Must-see hotels in South Africa

  • Morgan Bay Hotel

    The Wild Coast

    This local landmark perched directly over the beachfront provides an excellent level of comfort and service. The sun-filled rooms boast pristine bathrooms…

  • Kruger View Backpackers

    Mpumalanga

    This quiet backpackers, 10km from Kruger's Crocodile Bridge gate, has a spacious lounge, terrace and watchtower gazing at the park across the river, where…

  • African Dawn

    Northern Cape

    Set in a pretty garden, this is a peaceful place on the edge of town with just three rooms. Each is decked out in calming, neutral shades with paintings…

  • Ascot Hotel

    Johannesburg

    This is a stylish small hotel with a red-roped lobby entrance, a sumptuous bar, and friendly management. The sense of affordable prestige suits the suburb…

  • De Waterkant House

    Cape Town

    This pleasant B&B, in a renovated Cape Georgian house, comes with a tiny plunge pool for hot summers and a lounge fireplace for chilly winters.

  • Elephant Plains Game Lodge

    Kruger National Park

    In the north of Sabi Sand, Elephant Plains has some of the lowest prices in the reserve. The rondavels and suites are handsomely turned out and more than…

  • The Historic Pig & Whistle Inn

    Sunshine Coast

    The charmingly old-world hotel, dating from 1832, offers excellent rooms, some with free-standing bath, honey-coloured parquet flooring and period…

  • Cape Dutch Quarter

    Winelands

    There is a variety of accommodation on offer here, from simple apartments (two people R650) to more luxurious self-catering houses (four people R1600) and…

  • White Clay

    The Wild Coast

    Around the headland en route to Hole in the Wall, White Clay boasts an adorable setting on a hillside with stupendous ocean views. It comprises standard…

  • 40 on Burg

    Cape Town

    If you want to be in the thick of Cape Town's dining, drinking and shopping scenes, 40 on Burg has a marvellous location just off Greenmarket Sq. Based in…

  • Napier House

    Durban

    On a poky little street near the Botanic Gardens, this is an excellent, homey B&B that is terrific value. The former colonial residence has five en-suite…

  • Bed & Breakfast in Hatfield

    Pretoria

    A short amble from the Hatfield Gauteng station, this B&B is the epitome of a refined cocoon, revelling quietly in minimalist lines, soothing colour…

  • Butler House Guesthouse

    Eastern Cape

    If you look at the overall package – lovely, leafy and bird-filled grounds, a pleasant pool, several cosy lounge areas, quiet location and a renovated…

  • Protea Hotel Kimberley

    Northern Cape

    The plush, four-star Protea is the only hotel with Big Hole views – enjoyed from the viewing deck outside the lobby with its magnificent crystal…

  • Chrislin African Lodge

    Sunshine Coast

    Chrislin is set among lawns, trees and aloes on a former citrus farm. The lodge offers thatched huts with stylish African decor and heat-banishing walls…

  • Wanderlust Adventures

    Sunshine Coast

    Finally, Port Alfred has produced a great backpackers with plenty of atmosphere. Opened in late 2016, this establishment efficiently run by a friendly…

  • The Beach Hotel

    Port Elizabeth

    This friendly, efficiently-run four-star hotel occupying an exquisite 1920s building is well positioned opposite Hobie Beach and next to the Boardwalk…

  • Tsitsikamma Backpackers

    Eastern Cape

    The faux log-cabin facade aside, a stay here feels like bedding down in a clean suburban home. Spick-and-span rooms are decorated with colourful…

  • Khula's Cottage

    Limpopo

    Inside the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, Khula's Cottage has two twin rooms, a double room and a fine terrace overlooking the semi-wild surrounds…

  • Walkerbouts Inn

    Eastern Cape

    Oozing character, Walkerbouts has polished wood floors and cosy rooms with all-important panel heaters and electric blankets. The dining room serves…

