South Africa

12 Hip Hotels in South Africa

The staggeringly beautiful landscapes, fine wine & dining, and the opportunity to encounter the country’s magnificent animals in the wild – South Africa holidays has it all.

Contact our Travel Gurus for inspiration and advice on luxury hotels in South Africa.

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  1. 15 on Orange

    Cape Town, South Africa

    Design hotel with a destination bar at the foot of Table Mountain.

    Photos of 15 on Orange

    • Design hotel with a destination bar at the foot of Table Mountain.
    • Design hotel with a destination bar at the foot of Table Mountain.
    • It’s all about the views of the city’s icons.
    • Murano Bar would be at home in Vegas.
    • Savour restaurant.

    Prices from:

    £1,199 per person

    Read more details about 15 on Orange

  2. African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel

    Johannesburg, South Africa

    An exclusive urban boutique hotel experience, Melrose Arch is a very stylish hotel.

    Photos of African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel

    • An exclusive urban boutique hotel experience, Melrose Arch is a very stylish hotel with all the facilities and amenities any business traveller could want.
    • An exclusive urban boutique hotel experience, Melrose Arch is a very stylish hotel with all the facilities and amenities any business traveller could want.
    • The rooms do a great job of blending modernity, saturated colours, indigenous textures and finishes and luxury- each being sleek and stylish and equipped to the nines.
    • The Library Lounge on the ground floor is open 24 hours
    • March is a fusion restaurant that spans the globe in terms of taste sensations- a truly sensual dining experience.

    Prices from:

    £2,279 per person

    Read more details about African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel

  3. Birkenhead House Hotel

    Hermanus, South Africa

    It’s easy to see why people and whales are attracted to the place. Hermanus is a huge natural bay with rolling surf, big beaches, grassy dunes and the odd chunk of volcanic rock standing guard, sticking out of the sand. Birkenhead House has, without a doubt, the best location on the entire beach. Not surprisingly, this hotel started life as a beach house. Originally, it was Liz Biden’s family home in Hermanus. “Personally, I can’t imagine ever giving up a house such as this to be converted to a hotel, but I am certainly grateful that they did”

    Situated at the edge of the surf, it’s the beach hotel of your dreams; warm, welcoming, stylish, with dramatic views all around.

    Photos of Birkenhead House

    • Situated at the edge of the surf, it’s the beach house of your dreams; warm, welcoming, stylish, with dramatic views all around.
    • Situated at the edge of the surf, it’s the beach house of your dreams; warm, welcoming, stylish, with dramatic views all around.
    • Individually decorated luxurious rooms enjoy either sea or mountain views.
    • Warm, welcoming and stylish
    • Stylish, with dramatic views all around

    Prices from:

    £1,725 per person

    Read more details about Birkenhead House

  4. This is a chic, bohemian bolthole that feels like an elegant home from home.

    Photos of Cape Cadogan Boutique Hotel & More Quarters Luxury Apartments

    • A bohemian bolthole in a historic building on Kloof Street, the most fashionable address in town.
    • A bohemian bolthole in a historic building on Kloof Street, the most fashionable address in town.
    • Designed by David Strauss, the look of the rooms in the hotel, the apartments and the villa is a result of an eclectic mix of contemporary and antique.
    • There is a lounge and a library, and plenty of great bars on Kloof Street.
    • Breakfast is served in the breakfast room, all other meals you have to find for yourself, which on Kloof Street is a cinch.

    Prices from:

    £1,049 per person

    Hip List Member Extra £150 Resort credits (Book by 31 March, travel by July).

    Read more details about Cape Cadogan Boutique Hotel & More Quarters Luxury Apartments

  5. Chitwa Chitwa

    Kruger Park, South Africa

    On the banks of one of the largest lakes in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve lies one of the most luxurious private lodges in South Africa, Chitwa Chitwa.

    Photos of Chitwa Chitwa

    • Luxury lodge with main central area, private house and individual chalet suites.
    • Luxury lodge with main central area, private house and individual chalet suites.
    • Chic and stylish decor designed to compliment the natural environment and provide the ultimate in safari comforts.
    • Breakfast, lunch and evening meal served at the lodge either inside or out.
    • Private plunge pools and a central rim-flow swimming pool surrounded by comfy day beds.

