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 centres... yet it is also fresh and breezy with golf courses, botanical gardens and well-manicured parks dotted amongst its modern amenities. With easy connections to the Blue Train and Rovos Rail, the city is the gateway to the whole of southern Africa, including the world-famous Kruger National Park.
Located in the exclusive northern suburbs of Johannesburg, The Westcliff is easily accessible from the city, Johannesburg International Airport and the central railway station.
The hotel's limousine service may be arranged to transport guests from Johannesburg International Airport and to the Rovos Rail and Blue Train embarkation points. A complimentary shuttle takes visitors to the elegant shopping districts of Sandton, Hyde Park and Rosebank.
The Westcliff is a charming and romantic retreat - and its accommodations are both ergonomic and unashamedly indulgent.
The extravagantly sized rooms and suites all feature gorgeous over-sized marble bathrooms and most have a private balcony overlooking the zoological gardens or one of the estate’s charming cobbled courtyards.
Others feature sunny patios and the majority have glorious views of the estate’s tumbling gardens or the leafy northern suburbs, complete with lush greenery and soothing water features.
All our rooms have windows that open, while double-glazing, heavy drapes and individually controlled air-conditioning ensure a haven of peaceful seclusion at any given time. Mood lighting is standard, plush robes are provided and in-room dining is available around the clock.
Each of the extravagantly-sized bedrooms and suites at The Westcliff has been individually decorated by renowned South Africa interior designer, Graham Viney. No two are the same in terms of shape, layout or décor. The configuration of The Westcliff – nine villas and no central lobby – provides cosily intimate settings which assure privacy.
Dozens of the features found in every room at The Westcliff have come into being as a result of the personal experiences of James B Sherwood, Chairman and founder of Orient-Express Hotels. Having travelled the world continuously since 1955, he insists that the Group’s hotels provide five-star comfort while avoiding the impersonality of large hotel chains.
Some of these features unique to The Westcliff and other Orient-Express hotels include the pop-up television at the foot of the bed, sound-proofed street-facing windows, luggage and hanging areas in large bathrooms so that clothes can air and steam. All televisions have integral VCR players and each hotel provides tapes or discs of all Academy Award-winning films - since “Wings”, the very first dating from 1927! There is also a selection of movies with an Orient-Express connection including Murder on the Orient Express, From Russia With Love, Strangers on a Train and Shanghai Express.
All rooms have a writing bureau, international plugs, two-line touch-dial telephones with data ports and voicemail, satellite television and video recorder. A butler station with mini-bar is standard and guests may request bottled water and a daily newspaper. The spacious marble bathrooms, all of which are en-suite, feature bath and shower, handwash basins and heated towel rack. Shaving mirrors, shaver sockers, bathroom scales and illuminated make-up mirrors, as well as a range of luxury toiletries are provided.
Each room and suite is equipped with:
• Satellite TV with VCR
• Alarm clock radio
• Towel heater
• International electrical sockets 220 volts & 110 volts
• Fax machine
• Digital safe
• High Speed internet access
• Butler station with minibar
• 24 hour room service
We are able to accommodate an extra bed for an additional person or child in the following room categories: Junior Suite, Studio Suite, Luxury Suite, Presidential Suite.
Guests can cool off in two large, heated swimming pools and two plunge pools, and within the grounds there is also a floodlit tennis court with a resident coach and an executive gym. Golfers can enjoy the facilities of a nearby club, which offers guest membership benefits.
To pamper the mind and body even further, qualified staff offer a wide range of treatments at the Botanica Spa Suites.
Wireless internet access is available in all public areas.
LA BELLE TERRASSE AND LA LOGIA
The La Belle Terrasse and Loggia feature international cuisine with distinctively South African flair, in an elegant and traditional fine dining environment.
Breakfast: 07h00 – 10h00 / Lunch: 12h30 – 14h30/ Dinner: 19h00 – 22h00
THE CONSERVATORY
The Conservatory is the ideal venue for all-day light dining and refreshments, where guests can enjoy the spectacular views across the elevated pool deck to Forest Town and the Zoological Gardens beyond.
Traditional English Morning Tea 10h00 – 12h00 / Afternoon Tea 15h00 – 17h00.
THE POLO LOUNGE
With its informal atmosphere and cosy furnishing, not to mention the great selection of traditional cocktails and mixers, the Polo Bar is the ideal spot to rendezvous before dinner in La Belle Terrasse – or afterwards for a night-cap or cigar. Open daily from 09h00 – 00H00.
BOTANICA SPA
Tucked away amidst the cascading gardens and tinkling fountains of The Westcliff’s hillside retreat, lies the Botanica Spa Suites, an inviting oasis of indulgence and relaxation.
Three beautifully spacious hotel suites have been converted into calming treatment rooms with en-suite bathrooms and changing areas, where trained skincare specialists offer an all-encompassing selection of facial and body treatments, using the elite range of Pevonia Botanica products
The Botanica Spa Suites menu offers several specialised Facial and Eye Treatments, an considerable variety of massages to treat each and every tight and aching muscle in your body - Kahuna, Deep Tissue, Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Hot Stone and Anti-Cellulite, as well as the customized Botanica Spa Suites Cloud Nine Ritual. Intriguing and exotic Body Wraps include the Seaweed Envelope and the Moor Mud Body Mask.
The Gentlemen’s Menu offers treatments specifically formulated for gentlemen’s skin, including Facials, Rassoul Body Wraps, Cleansing Back Treatments, Manicures and Pedicures.
Everyone has the opportunity to be treated at the Botanica Spa Suites – mothers-to-be will appreciate massages for tired legs; brides-to-be will be glowing and beautiful after the luxurious Wedding Bliss treatment which includes a caviar facial; and for those who are fortunate enough to have lots of time to indulge, Stairway to Heaven and Pure Bliss treatments are luxuriously pampering full and half-day packages.
