Plan to recover from International flight from USA in Johannesburg before carrying on with our African journey. Suggestions on hotels (around $200.00 a night) and things to see and do

Thanks for any help

I would suggest a hotel in Sandton City or Rosebank, we have stayed in several eg Intercontinental Sandton, Da Vinci Hotel and Suites, Balalaika which is now a Marriott, has a lovely garden and they have a great restaurant, the Bull Run. Both areas are ok to walk around and there are several restaurants to choose from. There are many places to choose from in the whole of Sandton, inc some great bed and breakfasts and several boutique hotels.

Things to see: various wild life parks,Cradle of Humankind, hot air balloon over Magaliesburg, trip to Sun City and Pilanesburg. Renting a car and driving to these places is pretty easy but you can take tours if you prefer.

I don't find the jet lag to be a big problem to JNB. Either way, three nights is a long time in Joberg. The Apartheid Museum and the Lipizzaner horse show on Sundays are both very well done. Coming home is much harder.

Jetlag might not be an issue for some, but tiredness might be. 3 days could mean 2 nights, either way 2 or 3 nights is not a long time in Joburg as there are several things to see and is often missed out. If you do go out towards Magaliesburg, you can stop at the Elephant Sanctuary and other places en route.

Good day travelers,
If I may just add an oft-forgotten geographical note...many travelers take longer to recover from their long-haul flight in Johannesburg because of the city's altitude (6000ft). If at all possible, we always urge our travelers to merely transit Jo'burg upon arrival and commence their stay in South Africa in Cape Town or Durban (i.e. sea level).
Liz at Lancaster and Rutland House are two excellent guest houses worth considering, as is a visit to the Apartheid Museum combined with a tour of Soweto...we use the profoundly excellent services of Joe Motsogi of JMT Tours.
Happy travels,
Darren Humphrys

We stayed 3 nights, 2 full days in September for the same reason.

We stayed at Protea Fire and Ice. It was a great area to stay, lots of excellent restaurants and shops.

We did the HOHO bus for 2 days and added the Soweto tour. The Apartheid Museum was excellent.

We live at altitude so that didn't bother us, but 20 + hours of flying sure did. We went to Cape Town after Jo'burg.

Since we usually only get two weeks of vacation, I'm more than happy being on a game drive to recover from the flight, which is just not that bad in my view. Maybe because I'm so excited to get there! Three nights in Joberg would make me crazy knowing I could be out on a game drive watching lions and eles, with great company and even better food. Everyone is different.

In case its not too late have a look at http://eastafricanvoyage.com/ & http://www.exploreeastafrica.com/

Please disregard the above

I'm doing the same thing, relaxing in J'Burg after flight from US and before heading for safari camps; this earlier thread may be helpful to you.

I have booked The Saxon and am curious if the regulars here think that will be a good choice. We want a hotel with a heated swimming pool.

http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...g-168707-2.cfm

thanks all. We need time to adjust to long flight time from SF. LUCKY to you who do not need that! From Jo'Burg we will be heading on to safari and other places for 2+ weeks. We want to be refreshed and ready to go for that so 2 nights would help us. Thanks for suggestions on guest houses, etc.

I can't imagine that the Saxon would not be wonderful. The location is great which is important in Joburg. It's easy reach of Sandton City for restaurants and shops, nice to be able to walk around safely in this area.

That's why we rent a car, you can see quite a lot in a short time.

This short article on Melville appears in today's NYTimes newspaper. I don't know if these are good tips or not. Would this be an area worth checking out during a three-day stay?

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...th-africa.html

Melville is a nice area, but if you are only staying in Johannesburg a short time and not renting a car, it will probably be much more convenient to take the Gautrain from the airport and stay in Rosebank. 4th Avenue in Parkhurst has a similar vibe to Melville and it's not that far to walk there from Rosebank, with shops and places to eat along the way as well. Personally I prefer the Rosebank area.