First time safari adventure

Overview

Situated in the heart of the V&A Waterfront, the Cape Grace is one of Cape Town’s most famous luxury hotels in a location perfect for enjoying the restaurants, boutiques and entertainment of this upmarket area. The hotel also has a strong focus on contributing to community upliftment and has various measures in place to improve their water and energy consumption.

Reflecting its location, the décor has a nautical theme and is full of local detail, with antiques and maps adorning the hallways. In a playful touch, sumptuous chandeliers are adorned with unusual items (such as crockery and kitchenware in the Restaurant area). The 112 rooms and suites are spacious, comfortable and elegantly decorated, offering views out to Table Mountain, Signal Hill or the Marina.

For dining, savour South African dishes at the Cape Grace’s restaurant Heirloom, where the unhurried spirit and bountiful terroir of South Africa is celebrated. The Bascule bar draws on the city’s contemporary speakeasy culture, offering an immersive journey into the essence of the Cape with whiskey tastings and carefully crafted cocktails.

The hotel also features a heated pool and outdoor deck, along with a spa on the top floor. Immerse yourself in the serene ambience of the stylish treatment rooms, unwind in the sauna and refresh your senses in the salt room. You can walk straight out into the waterfront area here making it a perennial favourite.

Overview

This historic hotel in colourful Cape Town has just 19 rooms, offering an intimate escape from the neighbourhood’s buzzy streets. It’s all about local artisans here, with artworks, crafts and striking pieces of furniture that create a bold but beautiful maximalist aesthetic. Expect emerald greens and distinctive printed wallpapers, accented with gold trimmings. 

The property is perfectly placed for exploring the restaurants and bars on popular Kloof Street, or for getting outdoors and atop Table Mountain, where views of the city are truly awe-inspiring. There’s plenty of pleasure to be found inside the hotel, too, though, with two prettily tiled swimming pools and a handful of loungers that invite you to laze around in the sun for at least a few hours. 

Food here is served in Upper Union, where a carefully curated menu offers seasonal produce by way of small plates and larger dishes, and the cocktails are a highlight for locals and visitors alike. 

Overview

Ellerman House is a class act throughout. It feels very much like your own home but with top class service befitting a five-star hotel. Perched in one of the most spectacular and privileged settings in Cape Town overlooking Bantry Bay, it is the epitome of comfort and class with a relaxed, elegant style. Decoration is colonial, with a nod to the contemporary and recently refurbished to provide thoroughly modern comforts.

Where Ellerman House excels above others is the excellent house staff, who in these grand surrounds create such a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Taking a (complimentary) evening cocktail from the lounge and strolling out onto the peaceful gardens overlooking the sea for sunset is the perfect end to a day in Cape Town as one feels both special and relaxing.

There are just 11 rooms, two suites and two private contemporary villas. Communal areas include a spacious lounge, large garden area (with outdoor pool) and a huge spa. There is an open kitchen you are invited to visit, a pantry that you can raid as well as the complimentary evening cocktails.

A particular feature of the property is its private art collection. This is simply outstanding, one of the best in South Africa with works from African masters inside the main building and then, underneath is a contemporary gallery. For anyone interested in art this will add an extra element to their stay.

Guests are also able to book Sleep Rooms at Ellerman House. A concept created by wellness expert Harry Jameson, each of the 13 rooms at the property can be converted into wellness rooms specially designed to optimise both sleep and recovery.

Overview

With sweeping views of the Atlantic, Table Mountain as a backdrop, and the buzz of a working harbour, the Victoria and Albert Waterfront is one of Cape Town’s prime locations. It is here that you’ll find The Silo.

The grain silo was the tallest building in Sub-Saharan Africa when it was built in 1924, and the luxury hotel is located in the former elevator tower. The creative brain behind the project is that of prominent British designer and architect Thomas Heatherwick, whose iconic works include the Cauldron for the London 2012 Olympic Games and London’s new Routemaster bus.

The Silo occupies six floors above the Zeitz MOCAA Museum of Contemporary Art Africa. A partnership between the V&A Waterfront and Jochen Zeitz, this cultural institution focuses on exhibiting cutting-edge contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora, with the Zeitz Collection forming its founding exhibition.

Taking its place on Cape Town’s skyline, the hotel is a beacon of modern design. The industrial aesthetics remain with the addition of pillowed glazing panels which bulge outwards as if gently inflated. At night, this transforms the building into a glowing lantern.

Each of the 28 rooms, which include a magnificent penthouse suite, are individually designed and strike the balance between industrial, stylish and comfortable. The creative team have been busy sourcing pieces from Cape Town and across the world, to ensure each room tells its own story without detracting from the natural beauty of the city, which can be seen through the 18-foot windows. Another key feature is the huge grain-shaped atrium carved out of the interior of the grain silos. The art in the hotel is in keeping with the collections in the museum.

Appreciate the 360 degree panoramic views from the restaurant, champagne bar and glass swimming pool located on the rooftop while casting your eye across the ocean, city bowl and mountains. There is also a café, piano bar, spa and fitness centre and when you want to go exploring, the Waterfront itself offers a wealth of shops, restaurants and bars.

Overview

In the eastern sector of the Mosi Oa Tunya National Park and about 12 kilometres from Victoria Falls, Wilderness Toka Leya gets immediate and fantastic views over the Zambezi River, and taking advantage of these are its twelve tented rooms.

Each comes with a large decking area at the front leading out from large glass sliding doors, behind which is your large stylish open plan lounge area and bedroom.

The camp’s main area is situated on a large decking area, and underneath a canopy of trees right beside the main channel of the Zambezi River. Perfect for atmospheric campfires on the bank and spotting the resident wildlife.

