildlife art and modern ceramics, botanical-print cushions and creamy fabrics. Most of the year, meals can be taken outside beneath an ancient Jackalberry tree – on terraces floored with (rather odd, urban-style) tiles, on a shaded verandah near the small swimming pool or on the soft sandy floor of the boma, where a fire is often lit so guests can enjoy a barbecued meal under the stars. Lisa Grainger
hotelDelaire Graff Estate, Stellenbosch
Wind up the lush oak-lined drive to find a busy dappled restaurant terrace overlooking the striped vines of the Banhoek valley. Friends reunite here from all over the globe and it’s also a favourite lunch spot for Capetonians in the know. The 100-acre Delaire Graff Estate is the vision of British diamond mogul, Laurence Graff. And it’s a hotel as shiny and bright as you’d expect from the man responsible for one of the biggest jewellery empires in the world. Bedrooms are chic without shouting about it. There’s a neutral colour palette, but it’s the art that sets every room apart. Graff’s collection showcases an impressive assortment of contemporary South African pieces with charcoal drawings by William Kentridge that would be worthy of display at The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art in Cape Town. Each lodge has its own pool – 14m long in the case of the presidential suites, and they’re all heated to a very comfortable 28 degrees. This is a hotel that’s ideal for honeymooners wanting to keep themselves to themselves, but also for couples with young children keen to splash around without disturbing the rest of the hotel guests.
Elsa YOUNGhotelSpier Hotel, Stellenbosch
Spier Farm has long lured punters with its range of award-winning wines, immersive art events and picnic experiences. And thanks to a recent transformation from a 155-room convention-focused four-star hotel into an elegant 80-room boutique retreat, it enters the arena as the new star in the Winelands firmament. The Luxury Suites – double the size of the rooms – are the plum choice, particularly the ground-floor units (“Garden”). Aside from size there’s the location – all open onto the riverine vegetation that flanks the Eerste River and come with cosy farm-style kitchenettes.
Dining here is the real-deal farm-to-fork experience. The glass-walled Garden Room, with additional tables overlooking the pool, is where breakfast and lunch are served. Dinner is in plant-filled Veld, with an open-plan kitchen that runs the length of one wall. On the farm itself lies Vadas Smokehouse & Bakery, Bubbles & Braai where casual BBQ meals are on the menu, and the popular Picnickery where you can DIY, or pre-order your basket. Cutlery, blankets and backrests are supplied. Pippa de Bruyn
hotelThe Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa, Cape Town
Waking up to the sound of crashing Atlantic ocean waves, with Cape Town slowly coming to life in the distance, can only be described as mesmerising. Set just off the coastal road between Camps Bay and Llandudno, The Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa is built into its namesake mountain side, affording it quite possible one of the best views of Cape Town. The vistas are equally matched by the brilliant service – after the flight from London, arriving to such a warm welcome cured all long haul blues.
Designed and decorated by the Tollmans, owners of Red Carnation, there's an old-school glamour throughout from the riotous Leopard Bar to the plush rooms with ornate bedheads and breezy balconies. In the evenings, don't miss sundowners on the sprawling terrace at Azure before moving into the boldly blue dining room for freshly shucked West Coast oysters and a hearty main – rack of lamb, pork rib eye or Azure steak. The location may be remote, but this is a hotel you’ll never want to leave. Saffron Altmeyer-Ennis
Future FoundhotelFuture Found Sanctuary, Cape Town
This isn’t a hotel; it’s a passion project. Jim Brett – who spent his career working for brands such as Anthropologie, West Elm, and latterly J.Crew – came to South Africa in 2004 and vowed one day he’d live here. In 2014, he and his partner bought an old family house on the side of Table Mountain and opened the seven-acre Future Found Sanctuary to the public. Even if you’ve booked only a room, there’s enough space for everyone to do pretty much what they want. If you want to lie about by the pool all day and have a salad lunch in your swimsuit, you can. Or, because it’s situated in a centrally located valley from which the vertiginous Chapman’s Peak Drive winds, you can drive to Cape Point, taste wine in the vineyards in nearby Constantia, pack a picnic to take to the nearby boulder-lined beach of Llandudno, or drive 20 minutes into the city. There truly is nowhere else in Cape Town like it: a secure, contemporary villa with a small spa overseen by a professional wellness expert, staffed by warm locals, and surrounded by a huge garden and backed by the mountain. Brett has employed local experts to create the garden, design, and menus – and it shows. Lisa Grainger
hotelMelote House, Lapalala Wilderness
The Lapalala Wilderness is three hours’ drive north of Johannesburg – so within easy access of South Africa’s biggest city – yet it feels a world away. Since a pair of local conservationists started to buy hunting concessions and farms in the 1980s to create a sanctuary for endangered animals, the private nature reserve has grown to over 50,000 hectares, characterised by miles of rolling forested hills, red sandstone cliffs and grassy plains. Within this vast area, though, are only a handful of places to stay: just two private homes (for its main investors) and two lodges for visitors: Noka, a luxury 12-bed tented safari camp atop a cliff, which opened in 2019, and Melote House, which hosted its first guests in January 2024. The USPs of the eight-bedroomed house are not only that it’s in a malaria-free zone – but that it’s private.
