Best Hotels & Lodges

Referred to as the ‘place of plenty,’ this intimate tented camp is situated on Chief’s Island, within the Moremi reserve, in northern Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Little Mombo is essentially a smaller, more private neighbour to its larger sister camp, Mombo, and is known for top notch hospitality and guiding. The Mombo concession is renowned for offering some of the best big game viewing in all of Africa. Both camps are also eco friendly, solar-powered, and involved in a number of conservation projects including the reintroduction of the black and white rhino.

Set in an arboreal glen in the bustling seaside suburb of Camps Bay, Camps Bay Retreat offers a collection of different suites and rooms around the beautiful grounds. A historic manor house built in 1929 is at the heart of estate; externally, the architecture is grand and impressive, and internally, the classic décor will make you feel as if you’ve stumbled into an 18th-century explorers lounge. Accommodation-wise, choose from the classic rooms in the house itself, or one of the more modern suites in the Deck House. And then all that’s left to do is lounge in the garden, stroll to the beach or play a lazy game of tennis...

This relatively small tented camp is situated on Hunda Island, the largest island in the Jao reserve, on the western side of the Okavango Delta. While its sister camps Little Tubu, Kwetsani, Jacana and Jao, are more wetland focused, Tubu offers some of the best dryland viewing in the area. The camp has its own airstrip, which adds to the sense of exclusivity. Its surrounding forests are a great space to see leopard, while its other areas offer a consistent variety of typical large and small Delta game.

With a steadfast reputation as one of Botswana’s best safari camps, the luxuriously exclusive and award-winning Chief’s Camp, an A&K Sanctuary has recently been rebuilt to incorporate top notch amenities, whilst offering an authentic safari experience. Situated in the Mombo Concession of the renowned Moremi Game Reserve, one of Chief’s Camp's principal draws is the opportunity to observe vast numbers of wildlife in this rich ecosystem, year-round, accompanied by expert guides. The camp’s design allows for maximum comfort and privacy; the layout is spacious, lending wonderful views from all angles, whilst the attention to detail is impeccable. Truly, a first class experience.

The Alphen is an elegant boutique hotel in Cape Town's historic Constantia Valley, one of the oldest and most renowned wine producing regions in the Cape. With a history dating back to its origins as a wine farm in the early seventeenth century, this beautiful hotel still has a timeless Cape Dutch feel, with a modern designer edge and exceptional facilities. Accommodation consists of 19 plush suites in glorious park-like grounds, and the three restaurant are simply fabulous, as are the eateries in the surrounding vineyards. In fact, you might not even have enough time to try them all!

Hotels at Cape Town’s world-famous V&A Waterfront tend to be of the large and sprawling variety. Nothing wrong with that, but sometimes you just want some peace and quiet… Enter the Dock House, a rather splendid boutique hotel with just six uber-luxurious rooms. Restored by interiors guru Francois du Plessis, the pretty Victorian house is cool, creamy and very contemporary and the whole glamorous picture is completed by dazzling postcard-perfect views; the vibrant harbour to the front and Table Mountain and Lions Head behind. And the best bit? Some of the city’s best shopping, wining and dining is a mere stroll from the front door.

(Currently closed) Situated just outside the Masai Mara, overlooking the Njageteck River in the private Mara North Conservancy, Richard's River Camp is an intimate, seven-bedroom camp dedicated to the preservation of the natural beauty of the area. Originally the Robert family's 'home away from home' in the Mara, the camp is now run by Richard Robert and his wife Liz, and much of the casually luxurious style is down to the bits and bobs that Liz has collected on her travels over the years. Climb into one of the hanging baskets outside your tent, and watch the sun rise and fall over the iconic Mara landscape - this place will feel like the home you always dreamt of.

Located on the sloping hills of the central Serengeti, and overlooking the Moru Kopjes, is Serengeti Pioneer Camp. All 12 of the canvas tents are reminiscent of the early pioneers and the glamour of 1930s safaris, but furnished with modern and fully-functional luxuries. It is across the great Serengeti plains that the wildebeest of the Great Migration roam, and the members of the Big Five lurk in the bushes and among the kopjes - spot them from the comfort of your tent, on a game drive, or even from the high reaches of a hot-air balloon safari.