The five-bedroom Morukuru Beach Lodge in De Hoop Nature Reserve is an off-the-grid marvel. Image: Morukuru.com
World-class: Two South African lodges named among planet’s best
Two of the country’s most exceptional establishments have been picked for an acclaimed must-visit travel list.
The five-bedroom Morukuru Beach Lodge in De Hoop Nature Reserve is an off-the-grid marvel. Image: Morukuru.com
South Africa is home to some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world and, according to Conde Nast Traveler’s annual ranking of the best resorts on the planet, two of the most luxurious lodges are found here too.
The list was collated from surveys done by travellers via the publication’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards. Even though non-essential travel has been on hold since early 2020, the list highlights places that resonated with readers “in a year when travel may have been out of reach”.
The resorts that made the coveted “Best Lodges in the World” list include out-of-this-world retreats in the Maldives, Fiji and the Caribbean, with several of the top spots taken by safari lodges in Africa.
South Africa Takes Two Top Spots
South Africa proudly has two places on the list — Singita Sabi Sands Boulder Lodge in Mpumalanga and Morukuru Beach Lodge in the De Hoop Nature Reserve near Cape Agulhas.
Luxury retreat in heart of bush
Singita Sabi Sands Boulders Lodge is set in the exclusive Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve on the banks of the Sand River. Together with its neighbour, the famous Kruger National Park, Sabi Sabi offers 2.7-million hectares of unfenced, protected wilderness.
Game roams freely between the two reserves, forming one of Africa’s most bio-diverse wildlife populations. Sabi Sands is particularly famous for its leopards, and boasts an unrivalled record for the regularity and quality of sightings.
The lodge has 12 spacious suites with glass-fronted bathrooms and ball-and-claw tubs overlooking the open bush. When you aren’t on guided safari walks or drives with professional rangers and skilled Shangaan trackers, you can relax by a private plunge pool, enjoy pampering massages and body treatments in the spa or work out in the gym.
Eco-haven on water’s edge
The five-bedroom Morukuru Beach Lodge in De Hoop Nature Reserve is an off-grid idyll nestled on one of the most beautiful coastlines in South Africa. The luxurious boutique beach lodge has five gorgeous suites with panoramic ocean views where you can lie and watch migrating whales, and is just steps from the beach and ocean.
You can cool off on the swimming pool, soak in the hot tub and enjoy sundowners on the rooftop terrace which boasts 360-degree panoramic views of the surrounding reserve and ocean. It’s nothing less than spectacular!
Other luxury resorts on the list include Singita’s Pamushana Lodge in Zimbabwe’s Malilangwe Reserve, Likuliku Lagoon Resort in Fiji, Naladhu Private Island in the Maldives, the Mulia & Mulia Villas in Bali, Oliver’s Camp in Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park and Wilderness Safari’s Bisate Lodge in Rwanda.
