Top Hotels Luxury African Safaris

I've got some time to write more now. As I mentioned before, Mala Mala has the largest property within the Sabi Sands reserve, and Mala Mala also borders Kruger National Park.

Singita, on the other hand, has about half the property of Mala Mala, and Singita's property is farther away from Kruger National Park. So, the game viewing at Singita isn't quite as robust as it is a Mala Mala. Mala Mala's property has more diversity: wetlands, grasslands, woodlands, river, rocks, etc. So, just by its sheer size, they have more species and in greater numbers at Mala Mala. But, by no means is Singita lackluster. We still saw almost every animal that we saw at Mala Mala, albeit in smaller numbers. Though Mala Mala also had a few rare species as well.

Singita has two camps on their property and they are really stunning. Their rooms are unbelievably luxurious. And the service, including the butlers and all, is excellent — just as you would expect. We stayed at Singita Boulders, which has a more modern feel. There is also the Singita Ebony camp, which has more colonial influences. But, we didn't see Ebony.

Here are a few photos of our room at Singita Boulders.

Every day or so a herd of elephants would wander a few yards in front of the deck. Absolutely breathtaking.

The rooms were huge. Four-poster bed, fireplace, wooden floors, enormous bathroom with double vanities, makeup vanity, claw-footed tub, indoor rain-shower, outdoor rain-shower, two-level outdoor deck, and there was even a living room and a guest bathroom. Even though I was sure Rattray's couldn't be surpassed, the accommodations at Singita Boulders managed to be even more luxurious and exotic.

My only complaint at Singita was that the rooms did not have internet, and the plunge pools were freezing. Singita makes an effort to be environmentally conscious, so it seems they have a good reason for avoiding pool heaters.

At Singita, the Rangers do a very good job of taking care of you while out looking for game. Halfway through each outing, they'll stop the Land Rover in a safe place and raise a handy serving table that's attached to the grill of the vehicle. Out comes a table cloth, a stove to heat hors d'oeuvres, and serve wines, spirits or coffee. Most game lodges do something similar to this, but Singita does it with a little more style.

The Breakfast and lunch buffets back at the camps were good. But the dinners were terrific. One of the best features about Singita is that all of the alcohol is included in your daily rate. And normally that wouldn't be a big deal. However, Singita has one of the world's finest cellars for South African wines. It's really quite a treat. The cellar is open at any time during the day for anyone who wants to do a tasting or select a bottle for dinner. They also have a humidor stocked with an excellent selection of Cuban cigars, which, like the wines, are also included in your daily room rate.

It's no surprise that Singita is much more expensive than Mala Mala. At Mala Mala, you have to pay extra for alcohol, but the daily rate at Mala Mala is also hundreds of dollars cheaper per night — even at Rattray's. So, I'd say you do get exactly what you pay for at both places.

If you're looking for luxury and want to be pampered, go to Singita. If you're looking for excellent game viewing in a beautiful setting, go to Mala Mala. If you can't decide, you can't go wrong staying at both properties.