The Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa

The Saxon is our Johannesburg hotel, and on most journeys it is your first or last night in Africa. It stands in three acres of private gardens in Sandhurst, with twelve suites and its own villas, a pool and a spa. Dinner is usually at Grei, Candice Philip's seasonal tasting menu and, to our minds, the most refined kitchen in the city.

For golfers it is the base for the Highveld. On The Highveld Golf Circuit you spend two nights here and play Steyn City, a Nicklaus Design course on a private estate north of the city, before Blair Atholl and the helicopter to Sun City. If you want a change of scene, Marble's rooftop grill looks out over the skyline. On The Cape Circuit and The KZN Golf Circuit it is a single last night after Tswalu or Phinda, with a slow breakfast before the drive to OR Tambo.

For families of four to six, up to three generations, the suites interconnect, the gardens are easy to walk and the kitchen will cook anything from baby food to a tasting menu. The Thornybush Dynasty and The Kalahari Family Expedition each spend two nights here; The Sabi Sand Estate, The Malaria-Free Family Circuit and South Africa Complete spend one. On The Thornybush Dynasty the last dinner of the journey is in The Saxon's private dining room.

You arrive either on your international flight into OR Tambo, where we meet you and drive you to Sandhurst, or from the bush into Lanseria by Citation XLS+ or Pilatus PC-12.

Good to know

• Johannesburg is malaria-free.
• Suites interconnect, which suits families.
• Your departure to OR Tambo is a private transfer.

Country: South Africa