Graskop Hotel

Graskop Hotel is a 1970s hotel reinvented as a boutique art hotel, on the corner of Hoof and Louis Trichardt Streets in Graskop. It is rated 8.5 out of 10 on Booking.com from 1,708 reviews, with staff scored 9.3. Its 38 en-suite rooms are split between 23 artist rooms in the main building, each decorated with works by a different South African contemporary artist, and 15 garden suites with private patios over the gardens and parking behind an electronic gate. Family rooms sleep two adults and two children. The Graskop Gorge activity centre is 1 km away and God's Window 7 km.

Art runs through the whole building. The lobby and dining rooms double as galleries of contemporary South African work curated by collector Harrie Siertsema, and the gardens have sculptures and a pool. Dinner is a home-cooked three-course set menu with two choices per course, made with ingredients from the garden and changing daily; book it in advance. Breakfast is a cold buffet with hot dishes cooked to order, and the Art Deco lounge and bar has a fireplace, local wines, draught beers and cocktails.

Guests on Trip.com keep mentioning the people. One wrote: "I highly recommend Graskop Hotel for its amazing staff, good food, quiet atmosphere and comfy accommodations. What a gem and value." Another said: "The food was absolutely delicious, fresh, tasty, and beautifully prepared." The Blyde River Canyon is about 40 minutes' drive and Phabeni Gate into Kruger about 45 minutes. Wi-Fi and secure parking are free, with a guard on duty at night.