The Saxon Hotel
36 Saxon Road, Sandhurst
+27.11.292.6000
www.slh.com/saxon

After Nelson Mandela left prison in 1990, insurance tycoon Douw Steyn invited him to stay at his home to finish writing his autobiography, Long Road to Freedom. In June 2000, Steyn transformed this residence into an exclusive and elegant boutique hotel that is burnished by the reflected glow of Mandela’s legacy.

The Saxon’s decor pays elegant tribute to African culture rendered in contemporary forms. The corridors sport a series of sketches by Dean Simon that depict Mandela’s stay. The hotel’s 26 suites (all the rooms are suites) feature indigenous motifs in warm earth tones. The 20 Egoli (Zulu for “city of gold”) suites, four presidential suites and two platinum suites all have contemporary business and entertainment amenities. The Mandela Platinum Suite features two bedrooms, a reception area and a full kitchen. The Mbeki Platinum Suite has one bedroom, a reception area, lounge, dining room and butler’s kitchen. Both platinum suites are accessible via a private elevator.

The Saxon’s conferencing options include a 12-seat boardroom and a conference venue that accommodates up to 55 guests. The larger Convention Lounge holds up to 80 guests and includes a bar and 40-seat auditorium for presentations.

The services of a Cape Wine Academy cellar master are available in the Saxon’s wine cellars. The Wine Tasting Cellar accommodates 20 standing guests for wine tasting or predinner drinks. The Dining Cellar accommodates 12 guests for a three-course, sit-down meal of traditional dishes such as cassoulet, curries and tarts. Guests can also enjoy the cocktail bar, cigar library, piano lounge and an outdoor heated pool.

The hotel can arrange for bodyguards through a private security company. A helipad is available nearby, in the suburb of Gallo Manor, located five miles from the hotel.

The Westcliff
67 Jan Smuts Ave., Westcliff
+27.11.646.2400
www.westcliff.co.za

Located in the peaceful residential suburb of the same name, the Westcliff is set at the most elevated vantage point of any Johannesburg hotel, offering spectacular views of the zoological gardens and the leafy northern suburbs. The hotel sits like a Mediterranean village on a hillside, with a series of villas that cascade through landscaped gardens.
 
South African master designer Graham Viney decorated each of the hotel’s 80 bedrooms and 35 suites. Most have private balconies with views, and each bedroom features a pop-up television at the foot of the bed.

From its terrace at the top of the Westcliff estate, the presidential suite overlooks the hotel’s rim-flow pool. The suite features one bedroom (a second bedroom can be arranged), a dining area, a lounge with fireplace, a wet bar with catering facilities, a guest cloakroom and a marbled vestibule. Guests occupying the presidential suite have access to the services of a butler 24 hours a day, as well as personalized day-trips, chaperoned shopping sprees, on-call hairdressers and health and beauty treatments. Sports-minded guests can request a personal trainer, a tennis coach or golf partner.
German-born executive chef Sven Niederbremer is at the helm in the flagship restaurant, La Belle Terrasse, where he prepares international cuisine with a South African flair.

The hotel’s limousine service will transport guests from the airport. Guests can also use one of the hotel’s Mercedes-Benz sedans for the duration of their stay.

Having hosted heads of state and celebrities, the Westcliff is also equipped to deal with a range of other specialized requests for its guests, including high-level security, protocol and the preparation of meals in the presidential suite.

InterContinental Sandton Sun & Towers
Fifth and Alice streets, Sandhurst
+27.11.780.5000
www.southernsun.com

The InterContinental Sandton Sun & Towers, comprising two distinct properties linked via an enclosed skywalk, offers direct access to Sandton Convention Centre, the country’s largest convention venue. The hotel is also located close to the new Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

The property has 525 rooms, 35 suites, one penthouse and three presidential suites. Guests enter one of two reception areas: the Towers atrium with its Grecian friezes and soaring vaulted ceilings or the Sandton Sun foyer with its waterfall tumbling down a green marble wall.

The Towers’ Club floors provide a higher level of privacy and service, including a personalized check-in facility (also available in executive class), which allows guests to bypass the public reception area. Continental breakfast is served in the Club hospitality lounge, which is open 24 hours a day.

For travelers not escorted by their own bodyguards or those in need of additional protection, the hotel offers protection services.

Other amenities include a chauffeur-driven car service, a doctor and on-call dentist. The meeting facilities can cater to boardroom meetings of 10 up to large events of 800 delegates. Restaurant options encompass a variety of international cuisine, from traditional African to Portuguese, Italian and Japanese.

The fitness center offers a fully equipped gym with qualified instructors. Guests can relax on one of two pool decks or enjoy the collection of cycads flourishing around the heated swimming pool and grounds of the Towers.

The Michelangelo on Nelson Mandela Square
135 West St., Sandton
+27.11.282.7000
www.michelangelo.co.za

The Michelangelo overlooks the center of Nelson Mandela Square in the heart of the Sandton business district, one of Johannesburg’s most upscale shopping complexes.

