Polana Serena Hotel, Maputo 

Designed by English architect, Sir Herbert Baker, the Polana Serena is the ‘Grand Dame of Africa’.

With its wide corridors, high ceilings and opulent furnishings, the Polana Serena is old-world palatial. Conceived as an idea in 1917 and completed in 1922, it was designed by world-famous architect, Sir Herbert Baker, who also designed many of Pretoria’s most iconic buildings and the Stellenbosch and Franschhoek wine estates. Over the years it has played host to millionaires, politicians, spies and secret agents. A sensitive eight-year renovation, completed in 2010, brought this iconic building’s facilities up-to-date without compromising its historic charm.

After days spent exploring the city, ease weary limbs in the sauna at the Maisha Mind Body and Spirit Spa, and indulge with a massage where therapies are hand-made using local fruits, flower oils and medicinal herbs. Or you could simply relax in the 18-metre swimming pool set in the tropical gardens. If you prefer to dine in your hotel than out in the city, the restaurants here include Delagoa for classical French cuisine fused with traditional Mozambique ingredients and the open-air Aquarius Bar for fresh sushi overlooking the ocean.

Elegant rooms and suites have Indo-Portuguese influences and feature details including hand-carved furniture, plush fabrics in muted tones and overhead canopies. Choose between the traditional main building and the more contemporary Polana Mar Wing – where rooms are set into the rocks facing out over the water.