  • Cock House

    Sunshine Coast

    Named after William Cock, an enterprising 1820 Settler, and once home to author André Brink, this historic residence with bags of character has nine cosy…

  • Tenahead Mountain Lodge

    Eastern Cape

    This spectacular five-star lodge, perched at 2500m and surrounded by the Drakensberg, Witteberg and Maluti ranges, has seven luxurious rooms with…

  • Sycamore Avenue Tree Houses

    KwaZulu-Natal

    These extraordinary tree houses are functional art at its best: recycled materials, unique carvings, wooden hinges and ingenious artistic touches have…

  • 1322 Backpackers International

    Pretoria

    This hostel is a welcoming retreat, where travellers congregate around a backyard pool and a buzzing little bar. You can stay in neat three- to eight-bed…

  • Away with the Fairies

    Eastern Cape

    Terrific views abound at this offbeat clifftop backpackers where you can take an al fresco bath in the cliff-side tub. It has four- to eight-bed dorms, a…

  • Aa ‘Qtansisi

    Eastern Cape

    Translating as ‘We welcome you’ in Khoe-San (to pronounce the name, drop the ‘Q’), Aa ‘Qtansisi’s seven lavish rooms are inspired by the owner's travels,…

  • Riverside Hotel & Spa

    Durban

    It’s hard to miss this white behemoth just over the Umgeni River on the right-hand side. The pool area has a sprawling LA vibe and the rooms offer all the…

  • Fairy Knowe Backpackers

    Garden Route

    Set in leafy grounds overlooking the Touws River, this long-running hostel is based in a 19th-century farmhouse. The bar is in another building some…

  • Augrabies Falls Lodge & Camp

    Northern Cape

    One of a number of sleeping options on the road to the park (8.5km from the park gate), this 1950s building has a modernised interior that is adorned with…

  • Blue Sky Mining Backpackers & Lodge

    KwaZulu-Natal

    Just uphill from the coastal shopping strip, and overlooking the water with magnificent views, Blue Sky can organise a lot of beach- and water-based…

  • De Charmoy Riverside

    Durban

    Clean, modern design in beautiful surrounds is the style at De Charmoy Riverside. There are six rooms in an airy house with a small pool area, tucked away…

  • Lukimbi Safari Lodge

    Kruger National Park

    Within Kruger's 150-sq-km Lukimbi private concession, this attractive lodge and its 16 thatched-roof suites are all perched on the bank of the Lwakhale…

  • Jungle Monkey

    The Wild Coast

    Music booms through the trees as you approach this casual hang-out, with its desert-island bar-restaurant overlooking the pool. Rooms are colourful and…

  • Fundudzi African Ivory Route Camp

    Limpopo

    Located 25km northwest of Thohoyandou, and gazing across two tea plantations from its 1400m-high perch, is a branch of this community-run network, which…

  • Liz at Lancaster

    Johannesburg

    It's pure pleasure to walk into this modern oasis after a day's sightseeing. The bathrooms are beautifully kept, the rooms are well appointed and…

  • Rocky Road

    Western Cape

    Rocky Road is like an enchanted clearing in the wood. Swing chairs, a donkey-boiler hot tub and offbeat bathrooms are scattered on the fringes of…

  • 131 Herbert Baker

    Pretoria

    A hotel with style, this venture strikes a perfect balance between sophistication, seclusion and privacy (there are only eight rooms), on a hillside south…

  • Gorgeous George

    Cape Town

    Respected local artist David Brits has put his stamp on the decor here, with some rooms sporting murals inspired by the hotel's city centre surrounds. The…

  • Honeyguide Khoka Moya

    Kruger National Park

    Khoka Moya has 15 permanent safari tents spread out along an elevated boardwalk in the bush. Each has sitting area, covered deck, polished-cement floors…

    • placement: fullWidth
    • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
    • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
    • targeting:
      {
        "position": "superzone"
      }

More destinations you need to see