Hotel Review: Radisson Blu Sandton
Radisson Blu Sandton is a five star hotel in the business suburb of Johannesburg. The hotel is located in one of the highest skyscrapers in the area of which Radisson Blu Sandton occupies the highest floors. This means that you can enjoy a stunnig view of the city from your room. While the Radisson Blu Sandton doesn’t really feel like a luxury hotel, it offers a very good value for the money!
First of all, it’s worth mentioning that there are two Radisson Blu hotels in Sandton, which are located just one kilometer from each other. The Radisson Blu Gautrain is a four star property, while Radisson Blu Sandton, which I’ll review in this installment, is a five star property.
When arriving at Radisson Blu Sandton after staying at The Maslow Sandton, we found ourselfs at a first reception on the lowest floor.
- Classification: Five Stars
- Room Category: Standard Room
- Month of Stay: August
From there, you are sent up to floor 24 where the real reception is located. The system is a little puzzlying at first, especially as you have to get your car keys down at the lower repection again.
Club Carlson members get a special treatment at Radisson Blu Sandton
Nevertheless, the check-in process itself was straightforward and we were happily granted early check-in.
There’s also a little corner with cupcakes for Club Carlson members in the lobby, which is a lovely little touch you rarely see in Radisson Blu hotels.
Standard Room at Radisson Blu Sandton
Radisson Blu Sandton has rather spacious rooms in all categories. As we already recognized this when booking, we opted for just a Standard Room.
First view of the Standard Room at Radisson Blu Sandton
Upon entering ours, we couldn’t have been happier about the choice. After a small entrance area with a wardrobe, you enter the main room, which comes with a King Bed, two bedside tables, a large working table with an office chair as well as an armchair with another table right next to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Not only was the room spacious and well-equipped, but also had a very warm design.
Even though Radisson Blu Sandton is not brand new, the whole interior looked very fresh.
The view from our room was quite nice
The only downside was the small and rather old flat screen television, but who needs a television when having a stunning view of the city?
Bathroom of the Standard Room
I don’t expect a lot of bathrooms when it comes to Radisson Blu hotels as you’ve maybe recognized in other hotel reviews. However, Radisson Blu Sandton was a really positive surprise in this regard.
The bathroom of the Standard Room is quite modern
The Standard Room comes with a spacious bathroom which does not only have a detached toilet and a detached shower, but also a bathtub. The only downside is that there’s only a single sink, but as there was enough space left and right of the sink, this is no real issue.
What was kind of funny at Radisson Blu Sandton was the fact that the toiletries were somewhat mismatched.
The toiletries at Radisson Blu Sandton were mismatched
The soap, the shower gel and the conditioner were by „thisworks“, the typical brand you’ll find in Radisson properties, while the shampoo and the body lotion were by Anne Semonin, a brand classes above the standard amenities provided by Radisson.
Dinner at Radisson Blu Sandton
We were initially planning on meeting some friends we made at Shambala Game Reserve that evening in Sandton, but this didn’t work out in the end. So we just stayed at Radisson Blu Sandton and decided to order something for room service.
Room Service Dinner at Radisson Blu Sandton
Interestingly, the prices were rather steep as it was also the case at Radisson Blu Port Elizabeth. While the hotels themselves are not very expensive, room service is very expensive compared to other luxury hotels in South Africa.
The quality of the risotto and the austrich kebap we ordered was exceptional though. Especially for a room service dinner, we were very pleased.
Breakfast at Radisson Blu Sandton
In general, food is one of the real plus points at Radisson Blu Sandton. We often enjoyed a stunning breakfast in South Africa with the highlight being The Table Bay Hotel Cape Town, but were not any disappointed at Radisson Blu Sandton as well.
The breakfast buffet was very good for a Radisson
The restaurant itself is nothing special and only has a decent, but not spectacular view as it is located on the reception floor.
The buffet at the same time is extremly extensive and comes not only with a great selection of cold items including several cut and whole fruits, but also several hot dishes including sweet and savory choices.
Especially the regional dishes at the buffet were very appealing
What’s worth menitoning as well is the live cooking station, where you may order omeletes or other egg dishes you’d like to have freshly prepared. I have to admit, breakfast at Radisson Blu Sandton was the best breakfast I ever enjoyed at a Radisson property!
Gym & Pools at Radisson Blu Sandton
Radisson Blu Sandton is one of the few hotels in the world which not only has a normal gym, but rather a members club in-property.
The gym at Radisson Blu Sandton is very extensive
Another hotel where I absolutely enjoyed this connection is Hilton Warsaw, but at Radisson Blu Sandton, everything was even a touch better.
There’s an extensive gym with machines which are not state-of-the-art, but totally fine.
What’s even more amazing is the large lap pool which is connected to the gym. This one may, however, be only used if you got a shower cap.
Indoor Pool of Radisson Blu Sandton
If you are staying at Radisson Blu Sandton, I’d anyway recommend to use the heated outdoor pool, which offers stunning views and feels truly private.
This one is also not accessible by non-guests. If you are looking for even more relaxation, the gym at Radisson Blu Sandton comes with gender seperated sauna, steam bath and jacuzzi facilities as well as a full-service Spa with another jacuzzi and several treatment rooms.
Like this, Radisson Blu Sandton actually feels like a little Spa retreat rather than a city hotel.
Bottom line Radisson Blu Sandton
Radisson Blu Sandton was the last hotel on our journey through South Africa and I hardly expected anything after stunning experience like Shambala Game Reserve or the incredible upgrade we got at Radisson Blu Port Elizabeth, but in the end, I was blown away by the property. Especially taking into account how affordable the hotel is, everything is truly top-notch. Room service, while pricey, comes with a very high quality.
The stylish rooms make staying at Radisson Blu Sandton very comfortable
The breakfast is exceptional for a city hotel and the relaxation facilities are some of the best I’ve ever seen in a hotel. The hardware of the room and all other areas was also very good, but there’s one point to criticize nevertheless. The service at check-out was horrible and so it took us thirty minutes to get our car. If you can overlook this and enjoy this hotel review, Radisson Blu Sandton is indeed the hotel with the very best value for the money in Sandton!
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I Love Radisson Hotels, because of, i find it everywhere and its quality of food and services are awesome…
Love this hotel ! Great post 🙂
Thank you!