Home & Away with Robert Walshe
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Destination Hotspot - Four Seasons The Westcliff Johannesburg
South Africa is keen to welcome tourists from abroad and to repair the recent poor international image of the country. Johannesburg, more commonly known as Jo’burg or Jozi is now a rapidly changing city. After years of decline this city is now looking confidently towards the future. Accommodation standards are high and business is booming, leisure opportunities abound, and right in the heart of it all is Four Seasons
Soweto South Africa.
Hotel The Westcliff. An extensive redevelopment of this famed hotel includes complete redecoration of all 117 guest rooms, suites and public space plus the addition of new contemporary restaurants, lounges and a newly-built Spa complex. Created from the ground up to the exacting standards of Four Seasons worldwide, the Spa encompasses nine treatment rooms and men’s and women’s facilities including ice fountains, saunas ,steam rooms and two outdoor pools. Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff also offers an array of indoor and outdoor spaces suited to everything
from an intimate family affair to a lavish society wedding. Four Seasons weddings experts work with each couple to create their dream wedding and with the utmost attention to every detail, brides, grooms and their families and friends can relax and enjoy the event knowing everything is absolutely perfect. Meeting planners can also count on expert assistance and state-of-the-art facilities, including naturallylit event spaces, highlighted by the 615 square metre (6,620 square foot) Arcadia Ballroom. With panoramic views and its own terrace, the room is spectacular and features a pre-function space. Honeymoon afterwards on a 3 day wildlife experience in the Kruger National Park with comfortable accommodation & open vehicle games drives included or take a leisurely journey along the famous Garden Route with time to enjoy the superb mountains, sandy beaches and coastal scenery along the way. www.fourseasons. com With just 48 hours in “Jozi”, I found so much to see and do. Many areas were regenerated for the 2010 World
(074) 9131018
www.keeshotel.ie
Cup, but there are still some dodgy suburbs on the northern edge of the Central Business District (CBD); avoid casual exploration of Hillbrow, Berea and Joubert Park. Up on a hill overlooking the CBD is Constitution Hill. The original building here referred to as the “Fort”, functioned mainly as a prison. It was notorious for the harsh treatment of prisoners incarcerFour Seasons The Westcliff ated for disobeying Deluxe Room . first Colonial, and then Apartheid laws. In 1987, it stopped functioning as a prison and fell into morial to a 12 year old child, a state of neglect until the who is believed to have been mid-90’s, when it was chosen the second school pupil shot as the site for the Constitu- by police but the first fatality tional Court. Johannesburg’s during the Soweto Student Apartheid Museum is a must- Uprising in June 1976. The see destination for local and Carlton Centre - the tallest foreign tourists. Beautifully building in Africa has an obdesigned and carefully cu- servation deck on the 50th rated, a number of exhibi- floor offering a 360-degree tions lead the visitor through view of the city. Turkish airthe harrowing story of Apart- lines fly daily from Dublin to heid and those who fought Johannesburg via Istanbul. so bravely for its demise. In Their business class service nearby Soweto the Hector is by far the most impressive Pieterson Memorial and Mu- of the Middle Eastern carriseum was erected as a me- ers departing Ireland. Rather
than just serving a “restaurant service”, “Flying Chefs” make you feel like a star with “Turkish Hospitality” above the clouds. In fact all business class meals are served in porcelain dishes on flights. For great fares visit www. turkishairlines.com Robert Walshe is a travel broadcaster with Q Radio & Travel Editor for numerous print and online publications on the island of Ireland. www.robertwalshe.com