    Prices from:

    £2,349 per person

    Read more details about Chitwa Chitwa

  6. Contemporary Africa at its very best; design, arts, woodcraft, fine food and home grown wines are artfully blended into this natural setting for a luxury adventure of the highest order.

    Photos of Earth Lodge, Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve

    • Contemporary Africa at its very best; blending, design, fine dining and the wild bush into a luxury adventure of the highest order.
    • Contemporary Africa at its very best; blending, design, fine dining and the wild bush into a luxury adventure of the highest order.
    • Spacious, beautiful, earthy with private garden and plunge pool
    • Every day, you can chose your accompaniment from the wine cellar and feast on a 5 course chef’s menu
    • The southern area of Sabi Sands, a game reserve bordered with Kruger and home to a flourishing population of African flora and fauna.

    Prices from:

    £2,699 per person

    Hip List Member Extra Bottle of wine on arrival

    Read more details about Earth Lodge, Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve

  7. Ellerman House

    Cape Town, South Africa

    Ellerman House in Bantry Bay combines magnificent sea views with refined elegance and hedonistic luxury.

    Photos of Ellerman House

    • Magnificent sea views combined with refined elegance and hedonistic luxury
    • Magnificent sea views combined with refined elegance and hedonistic luxury
    • Most of the 11 rooms and 1 villa are sea facing with dimensions that one would expect from a Cape Town Edwardian mansion.
    • Shaded verandas overlooking the Atlantic and Robben Island.
    • Ellerman serves sublime food on the outdoor terrace overlooking the Atlantic and Robben Island.

    Prices from:

    £1,799 per person

    Hip List Member Extra Room upgrade subject to availability plus a personal art tour of the hotel with champagne and canapes

    Read more details about Ellerman House

  8. Le Quartier Français

    Franschhoek Valley, South Africa

    Take your senses on an invigorating rollercoaster ride of taste and colour as you experience luxurious living in South Africa’s vineyard festooned Western Cape.

    Photos of Le Quartier Français

    • Luxury boutique ‘foodie’ hotel consisting of well-appointed suites and rooms set around courtyard and pool. Separate cottage with garden is perfect for families.
    • Luxury boutique ‘foodie’ hotel consisting of well-appointed suites and rooms set around courtyard and pool. Separate cottage with garden is perfect for families.
    • A choice of suites and rooms all of which are spacious, individually styled and thoroughly luxurious.
    • Wine tasting tours, the Bread & Wine Vineyard Restaurant and a fabulous selection to accompany your meals.
    • Wow! Award-winning fine dining in the Tasting Room, small plate gourmet snacks in the Common Room and rustic treats in the Bread & Vineyard Restaurant.

    Prices from:

    £1,370 per person

    Read more details about Le Quartier Français

  9. Lion Sands

    Sabi Sand, South Africa

    The story of Lion Sands is like something from Out of Africa – an American fortune hunter stumbled across the untouched beauty of the Kingstown Estate in the early 1900s and the property has not left the family since.

    Photos of Lion Sands

    • A private and exclusive game reserve on a property bordering Kruger National Park that has been in the same family for four generations.
    • A private and exclusive game reserve on a property bordering Kruger National Park that has been in the same family for four generations.
    • Old world charm with a contemporary Afro-Euro chic twist.
    • Ivory Lodge has a private bar with a fireplace, the 1933 Lodge is a private, family affair where drinks are served on the wooden deck.
    • Dinner is in a boma under the stars, or in an indoor dining area with a view of the flowing river.

    Prices from:

    £3,275 per person

    Read more details about Lion Sands

  10. One & Only Cape Town

    Cape Town, South Africa

    Cape Town is without question one of the most charismatic cities in the world. It is blessed with dramatic geography, surrounded by white sandy beaches, pounded by blue water surf, and it sits under the looming presence of Table Mountain. Like Sydney and Rio, it is one of the few cities that is able to combine a beach culture with the trappings of a cosmopolitan metropolis.

