Curiosities of Sandton, South Africa !!

Posted in Africa, Food and Wine, France

Glad to be able to see this older post and updating with pleasure. I had done quite a bit of business with South Africa but never visited from the Americas. Once in Europe, had the opportunity to go five times! Great experiences and this one unique. Let me tell you a bit about curiosities of Sandton, South Africa !! Hope you enjoy it as I

Many times we hear of far away places that we would like to visit one day; South Africa was one of them for me. I did not go into the famous safaris but did mostly city dwelling trips and even took public transportation; that is fine with me as cities are it with a beach even better.  I had the opportunity to visit the country since 2012  to 2017 five times, and each time proved to be an experience. 

In the evening, another wonderful anecdote as I met a contact friend Paul from the now defunct VT travel forum  and as he had a car, I rode looking for this place I have heard call the Beer House,1 Sunset Ave cnr Witkoppen, Pineslopes Boulevard, Sandton. After some trying as the friend was from Pretoria, we finally found the place ::) This is a pub with live music, 99 different beers and great menu in a resto laden road off the Witkoppen road as well but need to come by the Fourways Crossing mall side to get here.  We had a great time until very late; and a wonderful house burger and t bone steak with different beers but I stuck with the new found nice one Carling  Black Label. Just great company, happy lively place, good music and the place is loaded with likes establishements on the same side. However, this place has also closed down! so sad… The owner ran out of his lease and could not renew, heard was looking for a new location but no confirmation yet. For now, another down memory lane forever !!! I have read they openned in Cape Town but cannot confirm. 

I like for my sake and your interests to recall a bit of the places I have been.  The hotel was the nice City Lodge Fourways near the montecasino complex . This is a nice hotel first time in it and love it. Great restaurant area, with pool overlooking the city road at Witkoppen road. The official City Lodge Fourways hotel : https://citylodgehotels.com/our-hotels/city-lodge-hotel-fourways

On another trip, I arrive and was pick up by the transport folks of the hotel where I was staying, the Sitatunga Transfers folks were always very dependable, and the lodging was done at their property near Sandton at Sitatunga Guest Lodge. The official Sitatunga Guest Lodge : https://sitatunga.co.za/

By here we had our lunches at the resto Vasllis Mediterranean that seems now closed in Sandton.  When we did go out we had fun at Fournos Bakery in Fourways Mall , Sandton, great burgers, sausages, and drinks while looking out in the terrace over a shopping mall and passerbyers The official Fournos Bakery at Fourways Mall (see stores bottom right column): https://www.fournos.co.za/

The official Fourways Mall: https://fourwaysmall.com/

Next day locals took me for lunch at the nice Le Soufflé,  Corner Forrest, Sunset road , Pineslopes Mall, Sandton. At the Pineslopes Shopping Centre, a French style restaurant where I had my duck confit and more of that Black Label beers . Le Soufflé had an easy atmosphere for a leisurely breakfast, a relaxing lunch and/or a informal dinner. The restaurant offers the most diverse menu of French Provençale  food in South Africa. The food is excellent and the waiters are very attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. Good atmosphère. I was taken here and darn was good and we ate at the terrace as in Paris ! The experience was great however, they needed to closed down and was told correct they have teamed up with the folks of  Junipa’s Bistro at Hobart Centre in Bryanston, and again later was updated by locals this place, also closed down.  So the economy has got to them, the chefs owners were at Le Soufflé for 10 years. Anyway, I put it here for the memories forever.

Sandton houses the flagship station of the Gautrain (taken and easy nice convenient) rapid rail link. The station is located on the corner of West Street and Rivonia Road. 

Another shopping area I was taken was Pinesloppes Shopping Centre which was where my branch office was , here had lunch at a place no longer existing, and cannot recall the name. The official Pinesloppes Shopping Centre : https://pineslopesboulevard.co.za/

The area referred to as Fourways (which is a collection of suburbs, including the traditional suburb of Fourways) is the fastest-developing commercial and residential hub in Sandton;north of Johannesburg

Sandton is basically a chic suburb of Johannesburg.  An affluent area situated in the Johannesburg town, Gauteng province. The name comes from the combination of two of its suburbs , Sandown and Bryanston.  I am told that Zandfontein, Driefontein  is the name in Afrikaans and Dutch for  Three Springs/Fountains and Rietfontein is Afrikaans and Dutch for Reed Spring or Fountain of Reeds; both encumbered what was to become Sandton. After the demise of Apartheid, Sandton initially formed part of the interim Eastern Metropolitan Substructure, and in 1996 came to be included, along with the former towns of Randburg and Roodepoort as part of the newly demarcated City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality thus losing its separate municipal government and town status. Despite this, Sandton is still unofficially earmarked as a distinct region of the city and operates as a macro-suburb.

 

Sandton is home to the Sandton Convention Center , one of the largest convention centers  in Africa. The Sandton Central commercial node, centred on the suburbs of Sandown and Sandhurst has some of the best and most expensive commercial properties and offices in South Africa.  Sandtoncity, ranks among the largest shopping centers in Africa with all to do for a day, I love it here lol! lunch at Wimpy’s!! The official Sandtoncity: https://sandtoncity.com/

 The official Sandton Central city on its history: https://sandtoncentral.co.za/our-history

The South Africa National tourist office: https://www.southafrica.net

The Gauteng region tourist office: https://www.gauteng.net/visit/

There you go folks, a nice experience in exotic South Africa. A wonderful experience and new friends, looking forward for a repeat, eventually !! Again, hope you enjoy this post on curiosities of Sandton, South Africa !! as I.

And remember, happy travels , good health, and many cheers to all !!!

 

 

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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