Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff, Johannesburg

Character and identity

Spread across a forested ridge above Johannesburg's northern suburbs, the Westcliff feels less like a city hotel than a hillside village, its villas connected by cobbled lanes and ferried by chauffeured golf cart. Glass elevators climb to View, the 240-degree dining room at the top of the property, one of five restaurants and lounges alongside three pools and a spa that leans into South African botanicals: rooibos, baobab, Kalahari melon. Après-Spa, the city's only alfresco spa lounge, sits in the treetops. Art on the Hill brings a steady programme of music, exhibitions and talks. Service is warm and capable.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The defining draw is the setting: a treetop perch above one of the world's largest urban forests, with cooking, spa and cultural programming built around it. Book a villa with a view over the northern suburbs, and aim for September to November, when the jacarandas below the ridge come into purple bloom.