Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff, Johannesburg

"The trip began at the Four Seasons Westcliff in Johannesburg, where guests gathered and socialized on the hotel's deck, overlooking the city’s trees and elephants at the zoo. The hotel served as the initial meeting point for travelers bound for the Rovos Rail journey." - Travel + Leisure Editors

"When the Four Seasons took over Johannesburg 's celebrated Westcliff Hotel (a colonial-style grande dame that was admittedly fraying around the edges), its brief was clear: update the tired ambience with a cutting-edge makeover. For its first property in South Africa, the luxe hotel group spared no expense, closing the hotel down for a year and a half until they were satisfied with the full revamp, which debuted in December 2014. The new Four Seasons has modern elegance in spades, from the minimalist View restaurant (the main feature here is, as the name suggests, the panoramic view over Johannesburg’s lush landscape) to the 117 rooms outfitted with chrome details and local contemporary art. For generations, the Westcliff has been the bastion of Johannesburg’s most rarefied citizens, who decamped to the hotel for special occasions or met for high tea on the terrace. With its new look, the property is ready to welcome back its longtime clientele while opening doors to a more youthful set in the process."