32 Best Hotels in Johannesburg, South Africa

The five-star Tshukudu Bush Lodge offers a fully-inclusive experience that includes brunch, high tea, a five-course dinner, and local beverages, as well as two daily game drives. It is built into the side of a steep, rocky hill and overlooks open grassland and a large waterhole where elephants bathe. If you watch long enough, you might see most of the Big Five from your verandah. Winding stone stairways lead up the hill to thatched cottages with private balconies, wicker furniture, African materials, and black-slate floors. Fireplaces and mosquito nets are standard, and sunken bathtubs have spectacular views of the waterhole. At night you can use a spotlight to illuminate game at the waterhole below.

Although it's too big to be called a hideaway, this four-star lodge is located on a 250-acre nature reserve with a stream running through it and a bird sanctuary. Rooms are spacious and private, the surroundings are peaceful, and the spa is glorious. The lodge is popular with corporate groups, but it's big enough for you to find a quiet spot if there's a large group in attendance (the Nature Rooms offer the most privacy). It's also one of few hotels in the area that welcomes small children, so it remains popular for independent travelers and those from Johannesburg who are getting out of the city for the weekend. Rooms have small sitting areas and some have four-poster beds and fireplaces; all have covered patios.