%3Amax_bytes(150000)%3Astrip_icc()%2FTAL-africa-resorts-and-city-hotels-giraffe-manor-00-AFRICAHOTELSWB25-7501fd8c78294d6ab45a69661033a471.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Travel + Leisure Readers' 10 Favorite Hotels in Africa of 2025
The Giraffe Manor dining room.
Brian Siambi/Giraffe Manor
Once again, Cape Town hotels dominated T+L readers' picks of African city hotels, with four of the top five based in the South African 'Mother City.' Perhaps that's not surprising: A popular destination in its own right, as well as an arrival point for safaris, Cape Town has a slew of incredible luxury hotels. This year, T+L readers show their love for waterside properties, with Ellerman House (No. 2), One&Only Cape Town (No. 3), and Cape Grace, a Fairmont Managed Hotel (No. 5) having ocean or harbor views. Service was also a focal point—one reader noted the 'friendly staff' at Cape Grace, while another praised the 'over-the-top' service at Ellerman House.
Giraffe Manor: Nairobi, Kenya Giraffes patrol the exterior of Giraffe Manor, in Kenya.
The only top five property not based in Cape Town, Giraffe Manor (No. 1) heads the list of African city hotels, up from fifth place last year. The hotel is in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, and is named (and famed) after the herd of Rothschild's giraffes that live on its leafy grounds and 'visit' guests for breakfast, poking their heads through the windows for a handful of dried grass pellets. 'A delightful experience to spend time with the giraffes,' wrote one T+L reader. Another wrote it was 'one of the best stays of my life.'
1. Giraffe Manor: Nairobi, Kenya
Reader Score: 97.33
2. Ellerman House: Cape Town
Reader Score: 96.80
3. One&Only Cape Town
Reader Score: 96.57
4. Mount Nelson, a Belmond Hotel, Cape Town
Reader Score: 96.14
5. Cape Grace: Cape Town
WBA Super Hall of Fame honoree. Reader Score: 93.80
T+L readers' favorite African resort hotels are from all over the continent this year, including a wine farm in South Africa and a beach resort in the Seychelles. Only Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe features twice. Scenery is clearly key to why readers chose these five resorts: 'Paradise!' wrote one former guest about Four Seasons Resort Seychelles (No. 4). And the word 'beautiful' crops up repeatedly in comments about The Victoria Falls Hotel (No. 5): 'a beautiful hotel on a beautiful property,' wrote one reader.
Kilindi Zanzibar: Tanzania A plunge pool on the deck of a villa at Kilindi Zanzibar.
A new entry on the 'World's Best Awards' list, Kilindi Zanzibar (No. 1) has debuted as 2025's favorite African resort hotel, as chosen by T+L readers. The beach resort is based on the island of Zanzibar, off the Indian Ocean coast of mainland Tanzania. Although readers commented on a range of aspects—including the location ('paradise') and its suitability for honeymooners—service, including management, was mentioned the most. 'Staff are so attentive to fulfill guests needs,' wrote one T+L reader, while another described the villa hosts as 'attentive, smart, and hardworking.'
1. Kilindi Zanzibar: Tanzania
Reader Score: 99.50
2. Matetsi Victoria Falls: Matetsi Private Game Reserve, Zimbabwe
Reader Score: 97.47
3. Babylonstoren: Simondium, South Africa
Reader Score: 95.41
4. Four Seasons Resort Seychelles
Reader Score: 94.75
5. The Victoria Falls Hotel: Zimbabwe
Reader Score: 86.55
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Travel Weekly
an hour ago
- Travel Weekly
1000 Mile Travel Group launches hosting services for corporate travel
Host agency 1000 Mile Travel Group has launched a corporate travel offering for independent contractors in the U.S. The host was acquired by Corporate Travel Management (No. 11 on Travel Weekly's Power List) in 2022. It originally operated across Australia and the U.K., focused on serving ICs that specialize in business travel for small and medium-size enterprises. It has been expanding in the U.S. since. 1000 Mile Travel Group will now offer its ICs access to proprietary corporate travel technology, supplier agreements, business development support and client leads. Advisors get the backing of both the host and parent company Corporate Travel Management, while clients get access to "high-touch, cost-effective travel management that rivals the service levels of larger TMCs -- without the overhead," said the host agency.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
People need to quit this bad airplane habit — it caused chaos on my flight
It starts with a small act of selfishness and makes everything way more stressful than it needs to be. I knew it was going to be a long travel day. My family and I had flown from Los Angeles to London, then had a long layover before boarding a short connecting flight to Amsterdam. We were tired, jet-lagged, and just trying to get through the final stretch without any hiccups. So when I booked our EasyJet tickets, I paid a little extra to select seats near the front of the plane. I figured it would be worth it — we'd board a bit earlier, and more importantly, we'd be able to deplane quickly once we landed. With two kids in tow and a long, sleepless day behind us, I wanted to make the end of our journey as smooth as possible. What I didn't count on was just how little etiquette some passengers would show when it came to the overhead bins. We were seated in row 3 — right up front — but by the time we boarded, every bin anywhere near our row was already full. Other passengers, many seated in the middle or even the back of the plane, had stashed their luggage up front, wherever they pleased. No rhyme or reason, just a first-come-first-served approach, designed to minimize their own hassle. We had no choice but to keep walking