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104 hand-picked stays

Secluded romantic stays

Sometimes the most romantic thing a place can offer is nobody else. These are the stays where you will not hear another guest, where the nearest neighbour is a long way off, and where switching off your phone feels natural rather than forced.

Seclusion looks different across South Africa. In the Western Cape it is a cabin at the end of a farm track in the Cederberg or the Overberg, an eco-pod on a fynbos hillside, or a cottage in a Klein Karoo valley with a sky full of stars. Many of these are off-grid or nearly so, running on solar power with a wood-burning fireplace and a hot tub.

In the bush, seclusion means a small lodge with only a few suites, a private reserve where the only vehicles you see belong to your lodge, or a sleep-out deck far from camp. Madikwe, the Waterberg and the private reserves around the Greater Kruger are good places to start.

The trade-off for seclusion is usually a longer drive and fewer conveniences, so it is worth checking the road (some need a higher-clearance vehicle), whether there is mobile signal, and what you need to bring. Most hosts are happy to talk you through it, and the effort is usually rewarded the moment you arrive.

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