Choose an exquisite environment, add experiences that please and pamper, mix in outstanding personal service and blend with a touch of mystery, and you have some wonderful spaces where romance is likely to find you. Exclusive Getaways brings you 12 of South Africa’s prime destinations for romantics, where everything conspires to create beauty and remoteness from everyday life, and plenty of luxury.
MPUMALANGA
Summerfields Rose Retreat and Spa offers a luxurious 5-star spa and nature retreat on a magnificent rose farm in Hazyview, close to the Kruger National Park and Panorama Route. Gorgeous tented suites are set beneath mature trees, each suite themed after a different rose variety and providing a relaxation deck with views of the Sabie River. Enjoy the Summerfields roses and fruit and nut orchards, and reawaken the senses at the sublime Rose Spa on the banks of the river.
Leopard Hills offers a spectacular safari along with divine all-suite safari accommodation. Glass-fronted suites are sublime – each has a private deck with plunge pool, offering luxurious seclusion and endless wilderness views. The Leopard Hills experience includes pampering treatments in a bush-view sala.
LIMPOPO
Perfect for romance, Mhondoro Game Lodge is a chic and luxurious safari retreat in the Welgevonden Reserve in the Waterberg Biosphere. The guest suites are luxurious cocoons that open onto sundecks with wide views of the wilderness. Nap on a poolside lounger or indulge in treatments at the spa between safaris. At night, romantics will enjoy meeting the constellations of the African sky on Mhondoro’s star deck.
Garonga Safari Camp is a fashionably exclusive tented camp set in the greater Makalali Conservancy, west of the Kruger National Park. Six en-suite tents are wonderfully inviting, and they have decks with hammocks – no better place than that for viewing the bushveld. In addition to indoor showers, the tents also offer the luxury of private showers under the enormous sky. Enjoy drives, walks, sleep-outs, bush-baths, and aromatherapy and reflexology.
NORTH-WEST
Molori Safari delivers exclusive safaris in the Madikwe Game Reserve. Five opulent suites invite lavish living in the wilderness, complete with floor-to-ceiling retractable glass walls, private splash pools, fireplaces, freestanding baths and indoor / outdoor showers. Molori’s several viewing decks and pools provide exquisite private spaces from which to appreciate the wilderness.
GAUTENG
From its prime hillside position in Waterkloof, the grand Castello di Monte is styled after the great Tuscan country villas of the 16th century. This private mansion stands in landscaped gardens and provides serene terrace spaces and marvelous lookout areas. Exquisite interiors gleam with the resplendence of a gracious former era. The rooms and suites are havens of supreme comfort: the Honeymoon Suite offers Jacuzzi bath and hand-painted murals, whilst the Presidential Suite has a grand four-poster bed and beautiful fireplace. Castello di Monte is ideal for special couple getaways.
KWAZULU-NATAL
The Oyster Box is one of KwaZulu-Natal’s most distinguished hotels, set majestically on Umhlanga’s prestigious beachfront. 80 Individually inspired rooms and suites are a luxurious blend of colonial charm and modern convenience. A top scorer for leisure and host to celebrities, The Oyster Box has superb restaurants and cocktail bars, and a unique spa designed to soothe mind, body and soul.
Sublime Thonga Beach Lodge is a deliciously remote haven for romantics. Set in lush tropical dune forest just metres from the beach at Mabibi Bay in the Isimangaliso Wetland Park area of KwaZulu-Natal, Thonga offers an exclusive experience of barefoot luxury that includes snorkelling on a protected reef; diving with launches in front of the lodge; swimming with whale sharks, dolphins and manta rays; kayaking on Lake Sibaya; and seasonal turtle tracking.
GARDEN ROUTE
Tsala Treetop Lodge is a sublime forest retreat on the Garden Route, between Knysna and Plettenberg Bay. Ten suites and six villas are secluded in the forest canopy, providing luxurious and very private havens of luxury and indulgence, each with its own timber deck and splash pool. Living spaces are spacious and sumptuous, construction harmonizing seamlessly with the surrounding indigenous forest. Enjoy fine living in- and outdoors, and dine lavishly on Tsala’s sublime dining deck or in the forest nearby, at Zinzi.
CAPE TOWN AND CAPE WINELANDS
21 Nettleton is an exclusive private villa set high against the slopes of Lion’s Head in Cape Town’s sought-after seaboard suburb of Clifton. Here, discerning guests enjoy immaculate accommodation in individually appointed suites and a penthouse, coupled with a gracious lifestyle and some of Cape Town’s most enviable views across the Atlantic. Serene gardens and wellness offerings provide every opportunity for rest and refreshment, yet the attractions of the city, when desired, are easily reached. Enjoy outstanding personalized service and privileged private access to the Table Mountain National Park.
Hout Bay Manor is a gorgeous boutique hotel in the coastal fishing village of Hout Bay in Cape Town. Beautifully restored, it offers 16 vibrant rooms and suites, and an elegantly casual restaurant. Indulge in massages, facials and other pampering therapies at the Inzolo Spa. All in all, it’s a welcoming experience of local luxury.
Holden Manz Country House is an exclusive 5 star haven in the Cape winelands offering tranquil views of the exquisite Franschhoek Valley and accommodating guests in five luxurious suites. Sumptuous interiors in the manor house display a magnificent selection of contemporary South African art and make sublime spaces for relaxation in between exploring the region’s attractions. Outdoors there is a swimming pool, a koi pond, and orchards and vineyards to enjoy – the setting is utterly glorious!
Mail us to book luxury safaris and holiday accommodation in South Africa, or call +27 21 797 7122 (international) or 0860 102 907 (local).
