4 African hotels you need to visit this summer

Toto were onto something.

When assembling the latest issue ShortList Mode, themed around adventure, our fashion team didn’t just write about exploration - they lived it, donning their best khaki and heading over to Africa in search of the continent’s most picturesque locations for a series of epic photoshoots. 

So with the holidaying season upon us, we asked the team to pinpoint the very best upmarket destinations they unearthed on their travels in case a bout of wanderlust overcomes you.

Romance, city dwelling, beach slumming – no matter what you’re doing, here are the best places to stay at on the sand-baked continent this summer...

THE COUPLES GETAWAY

Fancy whisking that someone special away to somewhere far flung? Officially opened by Nelson Mandela in 1997, Table Bay is in prime position in Cape Town, achieving the double whammy of being on the waterfront and also bang in the middle of the city’s most vibrant quarter, little more than a hop, skip and a jump from award-winning steak-restaurants and not far from incredible beaches. It’s the kind of well-heeled residence that will have you wishing you arrived by yacht, and if you thought the view of Table Mountain was good from the hotel, take the nearby cable car ride up the mountain and gawp down upon the city itself. Unreal.

6 Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Breakwater Boulevard, Cape Town, 8001, SA

THE ADULT PLAYGROUND

What happens in Sun City, ahem, stays in Sun City. Bringing a fun-filled slice of Vegas to the region, the Palace of the Lost City is a veritable lost kingdom for playboys. Channel your inner Rory with amazing golf courses set amid stunning landscapes with views of rolling hills and mountains; party like The Hangover inside the hotel’s casino; or hop between jungled gardens and roped bridges in the adult’s adventure playground, where you’re sure to discover your inner Indiana Jones.

Pilanesberg National Park

THE ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME SAFARI

Set in a national park on the Zambezi River, this is everything the archetypal African dream safari consists of. Watch hippos swim past during sunset and the mist of Victoria Falls in the distance from the gardens of The Royal Livingstone Hotel – the choice of hotel for home President Mugabe, but don’t let that put you off. You also have direct access to Victoria Falls where you can cross countries along the bridge from Zambia to Zimbabwe and back again. Then of course there’s the animal safari – ride elephants and walk alongside cheetahs if you want to turn your trip from mere luxury holiday into the full blown Jungle Book.

Mosi-oa-Tunya Road, Livingstone 20100, Zambia
 

THE BUSINESS TRIP

Lastly, when pit-stopping in Johannesburg area on business, there’s only one place worth getting yourself a refuel: the Maslow Hotel, perched inside the heart of the city’s financial district of Sandton and also boasting the best shopping options and boutique stores in the city. Not that you’d ever set foot off the premises, mind. Once you stumble on the in-house Lacuna Urban Bistro and Lacuna Bar, serving international cuisine and the finest cocktails around the clock, you'd be a fool for ever leaving.

The Maslow Hotel, 146 Rivonia Road, Sandton, 2146, SA
 

To book any of these hotels, call +27 11 7807878, visit suninternational.com/sunlux or email [email protected]