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The Parkwood Johannesburg

Introduction: The Parkwood is a relaxed boutique hotel combining elements of contemporary style with classic comfort. Luxurious, private and secure accommodation in the suburb of Parkwood within walking distance of the Rosebank Gautrain Station direct from ORT International Airport.

An urban sanctuary close to Johannesburg’s best African craft market, art galleries, shopping malls and a fantastic selection of good restaurants. A delicious complimentary breakfast is included for staying guests and concierge facilities are available to book restaurants, taxis and tours. The Parkwood is a five star Tourism Grading Council accredited boutique hotel featuring unique and stylishly considered spaces. We strive to offer the very best comfort at the best rate.


Above information is how the hotel presents itself on their website.
Below is my experience based on a one-night stay at the property.


My Arrival experience: Warm welcome from the guard and escorted right to the room.

What I loved: Country feel and homely feel in a quiet area of the busy city of Johannesburg.

What about the food: Good small breakfast buffet and whatever you would like from the kitchen.

What about the service: Friendly staff including the owner. Feels more like a home than a hotel.

What about the rooms: Beautiful, contemporary rooms with everything you need. Comfortable bed, working desk, flat screen Tv and a modern bathroom with Charlotte Rhys products.

Number of rooms: 16.

Website: www.theparkwood.co.za

Type of property: Boutique hotel in the city.

Location: Rosebank, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Complimentary internet: Yes and unlimited.

Affiliations: None, but could easily be a member of collections such as Kiwi Collection or Preferred Boutique.

My overall impression: Great experience.


10 2nd Avenue Houghton Estate

Introduction: Situated in the exclusive suburb of Houghton Estate, 10 2ND AVENUE HOUGHTON ESTATE is an established 5 Star Boutique Hotel of superb luxury and effortless style nestled into lush, landscaped gardens. The stately elegance of the 5000m2 property and the centrality of its location make it the ideal place for the leisure and business travellers alike.

20 minutes from OR Tambo International Airport, within easy reach of the business hubs of Johannesburg, Braamfontein, Rosebank and Sandton, and surrounded by an array of recreational activities. 10 2ND AVENUE HOUGHTON ESTATE is a 24-hour secure estate, conveniently located 5 minutes away from the Rosebank Gautrain Station which links to OR Tambo International Airport, Sandton and Pretoria.


Above information is how the hotel presents itself on their website.


Below is my experience based on a one-night stay at the property.


My arrival experience: Warm welcome with a welcome drink before being escorted to the room.

What I loved: The countryside feel in Johannesburg and the fantastic internet connection making it an ideal place for business travellers.

What about the food: Good a la carte breakfast and dinner with attentive and friendly service.

What about the service: The service is better than most small boutique hotels I have stayed in South Africa. The staff are smiling and helpful, but also more well-trained than similar hotels in the country. Great attention to details with cookies in the room upon arrival and a snack for turn down service.

What about the rooms: Beautiful small rooms with flatscreen Tv, bathtub and separate shower. Complimentary mini-bar is a big plus as well as the complimentary, unlimited, high-speed internet access which, unfortunately, is rare in boutique hotels in South Africa.

Number of rooms: 15.

Website: www.houghtonestate.com

Type of property: City hotel with country feel.

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa.

Facilities: Swimming pool and boardroom.

Complimentary internet: Yes, very fast and unlimited. Impressive!

Affiliations: Preferred Hotels.

My overall impression: Great experience.






Genesis Suites

Genesis Suites is a small 4-star apartment hotel located in a shopping center in the Fairmount area of Johannesburg. Genesis Suites is a hotel with it´s pros and cons. I enjoyed having a full kitchen and supermarkets like Woolworth and Pick n Pay within steps of my room. The location is, however, far from perfect with 10-15 minutes from Rosebank and Sandton making it a bit far away "from the action". A complimentary shuttle operates a few times a day to Sandton City shopping mall, and an Uber will cost you around ZAR100.

