Gauteng is sometimes aptly called the “Place of Gold”.
“Kudos to your team, they were very efficient, courteous, knowledgeable and friendly.”
Bob & Sylvia Dickinson
Menlo Park, CA, USA
South Africa’s smallest province is the economic powerhouse of Africa, a major transportation hub and home to the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria. A cosmopolitan mix of people from all walks of life, the region is a multicultural melting pot, evidenced in many excellent museums, theatres, galleries, cultural precincts and craft markets.
Yet despite being highly urbanised, it is also fresh and breezy with golf courses, botanical gardens and well-manicured parks dotted amongst its modern amenities. Gauteng has a rhythm, movement and style all of its own and it simply never stops.
Highlights of Gauteng
Johannesburg
With wealth built on gold, Johannesburg is lively, affluent and cosmopolitan, offering the visitor a tempting array of superb restaurants, elegant designer boutiques and bustling, world-class shopping malls.
Soweto township
Infused with the history of the struggle against apartheid, Soweto township – South Africa’s largest black suburb – provides visitors with a fascinating cultural experience.
Apartheid Museum
The extraordinarily powerful Apartheid Museum tells the story of South Africa’s infamous system of racial segregation.
Pretoria
Known as the “Jacaranda City”, Pretoria boasts many significant old buildings and fascinating museums like the Union Buildings and Voortrekker Monument.
Cradle of Humankind
Forty percent of all human ancestor fossil finds have been made at the Cradle of Humankind, among them “Little Foot”, an almost complete ape-man skeleton aged just over 4-million years old.
Lesedi Cultural Village
At Lesedi Cultural Village, experience the vibrant and colourful traditions of the Basotho, Ndebele, Pedi, Xhosa and Zulu people.
Recommended accommodation in Gauteng
Fairlawns Boutique Hotel & Spa
A haven of peace and tranquility right in the heart of Africa’s throbbing business capital, Fairlawns is an award-winning boutique hotel boasting 19 highly individualized, world-class suites. A fully equipped gym, Balinese Spa and an excellent a la carte restaurant ensure that a full range of services are on offer. The property has a stately, park-like ambience with huge, mature trees and prolific birdlife.
Fairlawns boasts 12 highly exclusive suites with an additional 6 luxury suites and one presidential suite. A must is the elegant dining and “old world style” bar. A grandiose home away from home, each suite consists of a main bedroom with en suite bathroom including Jacuzzi bath, a lounge with fireplace and a large working desk, modem ports and internet access.
The Peech
The Peech is Joburg’s ‘chic’ boutique hotel. The hotel is swish and sexy; the ideal hangout for trendy travellers in the hunt for no-frills contemporary style. It has been described as “contemporary, edgy and Afrocentric” by Condé Nast Traveller UK.
The Peech has thirteen bedrooms and three suites located in the Main House and the annexes. The rooms are modern and edgy with an indigenous, African feel. Crisp white sheets, feather duvets, Oregon pine floors and blesbok skins give the rooms a chic, natural feel. iPod docking stations, WiFi and electronic safes ensure they have the latest technology. All rooms are air conditioned. The bathrooms have Hans Grohe fittings, separate ‘Raindance’ showers, Molton Brown amenities, hairdryers and bathrobes.
Clico Guest House
Housed in a 60-year-old Cape Dutch house in the trendy suburb of Rosebank, Clico Guest House is an engaging mix of old and new – from the original Oregon pine floorboards and antique inlaid-wood side tables from Morocco, to custom-made, comfortable couches and the modern, whimsical sculptures by Anton Smit.
Just 9 luxurious rooms are individually furnished in warm, earthy browns, creams and soft greens, while the bathrooms are luxuriously appointed, from the designer taps to the light fittings which double as heaters. Most of the furniture has been custom-made for Clico by Dilly Lill’s, trendsetters in hotel furnishings. The modern décor complements the old-fashioned house, gently juxtaposing old and new in a manner guests will find relaxing and familiar. The restaurant’s fine French cuisine adds another element to Clico’s appeal.
