Jozie's Garden

There’s a distinctive ‘home coming’ feeling to Four Seasons The Westcliff, the most luxurious enclave in the South African capital. Hidden behind towering walls and nestled amidst lush, manicured gardens, the hotel looks more like the chic private residential complex for the city’s power brokers it was created as than the hotel it became – and therein lies one of its many charms.

Especially popular with safari-bound travellers stopping over in the capital, the hotel spills down a leafy hill in the chic neighborhood of Westcliff. Designed as a luxury condo complex, the property started life as The Westcliff, the city’s most glamorous accommodation, before being relaunched as a Four Seasons in 2015 after an extensive US$56 million refurbishment. Today this unique urban resort offers panoramic views across Johannesburg Zoo (listen carefully at night for the roar of the lions) from its 117 sublime guest rooms and suites, as well as some of the city’s best culinary experiences.

After a quick check-in at the intimate lobby pavilion I make my way up white rose-lined pathways to my Panoramic View Premium Room, located in one of nine ‘pavilions’, each named for a different South African state. The property’s residential feel extends to these elegant guest rooms, with their private balconies, sumptuous marble bathrooms, separate dressing rooms, fireplaces, and soaring ceilings. Interiors are timeless, with plush furniture, glorious beds, and colourful accents taken from South African culture, from zebra print armchairs to original art by local painters and sculptures. I spent the wee hours of my first night at the hotel on the terrace watching a dramatic thunder storm unfold across the city, completely mesmerized.

If you’ve just arrived from Asia and are keen to shake off the cobwebs of long-haul travel, head for the nature-inspired Spa at Four Seasons The Westcliff, a completely new, custom-designed wellness enclave boasting nine treatment rooms and a menu of indulgent rituals, including some using luxury Hungarian brand Omorovicza. After your treatment make a bee-line for the spa’s 25-meter indoor heated pool, or for the rooftop Après Spa, the city’s only outdoor spa lounge, where ladies of leisure worship the African sun and discuss ball season. If working a sweat is more cathartic, the hotel also boasts a stateof-the-art fitness centre, complete with ranks of machines of torture and toning.

In addition to luxurious accommodation, the Four Seasons The Westcliff has made a name for itself as a leading dining destination, and with good reason. The hotel features three unique dining venues: View, with its dramatic interiors and elegant terrace, is the home of fine-dining, with a focus on locally-sourced ingredients and South African wines that’s won it acclaim among the city’s gourmands. The Westcliff Deli is a great little hideaway that serves brilliant coffee and a fresh pastries, sandwiches and salads. However, my personal favourite (and I’m clearly not alone) is Flames, the hotel’s showpiece restaurant, which boasts an expansive terrace that’s the hottest table in town for sunset cocktails, craft beers and grilled meat and seafood.

To explore the city more, the Four Seasons’ concierges offer a series of extraordinary experiences across the city, from spending the day with local designer Gert-Johan Coetzee to a private evening concert with notable local musicians. From US$344 per night, twin share; www.fourseasons.com/johannesburg/

By Nick Walton.