The apartment suites are beautiful with their modern design. Genesis Suites is suitable for long term stays with its kitchens, but it´s also an ideal place for business people visiting Johannesburg for a few days. High-speed Internet access is, unfortunately, rare in hotels in South Africa, but Genesis Suites got it right. It is also stable and unlimited which was a surprise. At Genesis Suites, you don´t get a 5-star experience, but instead valuable amenities for both short and long term stays.


Forum Homini

Introduction: In the flow of time, some opportunities are truly rare - a visit to Forum Homini is one of those.

Emerging from the ancient dust in the Cradle of Humankind is Forum Homini Boutique Hotel. Set within a private game estate this 5 star hotel offers deluxe cave style accommodation for discerning travellers, fine dining at award-winning roots restaurant, an intimate wedding venue and excellent facilities for those with business in mind.

The fascinating history of mankind is weaved into the walls, the artwork, the layout and the décor.

Forum Homini is an evolutionary concept!

Forum Homini means: A place where people talk about… people, art, culture, food, wine and many more.

The vision for Forum Homini was to make the dramatic story of the development of humans accessible, interesting and fun – a place where talking to each other is stimulated by the environment.

Forum Homini is situated on the Letamo Game Estate where the variety of natural occurring habitats such as savannah, acacia bushveld, wetlands and koppies, cater for a large variety of game that inhabit the estate.

The hotel was designed to blend into the environment, making landscaping very important. Small walkways, grass covering the roofs and the use of more than 140 endemic plants to the area create a unique and natural effect.

Above information is how the hotel presents itself on their website.


Below is my experience based on a short stay at the property.


My arrival experience: Warm welcome and fast check-in before being escorted to the room. Welcome amenities and a 1L bottle of water in the room upon arrival.

What I loved: The unique design, breakfast, attention to details and to find Molton Brown products in the bathroom.

What about the food: Forum Homini is a unique hotel and with a concept I have not seen in any of the 1,000+ hotels I have stayed. A 5-course breakfast of high quality. I normally don't like breakfast, but this was a wonderful way to start the day. The menu changes daily for all meals. Their Roots restaurant has been named one of the best restaurants in the Johannesburg area by Eat Out. I really enjoyed it and would rank it on level with a Michelin-recommended restaurant, just below a star.

What about the service: Great, professional staff in all areas of the hotel. From the Mozambican security guy to the General Manager. Attention to details such as bath salt, welcome amenities and a printed menu daily are very impressive.

What about the rooms: Uniquely designed rooms. My suite had a comfortable bed, double rain shower, bathtub, bath salt, flatscreen Tv, mini bar and a fireplace making it an ideal winter escape.

Number of rooms: 14.

Website: www.forumhomini.co.za

Type of property: Country hotel.

Location: Muldersdrift, South Africa. An hour from Johannesburg.

How to get there? You can get there with Uber, but Uber is not available for a ride back. Instead I highly recommend Jelani for transfers.  +27 (011) 954-3651 -  info@jelani.co.za 








Facilities: None. This property is about great food and relaxation.

Complimentary internet: Yes and surprisingly fast.

Affiliations: None, but could in my opinion be a member of Relais & Châteaux.

My overall impression: Great experience. A unique experience and a place to stay if you love Relais & Châteaux properties, like I do.








Capital House Boutique Hotel


Capital House Boutique Hotel is a lovely 5-star guest house in the quiet Waterkloof area of Pretoria. One of the most expensive and safest areas of South Africa. Selecting Capital House Boutique Hotel for my project was an easy decision after reading about it on Tripadvisor.

The first good impression of the hotel was their fast responses to all my e-mails and a last minute request to check-in early morning was also granted with no hesitation. Very impressive and not common, even in the better 5-star hotels around the world. As Tertia told me on the first day, they are not like other hotels, they like to do things differently at Capital House. Tertia and Sean run the place with a passion for hospitality and, for example, do a different kind of breakfast from other properties I have stayed. Sean explained they only use fresh ingredients from Woolworth, South Africa's "luxury" supermarket, and the best of it's kind I have seen anywhere in the world. They also provide you with a sherry and chocolate at turndown service and takes the time to explain and help with whatever you might need. Sean gave me many good pieces of advice on things to do in Pretoria and South Africa itself, and I enjoyed our conversations.

