For a luxury stay in the Cradle region, look no further than The Cradle Boutique Hotel. Each of the high-end timber and thatch-roofed cottages has a private viewing deck elevated above the 7,000 hectares of private nature reserve spilling out below and the six new eco-friendly sky rooms have proven a popular, more modern edition to the accomodation offering. There are two luxurious pools on site, the natural filtration lounge pool with a cascading rock waterfall and a second sun-drenched swimming pool framed by private cabanas. The on-site Cradle Restaurant serves a high-end Bush-Bistro themed menu and is a beautiful space to sit back and unwind, particularly at sunset, with retractable floor-to-ceiling glass doors on three sides and a wide veranda looking out at the expansive Highveld valley. The hotel also offers guests the chance to tick off an elusive bucket list item – joining a world-renowned paleo-anthropologist on a visit to a major fossil exploration site in the nearby Sterkfontein Caves area.