Fancy sleeping somewhere gorgeously adventurous and unusual?
Airbnb is not the only place to shop for the most unique, quirky and out-of-this-world holiday rentals and accommodation options. In recent years, Africa has set the standard for award-winning and innovative accommodation and this is reason enough to save up and go on safari this year.
Heck, afterwards you may just have the urge to seek out and embrace the masterminds who’ve thought beyond the four-bedroom wall to present us with these magnificent places to slumber.
Here’s our list of the top 5 places to sleep in Africa that will totally blow your mind:
1. Sleep with fish in an underwater hotel room in Zanzibar
In the north of the pristine island of Pemba in Tanzania lies The Manta Resort’s astonishingly impressive underwater room. The floating structure consists of three levels each offering guests a unique experience above and below the water. However, the most magical of them all is arguably the bedroom beneath the waves which affords 360 degree views of the underwater world. Sun worshippers can spend time on the upper landing deck by day and climb down the long ladder into the turquoise bubble by night. By turning on the spotlights, you can watch the shoals of reef fish carry about their nautical lives as you drift into a deep sleep.
© The Manta Resort
2. Sleep on your own eco-friendly private island in Zambia
On a faraway private isle in the middle of the Zambezi River is where you’ll find Sindabezi Island. In fact, it’s the only luxury bush camp from where the Victoria Falls can be comfortably explored. Compromised of just 5 open-sided chalets, guests get to proclaim Sindabezi as their own personal retreat while staying at one of the most environmentally friendly properties in Africa. We don’t know what’s better – their commitment to sustainable tourism or the intimate, barefoot in the bush, island feel.
© Sindabezi
3. Sleep on a rooftop in an airstream trailer in South Africa
Situated at the heart of the bustling Long Street in Cape Town, the Grand Daddy Boutique Hotel is a quirky and convenient place to explore South Africa’s Mother City. The boutique hotel features a top-class eatery, luxury rooms and family suites, and better yet, South Africa’s only rooftop Airstream Trailer Park. A new world awaits on the rooftop. Among the seven uniquely designed trailers where guests can choose to spend the night, there’s an open-air cinema with weekly movie screenings and a sky bar perfect for sundowners on a summer night.
© Grand Daddy Boutique Hotel
4. Sleep on an open-air deck in the bush in Kenya
The 56,000-acre Loisaba Conservancy in Northern Laikipai, Kenya is one of the most beautiful places in Africa to sleep under the stars. It lies just off the equator overlooking the Kiboko waterhole, making it the ideal destination for stargazing and wildlife viewing all year round. The Loisaba Starbeds are handcrafted four-poster beds which sit on wheels and are rolled out onto a raised wooden platform so guests to sleep under the African stars. It’s the biggest bedroom in the world, where the night sky is your ceiling and the hills in the distance are you walls. Talk about sweet dreams!
© Loisaba
5. Sleep in a luxury houseboat on the river in Botswana
Moving along the banks of the Chobe River, the Zambezi Queen is a unique floating boutique hotel in a class of her own. She is a 5-star, 42-metre long luxury houseboat offering unparalleled sophistication in one of the most remote locations on the planet. As a guest on the vessel, you can enjoy an adventurous river safari holiday, while still being surrounded by complete comfort and luxury. Wake up to the sight of an elephant drinking from the river or watch a fish eagle take flight – all from the comfort of your bed.
© Zambezi Queen Collection
