A Perfect Stay

... armchair travel has never been this luxurious

We’re sure you, like us, are just longing to travel. To escape for a few days from our (albeit lovely) homes, and enjoy some time out somewhere gorgeous – and taking full advantage of the joy of allowing someone else to spoil us. Not quite, but almost as good as the real thing, is settling down and dipping into this incredible glimpse of the Royal

Portfolio. A collection of luxurious South African destinations created by Liz Biden and owned by her and her husband, Phil, the collection started with renting out a few rooms of the couple’s family home in the Kruger, a project started by Liz when she retired, and which resulted in the opening of Royal Malewane almost 21 years ago. She then went on to renovate and open up more of their private properties – a beach house in Hermanus, then a wine farm in Franschhoek. The Silo Hotel in Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront completes the portfolio ... this one purchased because, as Phil pointed out, ‘holiday homes are one thing – but we didn’t want to give up our family home too’!

A Perfect Stay is a peek into each hotel, at the glamorous lifestyles, the guests (Sir Elton John and David Furnish are regulars, and rave in the book’s foreword), the hospitality. ‘Our hotels are not just about the beautiful spaces. Our hotels are soulful,’ writes Liz. Soulful, relaxing, luxurious spots in iconic SA locations. Just perfect. R800 from theroyalportfolio.com