An elegant Renaissance style permeates the hotel and its 218 rooms, as well as its 22 suites. Each of the two presidential suites has its own entrance lobby, lounge and private dining room for up to 10 people, kitchenette, dressing room and 24-hour butler service. All suites have a spacious lounge, direct-dial phones, direct dialing for personal fax and modem, Internet access and safes. Other services include laundry, dry cleaning and valet services, a business center, baby-sitting service, a lifestyle and fitness center with a heated and covered pool, a grassy sun deck, steam bath and on-call doctor and dentist.
For meetings, the Michelangelo provides fully adaptable suites and rooms, ranging from the circular L’Incontro to the Il Paviglone, which accommodates as many as 160 people. The LG Business Centre also offers office and secretarial services.

In the Piccolo Mondo restaurant, executive chef Rudi Liebenberg specializes in Asian and Mediterranean seafood dishes, as well as meats that are matured in the in-house butchery. The restaurant also features South Africa’s highly regarded wines. The Il Ritrovo Lounge serves high tea every afternoon, and in the evening, cocktails, complemented by tapas and other light snacks, are offered.

Nelson Mandela Square offers public shopping and entertainment options, including a classic theater and cinemas.

The Grace
54 Bath Ave., Rosebank
+27.11.280.7200
www.grace.co.za

The Grace Hotel is in the heart of Rosebank, a suburb rich in eclectic restaurants, shopping, cinemas and culture. The upscale Rosebank Mall, with more than 120 shops, is accessible to the hotel via a sky bridge.

The Grace has 60 guest bedrooms, 10 suites and three penthouse suites. Each of the one-bedroom penthouse suites has an en-suite lounge, guest toilet, adjoining bathroom and separate shower. French doors open onto a private balcony. All the other suites have adjoining lounges suitable for small business meetings and private dining.

Chef Raymond Rundle of The Dining Room prepares authentic African foods, including game such as kudu and impala (both are antelopes). The restaurant also hosts a popular Sunday brunch. The spa offers a variety of treatments, including Hawaiian massage, hot-stone therapy and aromatherapy.

The Grace’s meeting venues include a boardroom that seats 12 and a theater-style conference room that accommodates 45 people.

Other amenities at The Grace include a heated rooftop lap pool, rooftop terrace with croquet lawn and English country-style garden, satellite TV in all rooms, beauty and fitness center, business center and boardrooms.

InterContinental Airport Sun
Johannesburg International Airport
+27.11.961.5400
www.southernsun.com

The InterContinental Airport Sun is immediately adjacent to the terminals at Johannesburg International Airport.

Lodging consists of 109 guest rooms, 26 executive rooms, one room for disabled guests and two executive suites that include 24-hour butler service. The signature restaurant, Quills, is named after the unique 59-foot-long porcupine quill mobile, which spans the entire length of the eatery. It serves “Aero African” cuisine, a fusion of African and world menus. The hotel offers in-room dining with an optional “flight-friendly” menu, allowing long-haul passengers to dine before boarding.

Two meeting rooms and three boardrooms are supported by an in-house meeting planner, as well as an audio-visual specialist who coordinates state-of-the-art presentation and conferencing technology. The hotel’s relaxation facilities include a fully equipped gym with steam baths and an indoor heated swimming pool with panoramic views across the Johannesburg skyline. 

To view the Best Hotel chart click:
 List of Best Hotels in Johannesburg

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Out & About in Johannesburg

Restaurants
Diners can choose one of the following for fine international cuisines or indigenous African favorites.

The Dining Room in the Grace Hotel
54 Bath Ave., Rosebank
+27.11.280.7200
African-inspired cuisine

Illustration by John Burgoyne(Click image to enlarge)

Bistro 277
277 Main Road, Bryanston
+27.11.706.2837
French with continental influences

Le Canard
163 Rivonia Road, Morningside, Sandton
+27.11.884.4597
www.lecanard.co.za
French haute cuisine

Gramadoela’s
Market Theatre Complex, corner of Bree and Wolhuter streets, Newtown
+27.11.838.6960
Indigenous cuisine that celebrates the African renaissance and draws a celebrity clientele

The Saxon
(in the Saxon Hotel)
36 Saxon Road, Sandhurst
+27.11.292.6000
www.slh.com/saxon
Asian-influenced Mediterranean cuisine

Moyo
Melrose Arch, Melrose
+27.11.684.1477
African cuisine and entertainment spread over five floors. Book well in advance.

Wandies
618 Makhalamele St., Dube, Soweto
+27.11.982.2796
A Soweto favorite for indigenous cuisine, including dumplings, ting (soft porridge), mogodu (tripe), pap (cornmeal) as well as a buffet of Western fare

The Butcher Shop and Grill
30 Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton
+27.11.784.8676
www.thebutchershop.co.za
South African red meat and red wines

Cultural Attractions
Apartheid Museum
www.apartheidmuseum.org
Opened in 2001, the museum explores the history and legacy
of apartheid.

Soweto
Ask your concierge to arrange a tour of this historic township. Avoid traveling here alone.

Newton Cultural District
Dining, the Market Theatre and Museum Africa make an excursion into downtown Johannesburg worth your while.

Johannesburg Art Gallery
Klein Street, Joubert Park
European and African art


Illustration by John Burgoyne