    At One&Only Cape Town, you get views of Table Mountain and the benefit of being right on the waterfront. Guests can choose between the urban or escape options that this collection of suites puts on offer and with acclaimed restaurants, One&Only Spa and a bar with a real buzz, the resort adds to the excitement of this city in a sophisticated way.

    Situated on the waterfront in Cape Town’s picturesque Victoria & Alfred docks this contemporary urban resort combines the signature style of a One&Only retreat with the convenience of being in the heart of one of Africa’s most vibrant cities.

    Photos of One&Only Cape Town

    • A sleek and stylish contemporary collection of suites and apartments in the historic heart of Cape Town.
    • A sleek and stylish contemporary collection of suites and apartments in the historic heart of Cape Town.
    • African woods and contemporary artwork by local artists in a palate of muted tones that recall Africa’s savannahs.
    • The Vista Bar is exactly that, a spectacular eight-metre-high wall of glass framing a stunning view of Table Mountain.
    • Two big-name restaurants, Nobu Matsuhisa’s ‘Nobu’ and Reuben Riffel’s ‘Reuben’s’

    Prices from:

    £1,499 per person

    Read more details about One&Only Cape Town

  11. Phantom Forest

    Knysna, South Africa

    With a name like Phantom Forest, this is not going to be your average South African hotel. Situated in the heart of the Garden Route, guests are accommodated in treehouses, and the inspiration for this 137 hectare nature reserve is to offer guests a chance to experience the unique biodiversity of the Forest. Drawing inspiration from this unique setting, the ingredients of the camp, from the ragged thatch of forest canopy to freshwater nature pools, furniture, roofs and boardwalks, were all made in a sustainable way from cleared, alien vegetation. Meandering boardwalks snake through the trees leading to magical places such as the private ‘tree-suites’ (which come in Classic, Upper or Moroccan varieties), the Body Boma spa, the Eyrie bar lounge with superb views, the award-winning Boma restaurant and the north African inspired Chutzpah.

    A magic world of romantic eco-sensitive treehouses nestled in the wooded magnificence of the Afromontane Forest, on the edge of the exotic Knysna lagoon.

    Photos of Phantom Forest

    • A magic world of romantic eco-sensitive treehouses nestled in the wooded magnificence of the Afromontane Forest, on the edge of the exotic Knysna lagoon.
    • A magic world of romantic eco-sensitive treehouses nestled in the wooded magnificence of the Afromontane Forest, on the edge of the exotic Knysna lagoon.
    • Not a room but a private treehouse with luxury bathroom overlooking the forest.
    • The Bar is called Eyrie, a place for drinks and spectacular sunsets in summer and pre-dinner cocktails around a log fire in winter.
    • There are two. The Boma is a thatched affair serving cuisine with a local twist, and Chutzpah is Moroccan-inspired setting.

    Prices from:

    £1,365 per person

    Read more details about Phantom Forest

  12. Ulusaba Rock Lodge

    Sabi Sand, South Africa

    Special Offer

    Ulusaba is a once in a lifetime experience, (although you'll want to go twice!)

    Photos of Ulusaba

    • Rock Lodge is perched high on the summit of a koppie and provides panoramic views over miles of bush, the wildlife roaming within and the beauty of the lowveld below.
    • Rock Lodge is perched high on the summit of a koppie and provides panoramic views over miles of bush, the wildlife roaming within and the beauty of the lowveld below.
    • The Makwela Suite is named after a very special leopard who’s territory is around the hills of Rock Lodge. This beautiful suite features a spacious bedroom and lounge area complete with outdoor deck and infinity plunge pool.
    • The Rock Lodge bar is set in front of the large panoramic windows offering incredible views over miles of bush as well as nearby Xikwenga Dam.
    • The contemporary African Safari Lodge Dining Room is built on stilts above the bush overlooking the Mabrak dry riverbed and waterhole, great for spotting passing game.

    Prices from:

    £2,299 per person

    Read more details about Ulusaba

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