Woman's Night Under Stars at Secret Garden Route Reserve Wins BBC Lifestyle Prize

Tebogo Pin-Pin arrived at the Misty Mountain Reserve in Tsitsikamma and slept beneath the stars inside a transparent cube, a king-sized bed sliding onto a private deck with the Garden Route sky overhead. That experience, which she shared with viewers of Hidden Gems South Africa on BBC Lifestyle, has now been voted the country’s most remarkable undiscovered destination.

The competition, titled Hidden Gems South Africa, enlisted six travel influencers, called “Gemfluencers,” to scout lesser-known retreats across the country. Each brought a companion and visited two locations throughout the series. Viewers voted weekly to determine their favourites, and the top five were revealed in the final episode.

Pin-Pin’s win is the first in the show’s inaugural season. As the winning Gemfluencer, she receives a R25,000 voucher from series sponsor LekkeSlaap, the same amount available to the top public voter. Weekly prizes of R10,000 LekkeSlaap vouchers were also given away to lucky viewers who voted for their favourite Hidden Gems throughout the run.

For Pin-Pin, the result carries weight beyond the prize. “Winning the first season of Hidden Gems South Africa on BBC Lifestyle is an incredible honour that means much more to me than simply taking home a title,” she said. “It honours authentic travel storytelling and recognises the remarkable people and places that make South Africa so unique.”

Greg Potter, who owns the Stargazing Cube with his wife Tracey, was direct about where credit belongs. “This award is about the people behind the journey; to Tracey and our incredible team, management and to the community, it all played a part,” he said. “It shows that dedication, resilience and believing in Tsitsikamma can create something truly special and nationally recognised.” For Potter, the recognition also makes a broader point: world-class hospitality can emerge from what he calls a small corner of South Africa.

Meanwhile, four other destinations filled out the top five, each surfaced by a different creator. Linda Munnik, a hiking and travel content creator, presented Dwarsberg Trout Hideaway in second place, a mountain retreat set among vineyards and wine farms, with a crystal-clear river pool, hiking trails, mountain biking and trout fishing on offer.

Third place went to Kruger Shalati, showcased by travel and lifestyle creator Senzelwe Mthembu. The accommodation sits suspended over the Sabie River on the Selati Bridge, with guests sleeping in converted train carriages positioned on the bridge or in adjacent rooms, looking out over Kruger National Park.

Cape Town-based filmmaker and photographer Melissa Blanche presented two properties. Mont Esprit, an eco-pod retreat a 10-minute drive from Franschhoek town, placed fourth, offering privacy and natural connection within the valley. Blanche also showcased Kagga Kamma Eco Lodge and Spa in the Cederberg region, known for its dramatic rock formations and cave-style suites, which placed fifth. Both destinations share a quality the series seemed drawn to: stillness, clear skies, and a sense of remove from the ordinary.

Hidden Gems South Africa was produced by PD Productions for BBC Lifestyle as part of the channel’s commitment to local content reflecting South African storytelling diversity. The series is sponsored by LekkeSlaap in association with Toyota. Viewers who missed the final episode can watch it on DStv Stream until 8th September, when the question of which hidden gem deserves a second look will be left entirely to them.