The 10 Best Hotels in Africa (Top Picks)

Selecting the best hotels in Africa is not an easy task. The African continent has developed an excellent luxury infrastructure in recent years, becoming one of the preferred destinations for the most exclusive travellers.

Between luxury lodges, luxury villas by the sea, urban hotels and resorts, there is a wide variety throughout the African continent.

To make this article more interesting, we have selected the best hotels in Africa in different categories, so you can discover at a glance the great diversity of African accommodation.

From the desert to the jungle, passing through private islands, the savannah, or one of its global cities.

The 10 Best Hotels in Africa

1. Acacia Farm Lodge (Karatu, Tanzania)

Tanzania is always a destination to consider when looking for the best hotels in Africa. Among them, Acacia Farm Lodge is one of the most interesting. With a perfect location between Lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Area, the Tarangire National Park, and the Serengeti, it allows safaris in each of them.

With a few luxury suites, it is designed to offer the greatest privacy with all possible comforts. It is a lodge awarded several times for its eco-friendly character, ideal for a romantic getaway.

Located on a farm with 25 acres of land, it allows you to rest with all possible luxuries and enjoy first-class cuisine that is prepared with the farm’s own products. We will not only see the great National Parks of Tanzania but also daily life in the most rural areas.

2. La Mamounia (Marrakesh, Morocco)

La Mamounia is a five-star hotel located in an Arab palace built at the beginning of the 20th century. Declared the best hotel in the world in 2018, it is located next to the popular Jemaa El Fna square in the medina of Marrakech.

With extensive gardens, it has riads and different suites as well as an iconic casino in the city. In addition, it has four different restaurants (Italian, French, Arabic, and Oriental) and different luxury shops, including Yves Saint Laurent or Pierre Hermé ‘s patisserie, the best pastry chef in the world.

The spa is another of the great successes of this hotel. Created by Jacques García, one of the star designers of the best luxury hotels in Paris (France) , it is inspired by the tradition of Arab baths to combine the hamman with the most innovative treatments.

In short, La Mamounia has everything for a romantic getaway with the greatest possible luxury.

3. Mahali Mzuri (Masai Mara, Kenya)

The Mahali Mzuri is Richard Branson’s luxury lodge. As in all the hotels of the prestigious luxury guru, it stands out for its great exclusivity. In this case, it has only 12 stores in the middle of the Masai Mara National Park.

Located in the private Olare Motorogi Conservancy, it allows you to experience the Great Migration firsthand, as well as the Big Five year-round. With 13,500 hectares of exclusive use, it allows for a completely secluded safari experience.

Located next to a river on a rocky promontory, it allows you to see the wildlife come to drink from the tent itself, being one of the most interesting hotels with giraffes in Africa. In addition, it is an ideal place to relax, with a swimming pool and spa overlooking the savannah.

4. Oceana Beach Wildlife Reserve (Port Alfred, South Africa)

One of the best hotels in South Africa, the Oceana Beach Wildlife Reserve offers an experience in which the Indian is the main protagonist. Located in a 740-hectare wildlife sanctuary, it has 7 kilometers of private beach, as well as savannah where animals such as giraffes or zebras live.

One of the few destinations in Africa that combines beach and safari in the same place, with 9 suites and a private villa. Located on the Costa del Sol in South Africa, it is a malaria-free area, so you can go on a safari without worrying about it.

This boutique hotel features a three-bedroom, three-bathroom private pool house to choose from, four 180-degree ocean-view suites, three savannah view lodge suites, and two new private pool suites, opened during the past 2020.

5. Cairo Marriott Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino (Cairo, Egypt)

Among the best hotels in Africa there are also urban hotels. One of the most prominent is the Cairo Marriott Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino. Located in Cairo, one of the three global cities in Africa, it is located on the banks of the Nile River and very close to the Pyramids of Gizah.

Located in a 19th-century palace, its rooms and suites are contemporary, as is its spa, its large swimming pool, and its 14 restaurants, including Egyptian, American, Italian, French or Japanese cuisine, among others.

