Omicron is doing our holiday plans no favours, but happily there are hot new destinations to discover around SA. Sate your wanderlust with these glorious go-tos ...
Winelands: Boschendal x Norval Foundation
Contemporary art and winelands heritage collide, in a new collaboration on Boschendal Farm. The historic Manor House is now home to a rotating collection of African art drawn from the Norval Foundation’s Homestead Collection, while a series of sculptural works finds a home in the surrounding gardens. Admission is free, so spend your rands at the new retail experience, featuring bespoke ceramics by designer and sculptor Githan Coopoo. There’s enough at Boschendal to fill a few days, so best you book a bed. The Mountain Villa was recently refurbished, and offers a luxury eyrie for 12 guests on the flanks of the Simonsberg.
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Cape Town: The Rockefeller
Travelling for business or pleasure? This brand-new foreshore destination, which opens on December 15, ticks the box for both.
It’s a few steps from the convention centre, and a short walk to the bustle of Bree Street and the V&A Waterfront. Or, stay in. Savvy local restaurateur Michael Townsend will keep you well fed at the ground floor Rockefeller Plaza, with a glamorous new rooftop pool and bar to follow in April 2022.
There’s also a co-working space by Ideas Cartel, and 393 hotel suites and apartments done in contemporary décor. Combine that with stellar city views and you can just about pretend you’re looking out on a Manhattan skyline.
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Eastern Cape: Mount Camdeboo
In Mount Camdeboo Private Game Reserve, guests can now sleep out deep in Big Five country, thanks to two new modular pods. Pitched a kilometre apart to ensure perfect privacy, clever Scandi-chic design squeezes a bathroom, kitchenette and double bed into each pod. But chances are you’ll spend more time outdoors than in. A wood-fired hot tub gazes out over the distant plains, while a separate fire-pit and seating area lends itself to nights beneath the stars.
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KwaZulu-Natal: Babanango Game Reserve
In the eastern reaches of KZN, Babanango is rewilding 22,000ha of farmland to create a haven for the Big Five amid a landscape rich in biodiversity. It’s also transforming the lives of local communities, with lease agreements and employment opportunities providing income sorely needed in one of the country’s most underdeveloped corners. While there are already three luxury lodges on the reserve, May 2022 sees the opening of the new Travellers Camp; a R145m investment featuring 12 luxurious under-canvas suites on the banks of the White Umfolozi River.
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Gauteng: Sanctuary Mandela
The Houghton home of former president Nelson Mandela has been transformed into a boutique hotel, filled with exhibits, statues and photographs encouraging guests to mull over Mandela’s life.
Sleeping 18 guests in nine rooms, each is dedicated to discovering a different side of the man who brought SA through the stormy seas of democratic change. The tribute to Mandela continues, in a fashion, in the Insights Restaurant.
With a menu built on the dishes that chef Xoliswa Ndoyiya would cook for Madiba during his six years in the house, today each plate comes reinvented for the fine dining setting: hearty oxtail in ragout-filled ravioli, and traditional umngqusho topped with parmesan and crisp greens.
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Mozambique: Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira
The globally acclaimed Banyan Tree brand takes root in Southern Africa in 2022, with the opening of Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira off the coast of Mozambique. Located on a private island in the Primeiras and Segundas Archipelago, the resort opens a new corner of the country’s coastline to luxury tourism. The resort will offer 40 sea-facing villas, each with a private pool, ranging from honeymoon-friendly hideaways to spacious four-bedroom family escapes.
Expect a clutch of restaurants, water sports, a scuba centre, and a host of ways to keep children entertained.
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