Saxon Hotel Villas & Spa

Location

The Saxon occupies what might be Johannesburg’s most intriguing position—close enough to Sandton’s energy yet completely removed from its chaos. Set within the exclusive residential enclave of Sandhurst, where towering walls protect estates worth more than small countries’ GDP, the property feels more like a friend’s exceptionally grand home than a hotel. The tree-lined streets outside give no hint of the commercial powerhouse just 5 kilometres away, where Sandton City and Nelson Mandela Square draw both serious shoppers and casual browsers. From here, you’re 10 kilometres from Rosebank Mall’s Sunday market and art galleries, 15 kilometres from the sobering Apartheid Museum, and 20 kilometres from Constitutional Hill. OR Tambo International Airport lies 40 kilometres southeast—a 30 to 60-minute journey depending on traffic—while the smaller Lanseria Airport sits 29 kilometres northwest. The Gautrain’s Sandton station, just 5 kilometres away, offers a high-speed rail link directly to the airport, though most guests opt for the hotel’s Mercedes transfers. The genius of this location becomes clear after dark: while Johannesburg’s energy pulses nearby, you’re cocooned in suburban tranquility where the loudest sound might be ice clinking in your sundowner glass.

Rooms

The Saxon’s accommodation philosophy becomes clear the moment you understand the numbers: 53 suites divided between the main hotel and three standalone villas, with configurations that defy standard hotel logic. The property doesn’t do “rooms”—even their entry-level Luxury Suites span 80 square metres with separate lounges and dining areas.

Luxury Suites: These “entry-level” accommodations would be flagship suites elsewhere. Each features a king-size four-poster bed dressed in Egyptian cotton, walk-in wardrobes that could house a small boutique, and bathrooms where freestanding tubs and walk-in rain showers compete for your attention. The open-plan design incorporates a proper lounge and eight-seat dining table—because apparently The Saxon assumes you might host dinner parties. Floor-to-ceiling windows with latticed shutters frame either garden or pool views while maintaining complete privacy.

Villa Luxury Suites: Accessed via private elevator and connected by skywalks to the main hotel, these suites occupy three separate villas in the gardens. Villa One offers seven single-storey suites, while Villas Two and Three each house seven suites on their ground floors. The design here leans into contemporary African aesthetics with stone cladding and indigenous wood, while private terraces open directly onto manicured gardens. Each villa maintains its own lounge, dining room, and breakfast area, plus a heated plunge pool shared among villa guests.

Presidential Suites: These 200-square-metre apartments come with separate lounges, full dining rooms, and butler’s kitchens where your dedicated butler actually prepares meals if you prefer dining in complete privacy. The four villa Presidential Suites occupy the upper floors of Villas Two and Three, adding private balconies to the equation.

Nelson Mandela Platinum Suite: The 400-square-metre suite where Mandela himself once lived deserves its own postcode. Accessed via private glass elevator, it includes a master bedroom, separate guest suite, steam room, and dining room for twelve. The butler’s kitchen here isn’t symbolic—it’s fully operational, because your 24-hour butler might actually need to cater a state dinner.

Communal Areas

The Saxon’s public spaces tell the story of a private residence that never quite accepted it had become a hotel. The entrance hall, with its sweeping twin staircases and skylight-illuminated chandelier, sets expectations impossibly high—then somehow the rest of the property exceeds them. The Piano Lounge, where morning sun streams through French doors, hosts everything from power breakfasts to afternoon teas that would make the Ritz jealous. The adjacent Cigar Lounge maintains a gentleman’s club atmosphere without the stuffiness, while the newer Olive Bar brings a contemporary energy with its wraparound counter and mixologists who treat cocktail creation as performance art.

The heated infinity pool forms the property’s geographic and social centre, its edge appearing to spill directly into the gardens beyond. The surrounding terrace, furnished with daybeds that could double as small boats, becomes Johannesburg’s most exclusive sunset viewing platform. Below, a koi pond large enough to qualify as a small lake provides meditative moments between spa treatments. The library, decorated with traditional African weaponry and artifacts, offers leather-bound silence for those moments when even paradise gets too social. Throughout, the Saxon’s art collection—200-plus pieces from South African artists—transforms corridors into galleries and corners into contemplation spaces. The gym operates 24 hours because apparently some guests need 3am workouts, while meeting rooms hidden behind soundproof doors host anything from intimate board meetings to small wedding receptions.

Activities

The Saxon approaches activities with the philosophy that guests seeking adventure will find it in Johannesburg, while those seeking sanctuary should find it here. The property itself offers limited but exceptional experiences. The spa dominates the activity landscape—an entire floor dedicated to what they call “holistic disciplines of a spa journey,” though that undersells the theatre of their Himalayan salt room, the Rasul chamber with its Byzantine mosaics, and signature treatments like their famous sound therapy sessions. The 24-hour fitness centre includes personal training sessions for those who treat exercise as meditation.

Beyond the gates, the concierge team arranges everything from Soweto cultural tours to helicopter transfers to the Cradle of Humankind. They’ll book your tee time at nearby championship golf courses, arrange private shopping experiences at Sandton City, or secure impossible reservations at Johannesburg’s restaurant of the moment. The Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill, and Gold Reef City all lie within 30 minutes, while day trips to Pretoria or the Magaliesberg Mountains are easily arranged. Yet many guests never leave the property, finding that a book by the pool or a treatment at the spa provides all the activity they need.