Sanbonani Resort Hotel & Spa

You stay at Sanbonani Resort where the Sabie and Sand Rivers meet, ten kilometres from Kruger National Park's Phabeni Gate. The resort has fifty air-conditioned hotel rooms with tea stations and safes, plus self-catering chalets with kitchens and braai areas overlooking the rivers. Families take the two- and three-bedroom chalets; couples and solo travellers choose the twin or double rooms.

The grounds hold two swimming pools — one for children — plus tennis courts, a mini-golf course and a jogging path along the water. The Fred First Kids Club runs activities like dances and storytimes; parents book massages at the spa or join guided walks from the safari desk. The Mhangela Restaurant serves breakfast on the terrace and dinners under the stars, with a bar for sundowners after game drives.

Guests drive ten minutes to Kruger for morning safaris, or try local activities like quad biking and river rafting on the Sabie. Back at the resort, the riverside setting means you hear water from your balcony, and the electric vehicle charging station means you can top up between park visits. The conference centre handles weddings and meetings for up to two hundred people, with catering from the same kitchen that feeds the restaurant.

The chalets have patios with built-in braais, and the hotel rooms have ceiling fans for summer nights. You can walk to the Phabeni Gate in forty minutes if you want to enter Kruger on foot.