Note that the city options are only a 5-minute drive from the airport. Lodges and camps provide a tranquil alternative to staying in the city, yet are only 45 minutes (Addo) to 90 minutes (Kwandwe) from check-in.
In Port Elizabeth
The Radisson group has announced with much fanfare that it is building P.E.'s first five-star hotel: Construction on The Reef on Marine started in May 2007; the completion date at that stage was still uncertain, but when it opens it will no doubt offer good specials -- check it out on www.radisson.com. Until then, the two establishments reviewed are the most stylish options in Port Elizabeth, but if you're about to blow your budget on a luxury reserve, you might want to consider the family-run Chapman Manor Hotel (tel. 041/584-0678; www.chapman.co.za). A manor house it ain't, but all rooms have sea views, as does the pool, and at R630 ($88/£45) for a double, it's arguably the best deal in town. It also houses a reputable seafood restaurant called Blackbeards (tel. 041/584-0623; 6pm-late): Try one of the "brodino" dishes -- your choice of fish, combined with mussels and calamari; cooked in a tomato, white-wine, and garlic sauce (herbs are secret); and served in a cast-iron pot. Better still, head for the Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment Complex, which has a clutch of recommended eateries of which Kyoto remains a personal favorite, serving up excellent teppanyaki and sushi (tel. 041/583-1160). If you're not in the mood for Japanese, head straight for 34° South (tel. 041/583-1085), sibling to the popular Knysna restaurant/deli. The hottest new place on the restaurant scene is Nosh, Cooper Street, Richmond Hill (tel. 041/582-2444), where P.E.'s fashionable set like to see and be seen over seared impala filet with chocolate chile sauce. But if all you want to see is the twinkling ocean, Mauro's, Shop 1 McArthur Baths Leisure Centre, Beach Road, is the place to be, with lovely views and a predictable but good Italian menu. Finally, if you're in the mood for something really laid-back, make like a local and head for Natti's Thai Kitchen (tel. 041/373-2763; dinner only), where Natti (assisted only by her surfer husband, Mark) has been warming palates with her Thai cuisine for more than a decade.
Addo Elephant National Park
Addo was the first national park to offer concessions to private operators, thereby ensuring that the park had a few luxury alternatives to the more basic and crowded rest camp. If you're prepared to splurge, it's a bit of a toss-up between the 11-unit Gorah Camp (tel. 044/532-7818; www.gorah.com; R8,880/$1,233/£634 double, all-inclusive), with East African-style tented accommodations, or newcomer Nguni River Lodge (tel. 042/235-1022; www.ngunilodges.co.za; R5,260-R7,000/$731-$972/£376-£500). Colonial-style Gorah is the more elegant of the two, but Nguni's eight secluded thatched suites, each with its own viewing deck and private plunge pool, probably has the edge, especially if it continues to offer great-value specials. With a more intimate atmosphere, the gracious River Bend Lodge (tel. 042/233-8000; www.riverbendlodge.co.za.com; R5,600/$777/£400 double, all-inclusive), which, like Nguni, is situated within the 17,000-hectare (41,990-acre) private Nyathi concession, offers eight luxury rooms in a farmhouse-style atmosphere, superb cuisine, and personal attention from its owner-managers. If you balk at these prices, Elephant House (tel. 042/233-2462; www.elephanthouse.co.za; R1,380-R2,500/$192-$347/£99-£179, depending on the season) is another eight-roomed luxury lodge. Just outside Addo Elephant Park, it offers game drives to any of the surrounding game reserves and is the best value in the region; Hitgeheim Country Lodge (www.hitgeheim-addo.co.za; from R900/$125/£64 double)., with its spectacular views, is another good deal. Lastly, if you're not bothered with the Big 5, Intsomi Forest Lodge (tel. 046/653-8903; www.intsomi.com; from R2,000/$278/£143 double) -- the first and only lodge to open in Woody Cape Forest, the coastal part of Addo -- wins the prize for the best-designed suites (at least if you're a modernist), with plenty of timber and floor-to-ceiling glass windows that fold back to allow seamless interaction with the great outdoors.
Private Reserves
The reserves are given full reviews because they offer exceptionally high standards with Big 5 viewing, but there are a number of options that might better suit your pocket. The 5,000-hectare (12,350-acre) Kariega Private Game Reserve (tel. 046/636-7904; www.kariega.co.za; R3,600-R4,600/$500-$639/£257-£329 double, all-inclusive) is in the Kariega River Valley, an 80-minute drive from the city, and near the beaches of Kenton-on-Sea. Of the two lodges, Ukhozi Lodge (from R4,600/$639/£329 double, all-inclusive) is the more luxurious and exclusive, but Kariega Lodge (R3,600/$500/£257 double, all-inclusive) offers better value, particularly for families, with 19 spacious timber chalets, each with its own viewing decks -- again, some come with plunge pools at no extra cost, so make sure to book these well in advance.
Growing in popularity is the 6,000-hectare (14,820-acre) Amakhala Game Reserve (tel. 042/235-1608; www.amakhala.co.za), a mere 45 minutes from P.E. Amakhala has six separately owned and privately managed accommodations options, of which the top-end options include Safari Lodge (from R5,000/$694/£357 double, all-inclusive; rates depend on season), with accommodations in six thatched and luxuriously appointed "safari huts," and Leeuwenbosch, offering a more colonial-style experience and slightly better value at R4,400 ($611/£314) double, all-inclusive. But if you're on a budget, you can't beat Carnavon Dale (R2,850/$396/£204 double), a historic Edwardian-style settler farmhouse dating back to 1857, and sharing the same game-viewing.
Finally, golfers should consider the excellent deal at Bushman Sands (tel. 042/231-8000; www.bushmansands.com; from R1900/$$264/£136 double, including breakfast), a 90-minute drive from P.E. in Alicedale. Another successful attempt by visionary businessman Adrian Gardiner (of Shamwari) to develop sustainable tourism initiatives, this luxury golfing estate and 4,000-hectare (9,880-acre) reserve is centered on the town of Alicedale. Once a thriving railway town, the community was faced with high unemployment when Spoornet moved; with this new project, Gardiner has provided the town with a lifeline.
