Katie
Los Angeles
I've never been to Johannesburg and I'm a little overwhelmed by all the hotel options. I'd like to stay in a hotel that is central and gives me good sense of what Johannesburg is like. I'd love to know where locals tell their friends to stay when they visit, and why those areas and hotels are special. thanks!
If you want very safe and secure, I highly recommend the Melrose Arch area, which is new, trendy with a bunch of restaurants around a little square. If you want more bohemian, Melville is a very interesting place with interesting shops, restaurants and bars. Rosebank is an option that has lots of bars restaurants, etc, and would fill a place between the newness of Melrose Arch and the bohemian/studenty feel of Melville.
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The best area to stay in in the Rosebank to Sandton Area Very central and easy to get to and from. The Gautrain goes directly to the Rosebank and Sandton Station from the Airport. There are many hotels and BnB's. For a local experience try AirBnB. Public transport is lacking Hiring a car or using Uber is best.
Best place is near downtown Johannesburg. Please NEVER go out at night alone or walking with a few people at night. Also be very careful when using your credit card. Six months later someone that lifted the numbers tried to buy a airline tickets for 2 with our card. Luckily the card place caught it. We called them before our trip and told them of possible charges in Africa between a certain time frame only.
Sandton, Sandton and Sandton. its the main business hub and has one of the biggest malls in the JHB
Hey Katie, I live in Johannesburg and without knowing your budget I would suggest the Radisson Blu Gautrain Hotel, Sandton Johannesburg based purely on location, http://www.radissonblu.com/hotel-johannesburg. It's in the centre of Sandton and right next to the Gautrain station which connects you to the airport, the centre of town and Pretoria.
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