Capital House Boutique Hotel is a unique experience with beautiful old school rooms in ten different categories. The internet is complimentary,  fast, stable and unlimited. It makes it a perfect place to stay for business people that need a break from the standardized and impersonal chain hotels.

I enjoyed my stay and will have to agree with the Tripadvisor reviews. It's a unique, homely experience run by passionate people.


For more information www.capitalhouse.co.za



The Maslow

Introduction: When it comes to deluxe business hotels in Sandton, Johannesburg, The Maslow is renowned for offering premier 4-star Sandton accommodation for business travellers. The Maslow is located in Sandton’s financial district, only a few minutes away from the Sandton Gautrain station, Sandton City mall and Nelson Mandela Square. With modern conference facilities and meeting rooms, Sun International’s The Maslow is Sandton’s premium business hotel. Superior comfort, relaxation and elegance are guaranteed when staying at this high-end hotel in Sandton.



Above information is how the hotel presents itself on their website.

Below is my experience based on a one-night stay at the property.

My arrival experience: Quick check-in. No escort to the room.

What I loved: The design and the smoke-free environment.

What about the service: It was hit and miss. Some staff are truly great, while others need more training. I was disappointed with the breakfast buffet as it was far below the other standards of this great hotel. The complimentary shuttle to Nelson Mandela Square and the Sandton Gautrain station is very nice and runs every 15 minutes.

What about the rooms: Beautiful contemporary rooms. Mine had a comfortable bed, two flatscreen Tv's, freestanding bathtub, double sink and a large separate rainshower. The bathroom has Molton Brown amenities and the room were better than at similar business hotels.

Number of rooms: 281.

Website: www.suninternational.com/maslow

Type of property: Johannesburg, South Africa.

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa.

Facilities: Swimming pool, spa, gym with out-dated facilities and business/meeting facilities. I am surprised this is only ranked as a 4-star hotel. It is better than many 5-star hotels in both service, accommodation and facilities.

Complimentary internet: Yes, unlimited and quite fast.

My overall impression: Great experience. A lovely business hotel that exceeded my expectations. I would love to stay here again.

African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel

Introduction: Located in the sought-after Melrose Arch Lifestyle Development, this unique urban hotel offers an elegant and exquisite experience incomparable to other 5 star hotels in Johannesburg. The outstanding combination of world-class service and distinctive design ensures that every detail is as exceptional as our GUESTS.

From the moment you enter through the impressive wooden doors, you’ll be greeted by an exclusive ambience laced with our signature scent. Tailored furniture, stylish dining and sumptuous comfort combine to tempt your every sense, while flawless service elevates the experience into a class of its own.


Above information is how the hotel presents itself on their website.


Below is my experience based on a one-night stay at the property.


My arrival experience: Quick and friendly experience. No escort to the room.

What I loved: The design and the breakfast.

What about the food: An impressive breakfast with high quality South African food including oysters and full cream yogurt.

What about the service: Very good service. Found all staff to be kind and accommodating. Attention to details such as handwritten welcome card and nice welcome amenities.

What about the rooms: Beautifully designed rooms, unlike your typical 5-star hotel. Comfortable bed, Eartherapy products in the bathroom, separate rain shower and a nice bathtub. There could perhaps have been bath salt, but I would say I only had one problem with this hotel. It's smoking policy. They have smoking rooms available upon requests. We are talking 2015, and it is very sad to see a few number of hotels still allows smoking indoor, especially in this hotel with its open floors. If I had known this beforehand, I would not have stayed here. I would highly recommend the hotel for smokers as it is a great experience, but if you are not a fan of passive smoke, there are many smoke-free alternatives in Johannesburg, such as the Crowne Plaza. If this hotel becomes smoke-free like other hotels, I will not hesitate to return. I still rank this as a great experience for its unique design, staff, breakfast and facilities. I just don't want passive smoke.

Number of rooms: 118.

Website: www.africanpridehotels.com

Type of property: City hotel.

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa.

Facilities: Swimming pool and meeting/business facilities.

Complimentary internet: Yes, but limited to 500 MB data. This is a negative as it should be unlimited. It was also quite slow.

Affiliations: African Pride.

My overall impression: Great experience.



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