2 Best Hotels in Johannesburg's Northern Suburbs, Johannesburg

This small, upmarket boutique hotel in central Rosebank is a renovated Cape Dutch house with a gracious garden that offers good value in an area known for expensive accommodations. It has an engaging mix of old and new—Oregon pine floorboards, antique inlaid-wood side tables from Morocco, custom-made couches, and modern, whimsical sculptures like one by Anton Smit, of a woman floating above water. The bedroom suites are luxurious and have heated floors; four have wheelchair access. The superb food in the Clico Restaurant showcases European-style cuisine using fresh local ingredients.

Notable for its quirky public spaces—Louis XVI reproduction armchairs, white shaggy rugs, and the very popular Circle Bar with its beaded booths—The Rosebank Crowne Plaza has standard rooms that are small but perfectly formed, with white vinyl armchairs and side tables. Most will love the black-glass bathroom cube in the deluxe rooms (except those who enjoy privacy—this is not the room to share with a buddy). The beds are comfortable, and directional lighting means you can read while your partner sleeps. Sony Bravia LCD screens with 28 satellite-TV channels, and iPod docking stations are standard in every room. Rooms also feature good work spaces, with back-supporting swivel chairs and multiple plug adaptors at eye level.