Sweet Suites in Johannesburg (Courtyard Hotel (Sandton, South Africa))

Member Name: TheChocolateLady

Product:	Courtyard Hotel (Sandton, South Africa)
Date:	04/06/09 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Safe area, large rooms, great breakfast, near two malls

Disadvantages: Not sufficient bedding and no bathroom heating in the winter

If you're in Johannesburg on an extended stay, this might be a good place to try. This hotel is a surprisingly safe walking distance from two shopping centers, the Village Walk and the Sandton City. The building is built literally around a courtyard - which you have to walk across to go between the main buildings and the rooms. The staff is mostly very good, with a couple of niggles (detailed later). The rooms are BIG and the breakfast was great.

This hotel is good for the business traveler who isn't looking for swank and needs someplace comfortable, clean and convenient - although it isn't meant for conventions or meetings (the guest lounge had to be vacated so the choir could practice, so apparently they have no meeting rooms). Families might also like this hotel since the sizeable rooms and kitchens, which would make this economical, and is easy to reach by car.

The rooms here are really quite big. Since these are suites, you get a kitchen and could easily do self-catering. The double room is more like a studio apartment than a hotel room and was very comfortable. They keep this place absolutely spotless and a reach under your bed for something will find it totally sans dust and dirt. This means they are taking excellent care of these rooms. The bed was about a queen-sized one which was comfortable but they only gave you blankets and no comforter. This could be a problem in winter, when it can get pretty cold. Moreover, the bathroom hasn't any heating and that was one of the biggest drawbacks of this place. In summer, that's not a problem but getting into the shower each morning in winter could prove painful. Still, the bathroom is large with a tub and shower, with toilet and sink (no bidet) and enough room to put all your toiletries.

The hotel seems well kept up but seems to have been around for a few years. The lobby isn't terribly big but isn't really more than a small area around the front desk. If you go upstairs there's a lounge (with a bar that works on the honour system) and near that, a room with one computer with Internet for guest use (say if you have problems with your laptop).

As for the front desk, when there was a problem with the room, they sent someone right away. On the other hand, when there was a problem with the reservation, they are slow to get back to you. It was okay in the end but a bit of an effort - which it shouldn't be. Otherwise the staff were very friendly and helpful - almost overly so.

You get a welcoming drink when you arrive which is either a soft drink or cocktail. Also, they always have a fruit bowl in the lobby and if it happens you don't have time for breakfast or you order room only, they have in the lobby muffins and coffee for free! Breakfast is very enjoyable there. They give you a buffet but you order the cooked parts from a waiter - which is anything you want. They offer any kind of eggs with meat or other cooked breakfast items (even baked beans) and toast. Breakfast buffet includes things like a variety of cereals, cheeses, yoghurts and fruits. If you ask for coffee they give you an individual Cafe Press, which was wonderful quality and makes it very fresh. Families can get hot chocolate for their kids and of course, what ex-British colony wouldn't have tea as well! The wait staff were just great without being overly bothersome and I was very satisfied with the whole experience. They have a "happy hour" in the bar which is in addition to the honour system where you can keep it soft or go as hard as you like. (There were a couple drunk people there, but they were as well behaved as Australians can be.)

There's a shuttle for the airport but it isn't clear how you can get to town and most tourists will probably want to have their own car (and parking facilities are fine).

Seeing as this is in a commercial area of the city, there's not a huge amount of nightlife around, with the exception of going over to the Village Walk where there is a bar. If you just need a restaurant, these two shopping areas have everything you could ever want for your dining pleasure. At the nearby Village Walk you can find Israeli, Thai, Portuguese, African and a steakhouse, some of which you'll be happy to make use of, rather than walk all the way to Sandton City. Sandton City has a much bigger eating selection, including the famous "Butcher Block" which is a carvery restaurant and very South African indeed. This mall is of incredible size - and you can easily get lost in it! It incorporates among other things, a cinema complex and "Nelson Mandella Square" which has a statue of Mandella in it, and is an interesting combination of a 'piazza' being bang in the middle of a shopping centre.

On the one hand, the area is basically quiet and removed enough from the road to not hear the traffic, but if you have the bad luck of having a boisterous group staying there that get up early, there could be a problem. That is, the rooms aren't well insulated and you can hear comings and goings which might wake you. I mentioned this to the staff but couldn't really complain - since I know all about choirs having to be on time.

In general, this is a very pleasant place, that is clean, nicely decorated but isn't terribly fancy. The staff are mostly good, breakfast is wonderful, and seems to be mostly quiet, fairly well located and convenient to the two large malls. The biggest problems were the inadequate bedding and unheated bathroom, which are only a problem in the winter. Certainly, the Courtyard Sandton is worth four out of five stars, and recommended.

Thanks for reading.

Davida Chazan © June 2009 (similar version appears on Trivago)

Summary: The Courtyard Hotel in Sandton has suites good for business or families.