From Johannesburg to Dubai, private members\' clubs are rewriting belonging itself, transforming privilege into purpose and velvet ropes into thresholds of connection.

There was a time when entering a private members’ club meant stepping into a coded ritual. Heavy doors, strict dress, a knowing nod to lineage. Today, those same thresholds open into spaces curated not just for affluence, but for creativity, purpose and connection. Wealth still whispers, but it no longer speaks alone. Now, the currency is attention, imagination and the ability to contribute to a broader cultural conversation.

Across cities from Johannesburg to Dubai, Cape Town to New York, the private members’ club is undergoing a quiet metamorphosis, as they distil a global craving for connection with intention. Beneath the chandeliers of Johannesburg’s Rand Club, the past still glimmers, even as the city’s bureaucracy threatens to dim the lights. A disputed rates revaluation has steepened its costs, yet the chandeliers still burn above evenings of music, wine and debate. Proof that heritage can evolve without losing its lustre.

In a world that subscribes to the cult of youth, three South African creatives prove that time doesn’t dull creativity; it refines it.

If we’re honest, somewhere deep in our collective psyche runs a cultural obsession with youth – a fixation that’s become a stand-in for relevance and worth. In many ways, youth is the mirror we hold up to avoid facing time, change, and the inevitability of ageing. We harbour a quiet discomfort with impermanence, and a silent unease with the natural, relentless passage of life itself. But as Miles Davis once said, “Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself.”

Look beyond this cult of youth and you’ll find that the creatives whose impact only sharpened with time have always been there. Iris Apfel reshaped fashion will into her 90s. Know any other names who signed with a global modelling agency at the age of 97? Toni Morrison’s most powerful novels were written in her 60s. Morgan Freeman’s defining roles came after he turned 50.

Walking past the Hagia Sophia on my way to dinner, it strikes me that Istanbul isn’t just a city, it’s a living presence, a mosaic of meaning. An avant-garde assortment of memories that mirror a deeply textured past. After two weeks here, I’ve come to feel this past as it lingers in the air, etched in stones worn smooth by centuries of belief. It’s also a place of layered stories, where the East doesn’t necessarily end, nor the West begin. In Istanbul, the past speaks in many languages, one of them, unexpectedly, through food. And you can hear it clearly in places like Sakhalin Istanbul.

Tucked into this city of beautiful contradictions, Sakhalin finds its home within the sleek contours of the Zorlu Centre, Istanbul’s nexus of luxury and modern living. At one of the city’s most exclusive addresses, Sakhalin offers more than just destination dining; it invites you to enter this dialogue. A space where flavours speak of tradition and innovation in equal measure.

Luxury hotels in Cape Town are no longer just places to rest and recharge, they’re cultural sanctuaries curating some of the world’s best bespoke art collections.

Over the last decade, Cape Town has forged a path for herself in the art world, officially becoming the nexus of contemporary African art. And while art and luxury have long been kindred spirits among aesthete-forward individuals, hotels are increasingly emerging as unexpected yet compelling canvasses for cultural expression.

By spotlighting South African artists, these bespoke establishments create an authentic connection to the country’s soul, transforming hotels into more than just places to stay. They invite guests to see South Africa through the eyes of its artists – past and present – unearthing hidden narratives.

Johannesburg’s new Roger Ballen Centre for Photography opens this month in Forest Town with a bold exhibition on AI. The show places local photographers in direct conversation with their international peers, while asking urgent questions about authenticity, creativity and the future of the craft of bending light.

A Space Dedicated to Photography

Dedicated solely to photography, the Centre is one of the few such institutions of its kind on the continent, launching at a time when debates about truth, technology and the role of the image intensify.

For founder Roger Ballen, who has lived and worked in South Africa for over four decades, the Centre fills a critical gap.

“Without sufficient spaces dedicated solely to photography, many gifted South African photographers still struggle to find the necessary platforms and support,” he says.

More than 170 artists will transform Joburg’s inner city this month, led by a headline project that reimagines heirloom as contemporary artworks.

What would you do if art interrupted you? Not politely. Not with permission. Just appeared. Something vivid, visceral and unannounced – right there in Joburg. That’s the energy behind Contra.Joburg, returning on 30-31 August 2025 with its most expansive edition yet.

Set across working studios an unexpected corners of Joburg’s inner city, the festival invites you into a living conversation with creativity. Over two days, more than 170 artists, designers and makers will activate 12 venues, transforming the CBD into a constellation of encounters not just with art, but with the city itself. To make navigating it all effortless, your Contra ticket includes access to a shuttle service linking each location, allowing you to explore at your own pace.

A crips winter morning finds me walking toward the Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation (JCAF), the cold sharp against my face. The old tram shed and electrical substation in Forest Town hums with quiet intent, setting the tone for what lies ahead. JCAF has never felt like a gallery to me; it’s more an ideas laboratory where art, research and technology mingle at an almost meditative pace. The exhibitions here are slow-burning contemplations, designed to be felt as much as understood; an invitation to encounter art, not simply consume it.

This visit finds JCAF in the middle chapter of its three-year Worldmaking series. Last year, Ecospheres explored the natural world, its ecosystems, fragility and our place within it. Next year, Futures will look forward, toward techno-realities and imagined landscapes. But for now the focus shifts from soil to scaffolding as it probes the built environment, its politics and poetry.

Above the bustling V&A Waterfront lies a place like no other. Hidden beside the oft-forgotten Time Ball Tower, in the Portswood Precinct, and behind a colonnade of strategically planted trees, lies the Dock House Boutique Hotel. The villa-styled property offers five elegantly appointed luxury rooms plus one suite, and exudes a sense of sophistication that speaks to its rather distinctive heritage.

Built during the mid-19th century as the Port of Cape Town Harbour Engineers’ residence, many a distinguished soul has walked her passageways. At the time the Dock House was built, much was happening on South African shores; like the diamond rush of 1867 that saw a big hole emerge in Kimberley and the 1886 discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand. Throughout, the Port of Cape Town did service to keep commerce moving forward during an age of unprecedented discovery.

Nestled on the back slopes of Table Mountain, Future Found Sanctuary is more than a luxury retreat; it is a transformative experience where indulgence and holistic well-being intertwine. This exclusive mountain hideaway, set amidst lush, curated gardens, invites guests to disconnect from the world while reconnecting with nature, themselves and a deeper sense of balance.

A Retreat into Tranquility

Luxury at Future Found Sanctuary goes beyond exquisite accommodations. Here, space and privacy are priceless intangibles, offering guests a rare opportunity to truly disconnect from the world.

The property recently launched its latest accommodation offering, Forest Pods.