A collection of the very best stays in South Africa to add to your travel bucket list. Extraordinary places that are super luxurious and heavy on conservation.
This is, without a doubt, the ultimate book for those who love to travel – actual or armchair – around our country. A collection of the most extraordinary hotels, lodges and retreats that are not only super luxurious, but also have a commitment to the environment and community … showing how exceptional hospitality can coexist with conservation efforts. South Africa’s Best Stays – Featuring a Selection of the Most Spectacular and Sustainable Stays in South Africa is page after page of glorious images, Ardmore artworks, and enticing descriptions of destinations from Mpumalanga and Limpopo to the Western Cape, via Gauteng and the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and North West, the Northern and Eastern Cape.

Destinations around the corner from your hometown, and others across the country worth travelling for. Whether your fancy is to track rhinos on foot, dine on farm-to-table cuisine under the stars, birdwatch, take a sunrise stroll along the beach, indulge in luxurious spa treatments … you’ll find the best options available in this hefty 400-plus-page coffee table tome, which was put together in collaboration with Steadfast Africa and Trips To Earth Luxury Traveller Club. HPH Publishing, R2500 from hphpublishing.co.za

Marvel at … Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge, set in the Sabi Sands region of the Greater Kruger National Park, it has a hidden entrance passage and is tucked into a gentle slope of natural grasslands, blending effortlessly with the landscape, and remaining hidden from even the wildlife that often venture through, or around the lodge. It’s a living gallery of the senses … all graceful curves, interplay of light, and rich natural textures which create a soothing harmony that echoes the beauty of the landscape itself.

Surely the most recognisable destination in the country … the Oyster Box Hotel is legendary. Timeless elegance, coastal beauty, it’s a regal gem that sits on the Indian Ocean coastline, with the iconic red and white Umhlanga Lighthouse standing sentinel beside it. Breathtaking sea views, manicured lawns, verdant tropical gardens.

Discover … deep in the heart of the Greater Kruger bushveld, The Royal Portfolio’s Africa House is an exclusive-use safari villa that epitomises both contemporary luxury and wild African beauty.

Costal treasures … Birkenhead House sits spectacularly atop a dramatic cliff on the outskirts of Hermanus … it’s all luxury surrounded by rugged cliffs, rolling waves, Cape fynbos.

Explore … Fairlawns Boutique Hotel and Spa in Morningside Manor in Sandton – once the private residence of the Oppenheimers – is a tranquil, urban sanctuary surrounded by lush landscaped gardens.

