Singita takes top honours in Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2011

Singita Sabi Sand: Where you can get up close... very close... to a leopard.

Having been rated against the finest hotels around the globe, Singita Grumeti Reserves, located along the Western corridor of Tanzania's legendary Serengeti National Park, is ranked No. 1 on the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2011 list of Top 100 Hotels Overall. Comprising four distinct, luxurious travel products that include the new Singita Explore mobile safari experience, as well as flagship Singita Sasakwa Lodge (a Relais & Châteaux property), Singita Sabora Tented Camp and Singita Faru Faru Lodge situated along East Africa's world-famous wildebeest migratory route, Singita Grumeti Reserves is one of the jewels in the crown of Singita's safari destinations.

Flagship Singita Sabi Sand, home to Singita's founding lodges Singita Ebony and Singita Boulders, as well as exclusive-use retreat Singita Castleton, followed hot on its heels as No. 2 on the coveted list of Top 100 Hotels Overall. Set within the greater Kruger National Park, Singita's private concession aims to offer the ultimate in safari luxury and an unsurpassed 'Big 5' game viewing experience, within classic bushveld landscape.

A third Singita product, Singita Kruger National Park, which encompasses Singita Lebombo and Singita Sweni Lodges with its spectacular setting overlooking the N'wanetsi River, not only made it onto this coveted Top 100 Hotels Overall list too (ranked No. 39), but it was also voted Best Hotel Spa in Africa and the Middle East in the same readers' survey this year.

Highlights from the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2011 readers' survey have just been announced in the USA on NBC's Today Show. Winners will receive their awards during a ceremony to be held in Los Angeles on Thursday, 14 July.

Ten top lodges

Singita Kruger National Park Lebombo Lodge: Where you can see the Big 5, and the elephants drop in for a drink.

Says chief marketing officer for Singita Game Reserves, Lindy Rousseau: "Singita today manages and is responsible for more than 230 000 hectares in Africa. We operate ten lodges in four destinations in three countries. We practice what I call modern conservation, which is a finely tuned relationship between wildlife, local communities and tourism. We are exponents of low impact/high value tourism, which means fewer tourists paying higher prices, ensuring that the habitat is sensitively managed.

"Our winning property, Singita Grumeti Reserves, stands out as a shining example of this. Just eight years ago hardly an animal was to be seen here, and today it has the most prolific game populations in East Africa. We spend more on wildlife projects and community development than anyone else. When it comes to hotels, the new world order is very different from just five years ago. Today it is about authenticity, integrity and being real - and I think this is why more and more guests identify with what we are doing. We also run exceptional lodges, from a design and décor point of view, with excellent food, service and staff. It is a true honour to be voted a world leader by the discerning travellers who have stayed at our safari destinations," she concluded.

Giving back

Singita Grumeti Reserves aims to embody the philosophy of 'touching the earth lightly', and claims to be an exemplary model for the new African eco-philanthropy that 'gives back' through significant conservation and community projects.

Singita Grumeti Reserve: Sabora tented camp - comfort under canvas.

The Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2011 are featured now on TravelandLeisure.com/worldsbest and will appear in the August issue of the American Travel + Leisure magazine (due for release on 22 July). The survey results are based on readers' ratings. Properties were rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being excellent, according to selected characteristics: rooms/facilities, location, service, restaurants/food, and value. Hotel spas are rated on the basis of their ambience, treatments, service and value.

The complete survey methodology is available on TravelandLeisure.com/worldsbest and in the August issue. The Travel + Leisure World's Best will be featured in the first-ever World's Best Awards 2011 iPad edition, available via www.TravelandLeisure.com/iPad, as well as on the iTunes App Store as of 11 July 2011.

For more information go to www.singita.com, call +27 21 683 3424 or email: az.oc.atignis@snoitavreseR; also follow on Twitter @Singita.