South Africa’s top 15 award-winning luxury hotels for 2025

South Africa is firmly on the radar of global luxury travellers, and the latest recognition for its hospitality scene underlines why. 

In the recent Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards, 757,000 readers from around the world cast hundreds of thousands of votes to highlight hotels that excel in rooms, service, design, location, food, spa & wellness and overall guest experience. 

South Africa’s hotel offering is not only diverse, from seaside retreats to city-centre sanctuaries and bush-escape lodges.

For South African travellers and visitors, it means the local hotel-scene has matured into an industry that competes head-to-head with global luxury destinations.

The winner: The Plettenberg

Located on the picturesque coastline of Plettenberg Bay and part of the Liz McGrath Collection, The Plettenberg has earned its place as the country’s leading luxury hotel. 

With a reader score of 99.4% in the survey, it has become a regular fixture in the top 15 listings. 

The hotel’s dramatic setting, perched above the ocean, is a perfect base for beach walks, whale-watching or simply soaking in the sea-facing views.

South African hotels in the top 15

Here are other outstanding hotels that featured alongside The Plettenberg in the list:

• Babylonstoren in Franschhoek is a winelands retreat that blends historic Cape Dutch architecture with beautifully manicured gardens and vineyard landscapes. 
• Last Word Franschhoek is a small, boutique hotel model in Franschhoek offering an intimate alternative.
• Spier Hotel in Stellenbosch. Situated within the Winelands, the property fuses heritage buildings with modern comforts.
• Last Word Long Beach. Located in Kommertje, this little Cape Town coastal gem is a boutique luxury hotel in the South peninsula.Sterrekopje Farm in Franschhoek is a farm-style luxury guesthouse in the heart of the winelands
• Last Word Madikwe - where a bush-escape meets high-end hospitality in the North West safari belt.
• Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel in Cape Town CBD. A historic city hotel with colonial charm and world-class service.
• Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa Johannesburg. Urban luxury, privacy-driven villas and a world-class spa in the suburbs of Johannesburg. Cape Grace at the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town offers superb harbour and mountain views. 
• Tintswalo Atlantic in Cape Town, located at the foot of Chapmans Peak, offers the ultimate luxury on the Atlantic seaboard, is prized for its privacy and scenery.The Oyster Box Hotel Umhlanga in KwaZulu-Natal is an elegant beachfront hotel on the north coast, beloved for timeless glamour and close proximity to the beach.
• Ellerman House in Cape Town is a boutique hillside hotel overlooking the city.
• Taj Cape Town is a sophisticated city stay that combines heritage architecture and modern luxury.
• Last Word Constantia offers guests understated elegance in the leafy suburbs of Constantia, making it perfect for a refined getaway.

What sets these hotels apart? 

Firstly, they have been judged by real travellers, based on a mix of objective criteria: from the quality of the room and service to the sense of place and guest experience. 

Secondly, the geographical spread speaks volumes: ocean-front, winelands, bush, city. 

These top 15 hotels in South Africa offer the country’s hospitality at its finest. 

Each property brings its own story, setting and specialness, making them more than just places to stay - they’re destinations in themselves.

• If you’re after seaside tranquillity: The Plettenberg, The Oyster Box, Tintswalo Atlantic.
• If it’s wine-country charm you crave: Babylonstoren, Spier Hotel, Last Word Franschhoek, Sterrekopje Farm.
• If you’re combining urban sophistication and culture: Mount Nelson, Cape Grace, Taj Cape Town, Saxon Hotel.
• If you want bush-luxury and safari escape: Last Word Madikwe.
• For art-driven boutique hideaways: Ellerman House, Last Word Constantia.

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