Take it over (for a minimum of three nights) and you’re pretty unlikely to see another guest, whether you’re on game drives up steep hills and across golden plains in open-sided, comfortably kitted-out safari vehicles, swimming in fast-moving rivers, floating gently on a boat watching birds, or fishing at sunset on a dam. Because the house comes with two private guides and vehicles, the timetable can be set by guests, who can go out when they want for as long as they want, before returning to luxuriate in the contemporary bush house: to swim or sip cocktails in its two pools, exercise in the open-air, hilltop gym and yoga deck, have massages in the little spa, browse the gift shop or just hang out by the two pools. Because the house is surrounded, at the bottom of the hill, by an electric fence, the Big Five are unlikely to get into the bush property, making it a great place for parties and family gatherings. Lisa Grainger
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hotelWaterside At Royal Malewane
Along with enviable locations and pitch-perfect service, lived-in opulence has become a trademark of the Royal Portfolio’s South African hotel collection. Not too far from where it all began at Royal Malewane 22 years ago, this latest addition to Thornybush – a private game reserve that forms part of the Greater Kruger conservation area – feels more like a private home than a hotel. Owner Liz Biden has gone all out to create lavishly layered spaces where jewel-bright colours enliven everything from rugs to walls, antiques to repurposed junkyard salvages. This is a theatrical, transportive experience that amplifies rather than detracts from the vibrancy of the surrounding bush, which crackles with life deep into the night.
Even the luminous fever trees, towering above the thatched lodge on the water’s edge, look like they’ve been touched up. There are seven suites with one or two bedrooms, as well as a four-bedroom villa – all with solar-heated pools and air-conditioning that runs on solar power and recycled water. A buzzing open-air bar serves cocktails made with local spirits, and a sommelier picks bottles from the wine cellar to enjoy with seasonal menus. There are many reasons to stay in camp, including a library, lap pool, gym, yoga studio and spa, plus a games room geared to children of all ages – but there are also 34,600 acres waiting to be explored by vehicle or on foot. From birding to epic sightings of lion prides and wild dogs, every outing is amplified in the company of experienced guides and trackers who, collectively, have the highest professional qualifications in the business. Jane Broughton
Elsa YounghotelLondolozi, Sabi Sands
Even if you’ve never been, Londolozi exists in the imagination: a sprawling cluster of five thatched-roof safari camps, in varying sizes and shades of taupe and beige, built in an ancient riverine forest around waterfalls and tangled vines. Londolozi has been owned and run by the Varty family for nearly 100 years. The word Londolozi comes from the Zulu language and means “protector of all living things”. Nelson Mandela, who recovered from imprisonment on Robben Island at the family camp, described it as “a dream I cherish for a model of nature preservation in our country”. The camps feel like deeply stylish African homes, layered in natural clay, khaki and sand-coloured linens. Each has its own communal open-air lobby, with plunge pools and various rooms and suites attached. All have wide views across the bush or river, some are wrapped around ancient trees, others flanked by granite rocks. Like on most top-notch safaris, you are fed well here, from the sunrise treats at early morning pre-game drives to the big breakfasts and suppers. The Varty family have been spearheading the emotional wellness trend in Africa, offering multi-day wildlife wellness retreats which involve silent treks and life-coaching sessions. Beyond just a game lodge, Londolozi sees itself as a platform to restore and heal the land. With a jovial family ethos and unbelievable wildlife (you’re pretty much guaranteed to see the waddle of big beasts and furry creatures), this is one of the world’s best safari outposts. Chloe Sachdev
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Andrew MorganhotelLoapi Tented Camp, Tswalu Kalahari Reserve
