Nelson Mandela's Former Home In South Africa Is Now A Luxury Hotel

Former South Africa president Nelson Mandela's home has been completely transformed into a lavish hotel in South Africa, according to the New York Post. The hotel opened to the public last September, and overnight rates range from $260 per night to $1,000 for the presidential suite where Mandela stayed during his presidency. Mandela lived in the home for six years from 1992 to 1998. He was a host to many famous guests, such as Bill Clinton and supermodel Naomi Campbell.

The hotel is located on a quiet street in Johannesburg. It was Mandela's first residence after being released from his 27-year-long imprisonment for opposing South Africa's apartheid laws, per SA People News. During that time, Mandela became an important leader fighting against apartheid. The hotel serves as a memoir for the former political leader, who died in 2013 at the age of 95. There are several tributes dedicated to Mandela in the hotel, remembering what he fought for and the struggles he faced.

The boutique hotel is surrounded by various gardens in a small, quiet neighborhood enclosed behind a single gate and a brick fence, per the New York Post. There's a small parking lot for guests to park right in front of the entrance instead of parking on the street. A small garden with a wooden walkway sits directly across the entrance of the hotel that overlooks a stream of water surrounded by plants.

Architecturally, the hotel has a Spanish design touch to it, with the white painted building, burnt orange outline of bricks covering the roof and steps leading to the entrance, and wood outlined windows. Above the arched entrance is a balcony from one of the rooms that overlooks the courtyard and a second balcony next to it a few rooms down. Walkways on either side of the hotel that lead to the backyard are also surrounded with greenery, such as trees, plants, and flowers.

The décor of the hotel is kept fairly similar throughout each room. The bedrooms each have the same green walls with stone flooring, white furniture beds, and gray headboards. There are various hanging lamps on either side of the beds, along with a full length mirror attached to the closet door next to the bathroom. Additionally, the presidential suite is similarly designed as the rest of the rooms, except it's more spacious, having room for a couple of lounging chairs and a wooden desk. The ceiling is covered with floral shaped plastic tiles just above the bed for an elevated look.

While the bedrooms are beautifully decorated, the kitchen is the special room in the hotel; it's a fully equipped stainless steel kitchen with an endless amount of counter space. Nelson Mandela's chef of more than 22 years, Xoliswa Ndoyiya, runs the kitchen in the hotel, and she presents meals that Mandela enjoyed. A few of the menu's items include oxtail stew (which Mandela requested about three times a week), and a plate full of colorful vegetables, per the New York Post.

The entrance of the luxury hotel that used to be Nelson Mandela's home stretches through a long hallway, past the reception area to the main area and corridors. Visitors are greeted by the person at the front desk behind a beautiful black and white textured desk the moment they walk in. There is also a black and white striped bench across the reception desk for anyone waiting to be helped. As visitors move along down the hallway, there are stairs on either side that lead to the second floor. Passing the stairs there's an open space, where a photo of Mandela hangs on the wall.

"Sanctuary Mandela" is what the hotel is now called in memory of Mandela, per SA People News. Many framed photos of Mandela cover the walls throughout the hotel in honor of his legacy. The second floor holds all nine rooms and the presidential suite, as well as gives a view of the first floor. The opening in the center of the second floor is surrounded with glass windows for visitor's safety.