No less beautiful are its 2.4 hectares of gardens, incredible as it is located in the middle of the city next to the Nile. The Arab beauty of its event rooms has made it one of the favorites of Egyptian high society. It is also the favorite destination of the great international stars when they decide to stay in the country of the Pharaohs.

6. Tulia Zanzibar Unique Beach Resort (Zanzibar, Tanzania)

The Tulia Zanzibar Unique Beach Resort is a wonderful beachfront resort located on the east coast of the Tanzanian island. Next to the beautiful Pongwe beach, it won the award for the best romantic beach resort in the world in 2020, making it ideal for honeymoons.

With only 16 villas and bungalows between the beach and the tropical forest, it is an all-inclusive resort that seeks maximum privacy for its guests. With direct access to the beach from the villas, it stands out for its all-inclusive vision that includes the first free massage, transportation to the airport, a la carte dinners in the restaurant, premium drinks, and even private yoga classes.

We are facing a true paradise in which to rest on the beach and let ourselves go. Without worrying about anything, with absolutely everything we need within the price, we will only have to live the Indian experience. This is one of the most impressive luxury resorts in Tanzania.

7. Zannier Hotels Sonop (Namib Desert, Namibia)

In the south of Namibia, in the Karas Region, is the Zannier Hotels Sonop, a luxury lodge in the most unknown area of the Namib desert, very close to the border with South Africa.

Among lions, leopards, kudus, ostriches, and jackals is this luxury lodge inspired by the English explorations of the early twentieth century. For this reason, from each tent, in addition to period furniture, you have your own telescope to see the sky.

In addition, this hotel allows balloon safaris over the dunes of Sossuvlei or 4 × 4, open-air cinema, electric mountain bikes and even its own horse stable. In Sonop you will not only feel like an adventurer but you will also be able to live the adventure in the first person.

8. Home The Residence (Nosy Be, Madagascar)

Home The Résidence in Nosy Be is a perfect opportunity to enjoy Madagascar. Located on a 10-hectare farm, it is crossed by a river that flows into the Mozambique Channel, next to the private beaches of this beautiful and more affordable hotel. We have already told you that the beaches of Nosy Be are among the best beaches in Madagascar.

It is a hotel with different private villas with a luxury pool and ocean views, where you will have all the comforts. This ecolodge also has a great social commitment and 10% of its profits go to an NGO that works on sustainable development and local education.

With a spa, restaurant, swimming pool, and plenty of outdoor activities, including scuba diving, this hotel is an excellent option to rest and have fun at the same time.

9. Anantara Medjumbe Island Resort (Quirimbas Islands, Mozambique)

The Anantara Medjumbe Island Resort is one of the best private island hotels in Africa. Located on the coast of Mozambique, within the Quirimbas archipelago, we can enjoy one of its 12 private villas on an island in a nature reserve just for us.

With a private pool in each villa and several white sand beaches and crystal clear waters, the island stands out for having nearby reefs where you can snorkel or dive, as well as being one of the places where turtles lay their eggs. Place of passage for whales and dolphins, it is a unique way to enjoy the African sea.

Together with its spa, it’s luxury restaurant and the different activities offered by its professionals, it has everything you need to feel Robison Crusoe and Marie Antoinette at the same time, combining the greatest luxury with a sense of adventure.

10. One&Only Gorilla’s Nest (Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda)

The One&Only Gorilla’s Nest in the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda is one of the best luxury lodges if we want to see gorillas. Completely ecological, it shares the vision of sustainable development that has made Rwanda one of the most sustainable destinations on the globe.

In the middle of a eucalyptus forest and with volcanoes in the background, this lodge has all the necessary amenities for a first-class experience. In addition to the famous visits to the gorillas, which are very controlled so as not to affect their habitat, you can also visit local communities learning more about their traditional way of life.

This is also reflected in the cuisine, with premium local ingredients selected by the chef to offer a true taste of Africa. And its pool offers one of the best views in Rwanda.

The 10 Best Hotels in Africa (Top Picks)