It’s not often you go on safari and have wildlife sightings all to yourself. Visit the Serengeti or Masai Mara during the great migration, and you’ll see as many land cruisers as wildebeest. At Tswalu, South Africa’s largest privately owned reserve located in the Kalahari, it’s the exact opposite. Here, space and exclusivity are at the core of the property. With limited private flights arriving daily from Johannesburg and Cape Town, and only three accommodation options on the 441-square mile property (which sleeps a total of 40 guests) there’s hardly another soul to be seen. Accommodation comprises six private homes (four one-bedroom, and two two-bedroom) spaced some 100 metres apart. They are standalone houses with private chefs, butlers, trackers and guides. Locally-based GAPP Architects designed the glass, steel and canvas structures to expansively take in the views, which are positively staggering. Set at the base of the Korannaberg mountains, the houses look onto a valley of grassy plains that bleed into distant mountains rising into a cloudless sky. In the rooms, the outdoor shower has desert vistas and the indoor window seat floods with afternoon sun; a perfect nook for a wintery afternoon nap. With your own private chef who cooks in the house’s kitchen (it can be closed off for privacy), meals here are entirely customisable. For sundowners in the veld, the “car-bar” is far from basic – expect sweet potato slices topped with pickled radishes, and gin and sodas with zingy local gin as well as fine Chenin Blancs and Pinot Noirs from all around the Cape Winelands and beyond. Mary Holland
Natural SelectionhotelGweGwe Beach Lodge
Set within a private concession of the Mkambati Nature Reserve, this intimate lodge provides a front-row seat to one of the most unspoiled stretches of the Wild Coast. Guests are miles from civilization yet cosseted with comforts such as wood-burning fires and South Africa’s top wines. A biodiversity hot spot, the area gives guests endless opportunities for adventure, including treks to dramatic waterfalls and kayak excursions to remote gorges. Nine rooms feature deep soaking tubs and private 16-foot pools, both of which afford views of the crashing waves and surfing dolphins. The lodge sits on land owned by local villages, and every stay benefits the community. Jen Murphy
hotelLa Cotte Farm
La Cotte dates back to 1698 when the first of the 11 Huguenot farms was granted to the immigrants who fled France in the 17th century. The restored Cape Dutch homestead is surrounded by ancient oaks and the gatehouse now houses several chickens. White cottages with corrugated iron roofs are dotted around wildflower gardens and rows of vines. Pink-and-white striped cushions give the attractive restaurant veranda some colour and cobalt-striped towels and loungers line the pools.
Each of the orchard cottages has a pool and veranda with garden views. The Manor House rooms form the main hotel with French doors looking to the vines and black-and-white marble chequered bathrooms with freestanding tubs. You'll find gardeners hard at work daily in the kitchen garden – the bounty of which can be seen clearly on the lunchtime menu, as well as at the local soup kitchen; and the rest of which is sold to Franschhoek residents with all proceeds going to the disadvantaged. As the only farm within walking distance of anywhere in Franschhoek's busy main stretch, this feels genuinely private with beautiful views of the surrounding hills. Tabitha Joyce
La Residence, Franschhoek
Part of a portfolio of family-owned boutique properties in exceptional locations – The Silo in Cape Town, Royal Malewane in Greater Kruger, and Birkenhead House on the Hermanus cliffs – La Res offers another sublime setting, this time framing vineyard-clad slopes and the grandeur of the Franschhoek mountains. Lush green lawns are offset by the vibrant colours favoured by owner Liz Biden, maximalist and perfectionist, who thrives on creating opulent havens: enormous bouquets of roses and porcelain vases under sparkling chandeliers, deep shaded verandas with large Persian rugs, peacocks perched on sofas. Staff are as pampering as the decor – there’s a palpable and infectious joy on arrival, welcomed with the happy deference of a regularly returning VIP.
There is a separate wing for families, but the most recent addition – Franschhoek House, sleeping eight to 12 – is the most luxurious sole-use villa in the Winelands. Wine is a highlight too – aside from respected estate wines, resident sommelier Wayve Kolevsohn has curated a wine list showcasing stellar new-wave South African winemakers, all available by the glass – what better way to tour some of the country’s best wineries than reclined on a La Res pool lounger, drinking in that superlative view. Pippa de Bruyn
