SA-Owned Lodge Comes Top of Travel List, But Cape Town Only No. 16

NEW YORK – After more than 128,000 travelers took part in the US Conde Nast Traveler magazine’s 28th annual Readers’ Choice Awards survey, the most in its history, the South Africa-owned lodge Singita Grumeti in Tanzania was chosen the world’s top hotel.

Coming in at No. 3 was Bushmanskloof Wilderness Reserve in the Cedarberg. Cape Town came sixteenth in the Top 30 cities of the world.

Singita Grumeti, which has three camps and lodges and is a partnership between Cape Town-based Singita and US billionaire Paul Tudor Jones, also came out tops on the British Conde Nast Traveller (different spelling!) Readers Choice Awards that came out in September, and was voted ‘Best Hotel for Service’. Mauritius and Seychelles also made it into the British Top 20 Islands list.

Cape Town was the only city in Africa in the Top 30 of the US list. No African island made it into the Top 20 islands list.

The British CNT put Cape Town at 17, but included Mauritius and Seychelles in its list. The No. 1 city in the US version was Florence, Italy, versus Paris for the UK edition.

The UK edition has 25 categories, including trains, which listed Rovos Rail, which came second, and the Blue Train among the world’s 10 best. It also listed best countries to visit (Italy was No. 1), and South Africa came tenth out of 20 (and it was voted best for scenery).

In the UK magazine’s Top 100 list (which mixes hotels, spas, cities and trains), however, Singita Grumeti made it to No. 3 (the best in the world was La Mamounia in Marrakech, Morocco) and the next place in Africa – all the way down at No. 65 – was the Belmont Mount Nelson. South Africa came out at No. 80. Rovos Rail came way below the Venice Simplon Orient Express in overall rankings.

In the American CNT, Africa had a number of hotels in the Top 100 list of hotels. Starting from the lowest-ranking, Kirawire Serena Tented Camp, Tanzania (52); Londolozi Game Reserve, Sabi Sand, South Africa (47); Sabi Sabi Game Reserve, Sabi Sand (45); Singita Kruger National Park (42); andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, South Africa (36); Sanctuary Swala Camp, Tarangire National Park, Tanzania (33); Madikwe Safari Lodge, South Africa (20); Singita Sabi Sand, South Africa (19); andBeyond Lodges & Camps at Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa (17); Four Seasons Safari Lodge, Serengeti (12); Bushmanskloof Wilderness Reserve and Wellness Retreat, South Africa (3); Singita Grumeti (1).