BELVIDERE MANOR HOTEL****

One of the most luxurious and romantic getaways in South Africa, Knysna on the Garden Route offers visitors tranquility, especially when you book into Belvidere Manor. More than 270 bird species have been identified in the gardens surrounding this gorgeous hotel.

Accommodation comprises 28 individual Cape-style cottages, which are located within the massive, 10-hectare gardens of the Belvidere Estate. You can choose to have a lagoon view or a garden view – but whichever you choose, you’re going to be pleased you added this hotel to your tours and packages itinerary.

The hotel offers meals in a posh restaurant as well as a more relaxed and casual pub. Built in 1848, the Belvidere Manor hotel is one of the foremost examples of English Georgian architecture in the Western Cape, with the Victorian verandas added in the 1860s.

People who had planned to travel Africa in the latter part of the 19th century often found themselves staying at this estate, which was said to be the center of gracious hospitality.