SEVEN Africa and Middle East accommodation facilities - five of them in Southern Africa - feature in the March 2000 edition of well-known US magazine Travel & Leisure's (T&L) 'Top 10 Hotels for Value Overall', following a reader survey.
According to the article, which states simply that "Africa must be doing something right", T&L readers were asked to rate hotels around the world, comparing cost for a room (according to the hotels' March 1 rate) with the best value-for-money obtained.
CCAfrica's Londolozi Private Game Reserve in South Africa's Mpumalanga province tops the list, with Governor's Camp in Masai Mara, Kenya coming second.
Sandton's five-star Michelangelo Hotel in Gauteng is placed third and the visually stunning Palace of the Lost City at Sun City follows with a fourth place.
The Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe was rated as the sixth best value hotel and Mala Mala Game Reserve as the seventh.
Cairo's Mena House Oberoi in Egypt was voted in the ninth position.
The 'Top 10 Hotels for Africa and the Middle East' features these seven hotels, with Botswana's Chobe Game Lodge taking eighth place, the Mara Safari Club in Kenya in ninth position, followed by the North West Province's Sun City Hotel in the number 10 slot.
T&L provides the US$ March 1 rates for a basic double room and it is interesting to note that the Southern African prices range from US$990 (approximately R6 700) to US$372 (approximately R2 500). The highest rate for any other hotel at any other world destination featured in the magazine is the Villa San Michelle, Fiesole, Europe at US$831 (approximately R5 600).
According to the price ranges featured in T&L, the top five most expensive hotels in the world are:
1. Londolozi -US$990 (R6 700)
2. Governor's Camp - US$950 (R6 400)
3. Villa San Michelle - US$831 (R5 600)
4. Villa d'Este, Europe - US$759 (R5 100)
5. Four Seasons Resort, Nevis US$650 (R4 400)
The average price worldwide ranges from US$250 (R1 700) to US$350 (R2 350).
(Adele Mackenzie)
