E60Speed

Hello again

Have a look at Caesars http://www.caesars.co.za/


Problem is living here we dont really use the Hotels, but Caesars has a lot of stuff and is right there by the Airport.

The other problem is transport, going to very upmarket areas such as Sandton or Monte Casino isnt easy without driving yourself, remembering you dont know the area, and we drive on the other side of the road ( Right hand drive here )


The two other hotels I know of by the Airport (but have no experince of) are

1)InterContinental Airport Sun Johannesburg
2)Holiday Inn Johannesburg International Airport

Both can be seen on this website http://www.southernsun.com/Sunrise/

So even If you dont stay at caesars its the best place to go for a selection of restuarants that are easy to get to

E60Speed

Just to help, currently the exchange rate here is about 6 Rand to the dollar

so R6 = $1

Just on the safety here, going to places like Caesars is just as safe going to a casino type place anywhere in the world. But just like anywhere its not reccomendale to go wandering around in other areas you are not familiar with ( Like going to NYC and strolling around Harlem at night )

jtxc

Good analogy e60speed, I keep trying to convince my wife the safty issue is managed risk. It's more likely I'll get trampled by a cape buffalo than hurt on the streets of Jo-Berg. Looking forward to my visit.

#4- I'll eat anything, but it has to be high quality, if not then the wine better be
My traveling companion is a steak and potatoes kinda guy...suggestions welcome.




Thanks, John

Iceman

I traveled to Zimbabwe(Rhodesia) very often with my parents, during the war. It's a beautiful country and from all what I am hearing from our friends down there you should be as safe as you are at home. I think the chances of getting killed by some freak during a robbery in the US are higher than getting killed in Zimbabwe. From what I've heard you shouldn't be a white farmer currently. But visiting should be OK. Just stay out of trouble, as you do at home.
But, hey, I haven't been there for quite a while...

E60Speed

May I reccomend a fillet of cape buffalo then



Personally I would reccomend going to Caesars ( to eat at least ), its a all in one deal , and easy to get to

jtxc

I don't know, I did the Vegas thing a few years back and it's just not for me. Too much bling gives me migranes. The thought of a 16 hour flight then stepping into a casino is a little nuts.

Glad to hear it's relatively safe, people here are so insulated, they think everyplace but the US is unsafe. My travel agent almost shat when I called to book the flights. Zim is on the DNT (do not travel) list put out by the US Govt, but hey it aint' Iraq and we're bringing some high caliber hardware (permitted legally). Worse comes to worse the ugly Americans will rise up (just kidding)

How about a nice steak house? Or what is the specialty down there?

rollee

hi jtxc, i am familiar with the trip you are about to embark. i love SA! it is advisable to exercise common sense while travelling in SA, there are certain places to avoid especially in downtown joburg. i doubt you will get into downtown, as it is far from the airport and nothing much to see.
i felt SA being very safe each time i visit. remember not to walk at night, the hotel staff usually gives good advice.
i suspect you are arriving in the morning via JFK flying SAA correct? if you are flyng economy, pick a seat on the top deck (747-400) unless they have changed to the new airbus 340, flying 15 1/2 hours non stop.

since your stay is only over night, your choices are limited.
the intercontinental at the airport is very nice, with comfortable and lovely rooms, 5 minutes walk from the terminal building. the drawback is you really cannot go anywhere else at night without a car, their restaurant closes early. you will probably end up at ceasars for dinner, which is a short cab ride (10 mins) away.
since you will be sleeping most of the day after the LONG flight, i doubt you will have the mood or energy to take a cab out and explore, therefore the caesars will be your best option, everything is under one roof, they have shuttle bus transfers to and from the airport.

if you are more of an adventurer like me, i suggest to pickup a rental car (SA built bmw e46 3 series) from avis SA (right by the terminal) and drive into sandton.
sandton is a suburb of johannesburg (like santa monica), more upscale, really nice people and very safe. this is where you will find the e60s, porsches and M-B. once in sandton your focal point will be sandton square (like manhattan shrunk into a city block), huge upscale shopping complex, very new and clean, some of the best restaurants, shops and the mighty michaelangelo hotel can be found there. i suggest to stay there for the entire day till you leave.
i highly recommend city lodge (http://www.citylodge.co.za/), they are the best value SA city hotel chain, 5 minutes from sandton square. for $40 a night you cannot find better rooms anywhere on the planet, trust me.
the highway from the airport to sandton is well marked, relatively new, easy to drive and safe. this journey will take 30 minutes in the morning.

you will find SA wines blows you away, this is one of the attractions which brought me there year after year. if you are into good steak, potatoes and a fine glass of red.
remember to try Hartenburg shiaraz 2001, yummy!
specialty cuisine is ostrich and beef is excellent. i will go as far and claim that i have never had a bad meal in SA.

i was in zambia recently and zimbabwe seeing the victoria falls, if you are in zimbabwe i can only recommend the victoria falls hotel, colonial style extremely upscale yet great value now because of the unstability of the country. the town around the falls are safe to tourists, elsewhere otherwise.
when at the falls, it is worth the while to take the helicopter ride and a cruise on the zambezi river. i also flew over the falls on a microlite.

BTW the 'high calibre' hardware mentioned will have to be the sure fire 6p. bring it.
http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/co_dis...r/889/sesent/00
hope this helps, anything else just fire away. rollee

E60Speed

From NY it should be a Airbus A340-300

cobradav

What fond memories this raises for me. I used to travel to Pretoria frequently back in the late '60s early 70s supporting the US missile tracking station near there. The food and wine were great. So great was the wine that I started a barter program to trade rum for wine as the wine SA exported was purposely not their best - the best being kept in country. In any case I would send down Apollo and Gemini Mission critical parts (rum) and my friends would send back the wine marked as repairable parts. Oh what fun that was. And I also never had a bad meal. What dining pleasures were to be had there, with real fine dining experiences where ever I went. Unfortunately, I simply ran out of excuses to go there but the memories were always of great people, exciting countryside and the great wines and food.

BMW#7

Rollee has given excellent advice, all I can add is that the best steakhouses (very upmarket too) are The Butcher Shop & Grill at Nelson Mandela Square (was Sandton Square), and The Meat Company at Monte Casino 15 mins from Sandton.