Eight South African Lodges count amongst the Conde Nast Traveler Top 100 Hotels & Resorts in the World Readers’ Choice Awards, which were announced yesterday.
The South African Top 100 lodges, with the ranking, are as follows:
3. Bushman’s Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat (photograph) Continue reading →
Condé Nast Traveler has announced its 27th Readers’ Choice Awards, reflecting the favourite travel destinations of its 76600 readers.
Cape Town was ranked 4th favourite travel destination in the world, following Florence in top spot, Charleston in South Carolina in second place, and Budapest in third position. Cape Town beat San Miguel de Allende in Mexico, Prague, Rome, Siem Reap in Cambodia, Barcelona, and Sante Fe in New Mexico.
The accolade for Cape Town is as follows: ‘Cape Town is the best city in the world for blending urban culture with the great outdoors: They’re literally a five-minute drive from each other. There’s an exploding food Continue reading →
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* La Residence in Franschhoek is the joint Best Hotel in the World, on the Conde Nast Top 100 Hotels as chosen by its readers, and Singita Sabi Sand and Bushmans Kloof Wilderness are in joint 3rd place. Lion Sands, Phinda Private Game Reserve, Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, and Singita Kruger have all made the Top 100 Hotel list.
* Cape Town has been ranked joint 11th Best City in the World, out of 25, on the Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards, following San Miguel de Allende in first place, followed by Florence, Budapest, Salzburg, Charleston, San Sebastian, Vienna, Rome, Siena, and Quebec City.
* ‘All these must see lists are nonsense because they sell books, magazines and they push websites but there is no truth behind it. What makes sells a place is if you had a great experience there and that’s something only you can do’ writes Lonely Planet Guide writer Doug Lansky about Continue reading →
The latest Condé Nast Traveler 2012 Readers’ Choice Awards lists seven Cape Town hotels in its list of Top 20 hotels in Africa, four of them ranking in the top five of this list, making it the city with the best accommodation on our continent, according to close to 30000 readers of this prestige travel magazine.
In Cape Town the hotels that made the Top 20 in Africa list are:
* Steenberg Hotel, listed as the top hotel in Africa, and joint 42nd on the world 100 list (above)
* The Cape Grace, at number 3
* The Twelve Apostles Hotel at number 4
* The Table Bay Hotel, at number 5
* The Westin Grand, at number 10
* The Victoria & Alfred Hotel, at number 13 (interesting that it is a 4-star hotel, the others all being 5-star)
* The Mount Nelson Hotel, at number 17
The Saxon (number 2), Le Quartier Français (number 18), and The Westcliff (number 20) were other South African hotels on the Top 20 Africa list, our country’s hotels contributing to half the list, a fantastic accolade to its world class quality and standards.
A Top 35 Resort List for Africa is also provided, and the eleven South African properties on this list are Safari Lodges at Phinda Private Game Reserve (joint 1st place in Africa and joint 3rd place on world 100 list), Londolozi (joint 5th in Africa and joint 26th on world 100 list), Singita Sabi Sand (joint 5th in Africa and joint 26th on world 100 list), Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve (7th in Africa and joint 29th in the world 100 list), Mala Mala Game Reserve (8th in Africa, and joint 93rd in the world 100 list), Le Franschhoek Hotel & Spa (9th in Africa, and 99th on the world 100 list), Singita (16th), Lion Sands (17th), Shamwari Game Lodges (28th), Palace of the Lost City (31st), and the One&Only Cape Town (joint 32nd).
One of the exciting lists to be seen on is the Condé Nast Hot List, featuring hotels bubbling under, and three Cape hotels (the only ones from South Africa) made it on this list, two being from the Winelands: Babylonstoren on the road linking Klapmuts and Franschhoek, with the Top 20 Eat Out Restaurant Award finalist restaurant Babel; the Delaire Graff boutique hotel in the Helshoogte Pass; and POD, a boutique hotel in Camps Bay.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter:@WhaleCottage