Best Hotels & Lodges

The stylish, intimate and comfortable Akademie Street Boutique Hotel and Guesthouse is situated on a leafy road in Franschhoek, one of the most stunning valleys in the world, and the food and wine capital of South Africa. With just six unique cottages and suites set on a beautiful property, you can be assured of personalised service from the family-owned and managed, five-star, luxury guest house and boutique hotel, rated the best small hotel and the best luxury hotel in the world on Tripadvisor.com. This is the ideal place to relax in luxury, while still enjoying the home-away-from home feeling.

The southern Sabi Sand is leopard country, and very little stands between it and the Kruger (the borders here are unfenced, so the animals wander as they please). On the banks of the seasonal Sand River sits Umkumbe Safari Lodge Riverside, an owner-run camp that does something rare: it keeps the price sensible without skimping on the game. Elephants, buffalo and hippo amble past camp between drives, often while you're mid-length in the pool. Although, a tripwire keeps the larger visitors at a polite distance so parents can rest easy. It's honest, unshowy, and right in the thick of it.

Located in its own private conservancy just one kilometre from Kenya's famous Masai Mara Reserve, Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp was created by Calvin and Louise Cottar in the mid-1990s. You're in the hands of experts – the owners are the fifth generation of a family recognised as the oldest established and continuing safari family in Africa. So you'll experience the perfect combination of adventure, adrenalin and comfort. The plains are alive with animals, the Masai guides are gold-star professionals, the tented rooms offer relaxation in luxurious style and the food is fresh and fabulous.

The owners of popular Bayete Guest Lodge, set in a quiet neighbourhood outside the town of Victoria Falls, have opened a sister lodge called PheZulu. It's a vibrant retreat with a tranquil atmosphere and, like Bayete, lies just three kilometres from the falls and all the action they bring. The best way to take on this imposing icon is to strike at it from many sides, experiencing everything from rapturous (and damp!) views to adrenalin-pulsing pursuits in the gorge. You must visit Vic Falls at least once in your life and PheZulu is the perfect base to catch your breath again.

Set inside the world famous Laikipia Plateau at the foot of Mount Kenya, Enasoit House is located in the Enasoit Private Game Sanctuary, part of the Laikipia Conservation Project in which ranches and communities work together to preserve essential wildlife corridors. Previously a private home (built specifically for catering for lots of friends - lots!), the house itself is warm, welcoming and totally bohemian, and can sleep up to 12 guests in the charming tented cottages plus a further two in the Pool House. As a guest, the 4500 acre private game sanctuary is yours to explore on day and night game drives, guided walks, horse safaris and even helicopter trips. A fabulous experience if ever we saw one!

Kichakani Serengeti Camp is a new addition to the Tanzanian luxury safari circuit. The elegant camp operates on a mobile basis, following the wildebeest migration across three locations in the Serengeti as the herds thunder from north to south. Each location has been carefully selected to coincide with the million-strong herds of beasties, offering front-row viewing of the incredible spectacle. The camp itself is a blend of vintage, explorer-style nostalgia and contemporary flair, and even better, the whole construction is totally eco-friendly, leaving not a trace on the landscape when the tents are picked up and rebuilt in the next spot.

Surrounded by sandy beaches, tropical gardens and crystal waters, the Hilton Northolme Resort & Spa is a secluded hideaway on the northwest coast of Mahe Island, and the setting for a stunning escape in the Seychelles. The smallest of all the Hilton properties with only 39 rooms, each of the exclusive villas is perched on stilts with views over the dazzling Beau Vallon Bay and magical Silhouette Island. Rumour has it that the stunning retreat was Ian Fleming's inspiration for Bond film 'For Your Eyes Only' - and if you fancy it, the Ian Fleming Suite is worth every last penny!

Maison Chablis is a serene Georgian-style guesthouse, well-situated only a block from Franschhoek high street’s stylish boutiques, many of the region's award-winning restaurants, and the ever popular wine tram. If you're looking for some serious R&R, the Maison caters for that too, and you'll enjoy the pretty garden and peaceful swimming pool area. It's also an extremely well-priced abode for the exclusive Cape Winelands area, but standards are as high as they should be and the overall experience, top-notch.