until we finally found space halfway down the plane. When the flight landed, things got messy fast. Everyone stood up and tried to get their bags — but no no one was near their luggage. People were squeezing backward down the aisle, trying to retrieve bags they'd left many rows behind. Others were pushing forward, trying to exit while dodging passengers moving in the wrong direction. It was total gridlock. Deplaning took twice as long as it should have, and everyone — not just us — was visibly frustrated. I get that it's a budget airline. I wasn't expecting champagne service or extra legroom. But I did expect basic consideration — the kind that makes air travel even slightly more bearable. Instead, it felt like overhead-bin anarchy. When you stash your carry-on in someone else's space just because it's open, you're not being clever — you're being inconsiderate. And it snowballs fast, especially on full flights with limited space, in such a way that's likely to result in a headache for everyone on the plane, including the offender. So, if you're flying soon, do us all a favor: Put your bag near your seat. Not five rows ahead. Not wherever's convenient. It's a small gesture that makes a big difference — and saves everyone from the kind of chaotic deplaning that turned our quick hop from London to Amsterdam into an unnecessarily stressful ordeal. Solve the daily Crossword
%3Amax_bytes(150000)%3Astrip_icc()%2Ftal-one-off-review-nobl-suitcase-tout-f552d71943a24759b124c58cb27383fd.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Travel + Leisure
5 hours ago
- Travel + Leisure
Frequent Fliers Love This Best-selling Carry-on That Holds Up to 10 Days' Worth of Clothes—and It's on Sale
Battling with luggage at the airport is so frustrating that it can actually make you not want to travel again for a very long time. But an exceptional carry-on bag can have the opposite effect. In fact, we found one piece of carry-on luggage that is so multifunctional, people are excited for travel days, because they have an excuse to use all of its 'genius' contraptions. The suitcase in question, the Nobl All-in-one Carry-on, has an impressive 21,000-plus ratings and an average of 4.8 stars from frequent fliers who call it 'priceless.' Not only is it equipped with a ton of clever features that make airport days easier—like a drink holder, locking wheels, and built-in charger, for example—but it's also spacious enough to fit everything needed for a 10-day trip. Now's the perfect time to take a chance on the chic and practical bag, too, with it being a whopping 46 percent off during this limited-time Nobl luggage sale. You'll need to hurry, because it ends tonight at midnight ET! The All-in-one Carry-on is 20.5 by 15.5 inches (not including wheels) and 10 inches deep, with a 35-liter capacity that is plenty spacious for a weekend trip or maybe even enough for a week-plus, depending on what kind of packer you are. One reviewer said they were able to fit 10 days' worth with the help of two compression packing cubes. Another said they stuffed it with enough 'clothes, shoes, and meds for a week' and still had room for a couple of backup outfits. The hardside suitcase has an aluminum frame and polycarbonate shell that the brand calls 'unbreakable.' It sits on smooth 360-degree spinning wheels that feature a convenient locking mechanism, ensuring you never have an embarrassing runaway bag scenario. One reviewer who's traveled on business several times a month for decades declared them the 'best wheels ever on a suitcase.' Beyond the standard luggage features, this best-selling Nobl carry-on goes above and beyond to make the overall airport experience so much easier. In addition to the main compartment with its ample organizational pockets, the front of the bag opens to reveal a smaller laptop pocket where you can keep your computer, travel documents, money, and other items you want to keep accessible. This is an uncommon perk, as hardside luggage doesn't usually come with exterior pockets. 'My dad got me this carry-on when I started my new job, and it's my essential travel item,' wrote one reviewer. 'I'm extremely forgetful and get really big travel anxiety, so this has helped me have peace of mind while I'm checking in. I can store my laptop, phone, and documents, and I don't feel like I'll lose them while at the airport.' In addition to the front pocket, this Nobl carry-on bag has a built-in cup holder that folds out from the back, as well as a hardly noticeable hook on the side for your handbag or a shopping bag of duty-free goodies. The handle has a phone holder, so you can prop your phone up to eye level and watch Netflix hands-free while you wait for your boarding group to be called. And as well as a TSA lock on the side of the suitcase, there are USB and USB-C ports on top of the carry-on for charging on the go. These are the features that make the bag stand out; navigating an airport 'feels very freeing' with this thing in tow, one person wrote. 'This is the best carry-on I've ever owned,' said another customer. 'The attention to detail (like the lock for the wheels) is beyond genius. I never knew I needed something so bad. As a mom of a service dog, this has simplified traveling to a T.' The All-in-one Carry-on is on special sale for $279 right now, about half the regular price of $515, and it's not the only bag on major sale. Shop more Nobl luggage pieces below, including the full-size checked-bag version of this carry-on, plus other carry-on styles and a luggage set that comes with compression cubes and a matching water bottle. At the time of publishing, the price started at $279. Love a great deal? Sign up for our T+L Recommends newsletter and we'll send you our favorite travel products each week.