Here there is also a very spacious open-plan lounge and dining room, set beneath an enormous canvas roof and with open sides to maximise the views. The wall at the back of the living area is a really great feature; it’s made of “log tiles”, which gives the room a very natural feel.

Each tent has its very own solar panel, water geyser and batteries in keeping with the camp’s aim to lessen its environmental footprint.

Overview

Set within the pristine Matetsi Private Game Reserve along an exclusive 15km (9 mile) stretch of the Zambezi River a little upstream from Mosi-oa-Tunya, Matetsi River Lodge perfectly combines fine safari with easy access to the thrills and adventure of Victoria Falls. The River Lodge comprises of two intimate camps of just nine suites each, including two family suites. All the suites are modern yet of the vernacular, with clean lines softened by local craft pieces and repurposed materials. En suite bathrooms boast indoor and outdoor showers as well as a deep bath which looks out over the Zambezi. A private veranda offers a refreshing plunge pool and a peaceful sitting area that overlooks the river. At the heart of each camp is a communal area with a variety of dining spaces, an interactive kitchen, convivial bar area and an al fresco area that encircles a blazing fire bowl, all with unifying theme of a wood and copper, the ‘red gold’ of the country’s historical mining industry.

There’s also a large central pool, massage sala, fitness centre and wine cellar. For the utmost privacy, Matetsi River House is an exclusive use villa with four bedrooms, its own kitchen, dining areas, pool and a complement of staff, including a dedicated guide, private vehicle, chef and butler, ensuring a tailor-made safari unlike any other. The 50,000ha (124,000 acre) private reserve is home to large herds of elephant and buffalo as well as an assortment of plains game and predators including kudu, sable and roan antelope, hippo, lion, leopard, African wild dog, spotted hyena, and 366 bird species.

Explore the concession on expertly guided game drives, horseback safaris and bush walks, or head out onto the water on canoeing excursions, fishing trips and sunset river cruises. You can also discover Victoria Falls and the famous adventure activities that surround it such as white water rafting, bungee jumping, scenic flights and zip lining.

Overview

As the first lodge to be built in the Zambezi National Park, this property has certainly nabbed one of the best positions, so close to the Falls that you can even see the spray billowing into the sky in the near distance.

With thirteen vast tented chalets with contemporary style twists and modern amenities, you awake with folding back your canvas door, strolling onto your private wooden terrace, to be greeted by wild nature and sublime river views. Five of these feature a children’s room and all are to feature their own plunge pools out on private decks overlooking the Zambezi.

Activities from the lodge include game drives and walking safaris into the national park, river cruises, canoeing, fishing and birding. On request, the more adventurous can try activities that Victoria Falls is renowned for – white water rafting, bungee jumping and flights over the falls.

Overview

Wilderness Linkwasha Camp lies in the south-eastern corner of the legendary Hwange National Park, on a private concession close to the famed Ngamo Plains, offering excellent year-round game viewing that peaks during the summer months. Though Hwange is Zimbabwe’s most popular national park, Linkwasha’s private concessions means that guests will never see another game vehicle except those from the camp.

A completely new camp, built from the ground up on the footprint of the old Linkwasha, the fresh, open and airy design is complemented by an eclectic mix of contemporary interiors with the original spirit and essence of safari.

Eight en-suite luxury tents and one family tent overlook the waterhole, with the communal areas, including a pool area and a winter lounge complete with library, enjoying the same view.

If you want to get even closer to nature, spend a night on Wilderness Linkwasha’s Star Bed, located on a raised platform a short drive from the main camp with nothing but a mosquito net between you and the wild. Overlooking Scott’s Pan, a favourite drinking spot for game, you can be assured of incredible sightings and a guide will be set up a short distance away should you need any assistance during the night.

Wildlife frequently encountered in this area includes lion, large herds of elephant, buffalo, leopard, spotted hyena, giraffe, sable, blue wildebeest, impala, waterbuck and reedbuck. In summer, wildebeest, zebra and eland are found in abundance on the open plains, while in winter elephant congregate in enormous numbers around the waterholes. Typically for Zimbabwe, birdlife in the area is prolific with over 400 species recorded.

Aside from day and evening game drives, the bush can be explored on foot and respectful visits to a local village can also be organised.

Overview

Somalisa Camp is located within a private concession in the heart of Hwange National Park. Nestled on an acacia island on the edge of an ancient seasonal flood plain, the camp is the perfect place from which to witness the huge elephant herds for which this area is famous.

The camp consists of seven luxury tents with gauze sliding doors and plush furnishings. There is a glass wood burning stove for chilly evenings and floor fans for hot summer days. There is a freestanding copper bath tub in each tent, as well as indoor and outdoor showers and a flush toilet.

The main camp decking area is home to a lounge and dining area and a small splash pool that overlooks a natural watering home, known as elephant pool. The camp is powered by solar and has a sewage purifying system which means it can recyle 80% of its water.

Overview

One of the few camps in this, the Park’s 31,000 hectare Makalolo concession, Wilderness Little Makalolo also affords a fantastic position in front of a busy waterhole, which is often surrounded by a wide variety of fascinating game life and African birds.

The camp is small and intimate, with only six chalets, each of which has been decorated with a combination of wooden and brass furnishings. Built in the shade of large teak trees, the walls are made of gauze to allow for plenty of air to flow through for a pleasant night’s sleep. Each of the tents also comes with an en-suite bathroom, with indoor and outdoor shower facilities and his and hers copper sinks.

The camp’s pool offers a great place to relax and cool off, there is also an elevated decking area where guests can sit and enjoy a sundowner, while looking out at the wildlife surrounding the popular watering hole.