Royal Malewane

Smart sophistication with all the thrills of banging about in the bush. The eight colonial rooms are outrageously extravagant (antiques, canopied king-size beds, Victorian baths) and the food is incredible – Elton John had the wholemeal bread flown home to him. Amid all this splendour is one of the most stylish spas on the continent. African rituals restore your equilibrium, hydrotherapy treatments use the mineral-rich waters from an underground stream and the local healers offer powerfully holistic and recharging therapies. The big cat’s whiskers.