MORE Collection becomes the first hospitality collection to hold both titles in the same year.
SOUTH AFRICA, 8 July 2026 – Lion Sands Game Reserve has been named the No. 1 Safari Lodge in Africa and the No. 4 Hotel in the World, while Cape Cadogan Boutique Hotel has been recognised as the No. 1 City Hotel in Africa and the No. 35 Hotel in the World in the 2026 Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards. The awards are widely regarded as one of the most authoritative benchmarks in global travel. The results are featured in the August 2026 issue of Travel + Leisure and are available in full at travelandleisure.com.
Both awards are determined entirely by reader votes, making them a direct reflection of the experiences guests carry home. Lion Sands Game Reserve and Cape Cadogan Boutique Hotel are part of MORE Collection, the fourth-generation South African luxury hospitality group, which becomes the first hospitality collection to hold the No. 1 position in both categories in the same year.
“We’re incredibly grateful to every guest who has chosen to stay with us and share their experience. This recognition from Travel + Leisure belongs to every member of our team who shows up for our guests every single day. Lion Sands Game Reserve and Cape Cadogan Boutique Hotel are extraordinary places, but it is the people within them who make them what they are. This is their achievement, and we are enormously proud of them,” said Robert More, Custodian and CEO, MORE Collection.
LION SANDS GAME RESERVE | No. 1 Safari Lodge in Africa
Set along 13 miles of the Sabie River, Lion Sands Game Reserve encompasses four lodges – River Lodge, Narina Lodge, Tinga Lodge, and Ivory Lodge – two private villas, and three open-air treehouses perched above the African bush.
Each lodge offers its own character and pace, from the family-friendly warmth of Tinga Lodge to the secluded sophistication of Ivory Lodge, while sharing the same founding philosophy: that a safari should connect guests not just to wildlife, but to the land, the people, and the conservation work that sustains both.
Artist residencies, wildlife photography masterclasses through the Creative Lab, helicopter flights over the Mpumalanga escarpment, and community experiences complete an offering that goes well beyond the traditional safari itinerary.
Both River Lodge and Ivory Lodge offer dedicated kosher kitchens – Ivory’s fully accredited – with Beth Din-certified ingredients and private Mashgiach supervision available.
Across all lodges, Lion Sands accommodates a wide range of dietary requirements, including halal, vegan, and vegetarian, with advance notice.
CAPE CADOGAN BOUTIQUE HOTEL | No. 1 City Hotel in Africa
Cape Cadogan Boutique Hotel occupies a restored National Monument on Upper Union Street, in Cape Town’s Kloof Street Neighbourhood, within the suburb of Gardens – a building that dates to the early 1800s and sits within walking distance of the city’s most celebrated restaurants, galleries, and independent boutiques, with Table Mountain rising behind it.
The hotel’s 29 rooms, suites, and private villa, combine heritage architecture with contemporary comfort. The Cape Cadogan Villa offers six guests a fully private experience with a breakfast chef, concierge, and wellness and beauty treatments available on request.
The hotel’s culinary reputation is anchored next door at Upper Union Restaurant, led by Amori Burger, MORE Collection’s Group Executive Chef. Her seasonally driven menu draws hotel guests and neighbourhood locals in equal measure, earning a 2025 Eat Out Woolworths One Star and the Culinary Rising Star Award. Burger’s culinary standards and training extend across the group, shaping the food philosophy at the kitchens of MORE Collection’s safari lodges as much as Upper Union’s.
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For more information, contact Sue Kelly on pr@more.co.za | www.more.co.za
View Travel + Leisure Top 100 Hotels in the World here.
ABOUT THE TRAVEL + LEISURE WORLD’S BEST AWARDS
Each year, Travel + Leisure recognises the top hotels, islands, cities, cruise lines, airlines, spas, and more around the globe, according to the results of the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2026 readers’ survey. Additional information about methodology and criteria is available at travelandleisure.com/worlds-best/survey-methodology.
ABOUT MORE COLLECTION
MORE Collection is a fourth-generation South African hospitality company with a portfolio of luxury safari lodges, boutique hotels and exclusive-use villas across some of the country’s most remarkable destinations. Rooted in a family legacy that began in 1933, the business has evolved from protecting a single stretch of wilderness into a collection shaped by people, place and genuine hospitality.
Today, MORE Collection’s purpose – Great People. Strong Connections. – reflects its belief that exceptional hospitality begins with the relationships between guests, teams, communities and the natural environments that surround them. Across Lion Sands Game Reserve, Marataba Game Lodges, Monwana Game Lodge and Cape Cadogan Boutique Hotel, every stay is guided by thoughtful hospitality, a deep respect for place, and a commitment to creating meaningful experiences that endure long after guests leave.
