hand-picked hotels around the world. · browse by destination or travel style.
Africa

Africa Explore our selections.

Mount Nelson

Hotel

Africa, South Africa

From $1,050

Mount Nelson is a hotel at the foot of Table Mountain in Cape Town, painted a soft pink and surrounded by lush gardens, a short walk from Kloof Street and the city centre. It has been welcoming guests for nearly 120 years, and its stone-columned gates were installed in 1925 for a visit from the Prince of Wales. Its 198 rooms and suites are individually decorated, from bright family suites to garden cottages with fireplaces and Venetian mirrors. Afternoon tea on the veranda is a Cape Town tradition. Days can include tennis coaching, yoga, painting classes, a practice round on the golf range or a hike on the mountain trails behind the hotel, and the spa, two heated pools and free kids' club make it easy to stay in. A vintage sidecar can also take guests on guided tours of the city and coast.

Kruger Shalati

Hotel

Africa, South Africa

From $1,000

Kruger Shalati is a hotel set in a restored train, permanently parked on the Selati Bridge above the Sabie River at Skukuza, in South Africa's Kruger National Park. It revives a century-old tradition: in the 1920s, visitors to the park would spend the night in a train on this same bridge. Today, 24 carriages have been turned into suites with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river, and seven more suites sit in a garden on the riverbank. The pool hangs over the side of the bridge, so guests can swim while elephants, hippos and crocodiles pass in the water below. Days follow the rhythm of a safari, with two game drives, all meals and afternoon tea included, and walking safaris and in-room spa treatments can be added.

Shipwreck Lodge

Villa

Africa

From $1,850

Shipwreck Lodge is the only lodge inside Namibia's Skeleton Coast National Park, the least visited of the country's parks, set among the dunes between the Hoanib and Hoarusib river mouths. Its ten cabins were designed by architect Nina Maritz to look like the wrecked ships scattered along this coastline, and they run on solar power. The coast is cool and often foggy, shaped by the cold Benguela current of the Atlantic. Days include drives along the shore to the wrecks of the Suiderkus and Karimona, game drives into the dry riverbeds to track desert-adapted elephants, and walks and sundowners on the beach. Despite the harsh landscape, the area is home to oryx, springbok, giraffe, Cape fur seals and, occasionally, lions.

Aluna Dakhla

Hotel

Africa, Morocco

From $260

Aluna Dakhla is a 24-room beachfront hotel on the Dakhla peninsula, in Morocco's far south, where the desert meets a long, shallow lagoon about 30 kilometres from town. The lagoon's steady wind and flat water have made it one of the best-known kitesurfing spots in the world, and the hotel sits right on the shore. Days revolve around the water, with kitesurfing, windsurfing, sailing and water skiing, followed by spa treatments and long dinners on the terrace. Breakfast is cooked to order each morning, and the restaurant focuses on fresh seafood from the coast. In the evenings, the sun sets directly over the lagoon, and the nights turn cool enough for a fire.

Al Moudira

Hotel

Africa, Egypt

From $330

Al Moudira is a 54-room hotel on the west bank of the Nile in Luxor, set between desert and farmland, about four kilometres from the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens and the Temple of Hatshepsut. Although it was built in 2001, it looks centuries old, with Moorish arches, domes and courtyards decorated with arabesque details. Each room is individually designed, with stone, tile, gold leaf and antique furniture. Life revolves around the central courtyard and the palm-filled gardens, with a pool, Turkish baths and four restaurants. The hotel holds two Michelin Keys. Its seclusion is part of the appeal, and the east bank of Luxor is reached by car or by the ferries that cross the Nile throughout the day.

Le Jardin Des Douars

Hotel

Africa, Morocco

From $228

Le Jardin des Douars is a 24-room hotel on a ridge above the Ksob river, about 15 minutes inland from Essaouira. Its architecture is inspired by the rammed-earth kasbahs of the High Atlas, and from the main building, gardens of palm, olive and bougainvillea cascade down to the river below. Rooms have tadelakt walls and traditional Moroccan decor, most open onto a private terrace, and some have a fireplace. There are two heated pools, one of them for adults only, and a spa with a traditional hammam. Two restaurants serve Moroccan and international dishes, with a large barbecue on Sunday afternoons. The beaches and medina of Essaouira are a short drive away, and the hotel runs a shuttle into town.

Mena House

Hotel

Africa, Egypt

From $480

Mena House sits directly beneath the Pyramids of Giza, turning one of the world’s most famous archaeological sites into part of the everyday view. The historic hotel began life as a royal hunting lodge in the 19th century and still carries that sense of old Cairo grandeur through landscaped gardens, arched interiors and rooms facing the pyramids. Its greatest luxury is the location itself: sunrise and sunset over Giza, with the plateau just minutes away and Cairo unfolding beyond it.

The St. Regis Le Morne

Hotel

Africa

From $970

The St. Regis Le Morne sits on one of Mauritius’ most spectacular stretches of coast, with a long white-sand beach in front and the sheer silhouette of Le Morne Brabant rising immediately behind the resort. The all-suite property has the feel of a grand colonial seaside manor, with wide verandas, tropical gardens and butler service throughout, but the setting is what makes it extraordinary: calm lagoon water for swimming and paddleboarding, strong trade winds for kitesurfing and sunsets that turn the mountain almost theatrical. Five restaurants, a large spa and direct access to one of the island’s most iconic beaches make it an easy place to stay put for several days.

Six Senses Zil Pasyon

Hotel

Africa

From $1,400

Six Senses Zil Pasyon is the only resort on Félicité, a private island of jungle, white sand and enormous granite boulders rising straight from the Indian Ocean. Just 30 one- and two-bedroom villas sit among the vegetation, each with its own infinity pool, while three beaches, reef snorkeling and trails through the island keep the landscape constantly present. Hawksbill turtles nest here — sometimes in daylight — and neighboring La Digue, Coco and the Sister Islands are close enough for boat trips, making Félicité feel both spectacularly isolated and deeply connected to the wild geography of the Seychelles.

Africa Explore the world through our lists.

The Morocco Stay Edit

Hotels With Privileged Location

Wind & Design: The Best Hotels for Kitesurfing

Epic Desert Hotels