When making our way to Sabi Sands, my dad and I had a one-night layover in Johannesburg. To keep things simple, I decided to book us a hotel within walking distance of Johannesburg Airport. That limited the selection to two hotels: the upscale InterContinental and the more affordable City Lodge. I opted for the latter, which cost just over $70 for the night and turned out to be a decent place to stay.
Continue reading this review to see what the City Lodge Hotel OR Tambo International Airport was like.
Getting There
If you will be landing late or departing early, then the City Lodge Hotel’s location is hard to beat.
While slightly further from the terminal than the InterContinental (which is approximately three times pricier), the hotel is still just a few-minute, well-signposted walk away from Johannesburg Airport’s terminals. The fact that the entire walk is indoor adds to the hotel’s convenience.
Just make sure you are booking the City Lodge Hotel OR Tambo International Airport and not the City Lodge Hotel Johannesburg Airport, Barbara Road, which is away from the terminals.
Check-in & Lobby
We got to the hotel just before 2 p.m. and were checked in in no time.
In addition to the reception desk, there was also some seating in the reception area (and throughout the public spaces).
What I found nice was that in the evening, a table with juice and water dispensers was set up near the reception.
Guest Room
We were assigned room 4215, a standard twin room on the hotel’s… Second floor.
The hotel’s layout was quite confusing with rooms starting with “4” being on all of the hotel’s three floors in addition to the rooms starting with each floor’s number. The lack of signage did not help either but ultimately we found our room and from the second time onward we knew where to look.
As for the room itself, it was more than appropriate for the price I paid. It was large, clean, and equipped with all the basics.
Just past the entrance was a large bathroom equipped with a toilet, a sink, a bathtub, and a separate walk-in shower. Amenities including (solid) body soap/shampoo, hand soap, and hand cream were provided.
Going further into the room, there were two single beds placed next to each other, each with a nightstand.
In the far left corner of the room was a sofa chair with a small coffee table while across from the beds and sofa chair were a work desk and a luggage rack. A TV was mounted above the latter.
Above the desk was a panel with not one but three types of power outlets including two local types and one universal power outlet. The panel was also equipped with a USB-A charging port (there were also ports next to the beds).
Some tea and coffee were prepared on the desk as well.
The room overlooked some of the roads and the train track leading to the airport, as well as a thermal power plant.
Breakfast & Dining
The hotel’s sole restaurant/bar was located near the reception. It was open from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m., with breakfast buffet available until 10 a.m. and dinner buffet between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. A la carte items were available during dinner time as well.
Given the lack of other nearby options with the exception of a limited number of places to eat in the terminal, the restaurant was quite crowded at dinner time. My dad and I had both dinner, from the a la carte menu, on the day of our arrival and the breakfast buffet the next day.
For dinner, I had a steak while my dad had grilled fish, both served with fries.
The breakfast offering was fairly extensive with a buffet with a good variety of dishes, an eggs station where one could get freshly made omelets, scrambled eggs, etc., a number of different juices, and tea and coffee served by the staff on request.
There was even a take-away corner in front of the restaurant in the morning where one could make tea or coffee.
The buffet included a few different types of cereals, plain and strawberry yogurts, cut and whole fruits, and a salad bar.
There were also a pancakes maker, toast bread, a selection of pastries and cup cakes, cold cuts, and a cheese board.
Lastly, there was a selection of warm dishes. Notably, there were both pork and beef sausages and there were even two types of bacon – streaky and back.
Other Facilities
While the hotel has a small gym and a small pool, I did not have a chance to check those out during our stay.
Summary
Overall, if you need a relatively affordable and comfortable place to stay as close to Johannesburg Airport as possible due to an early departure or late arrival, I can only recommend staying at the City Lodge Hotel OR Tambo International Airport.
While the InterContinental is slightly closer to the terminal and, presumably, offers better facilities and service, the extra cost is not worth it, in my opinion. That’s especially the case if you do not plan to spend much time at the hotel or if you are not an IHG status holder that could enjoy extra benefits if staying at the InterContinental.
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