Venue address | About the venue | Flight information | Hotel information | Tourist information | Visa details
Venue
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| Set in the heart of Sandton, in Johannesburg’s prestigious northern suburbs, the Protea Hotel Balalaika Sandton is within easy reach of all business and entertainment centres. The hotel is ideally situated, being convenient to the main Johannesburg/Pretoria highway and within easy reach of OR Tambo International Airport and three main local airports. |
Location
Protea Hotel Balalaika Sandton. Address: 20 Maude Street, Sandton
Phone: +27 11 322 5000 (International); Fax: +27 11 322 5021 (International)
E-mail: balalaika@mweb.co.za
Website: www.proteahotels.co.za
The development of Sandton Central into what it is today has been journey of transformation, collaboration and vision.
Sandton is without a doubt the most important business and financial district in South Africa, and plausibly sub-Saharan Africa. This status has been achieved in less than 30 years with the construction of Sandton City being THE catalytic event for Sandton. Looking back over centuries, the rich heritage of the Sandton and Sandton Central of today is clear:
- 10 000 years ago the plains of Sandton were traversed by stone-age hunters
- 1 000 years ago tribespeople watered their herds at Sandton’s many streams and springs
- 400 years ago the tribespeople ran an iron-smelting economy
- 120 years ago the richest gold field on earth was discovered
- 100 years ago Sandton embraced Johannesburg’s lush market gardens
- 50 years ago Sandton hosted a world of rich estates and sandy horse trails. Sandtonians were dubbed the ‘mink and manure set’
- 30 years ago the country’s premier shopping mall, Sandton City, was built.
Travel
Tourist Information
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Although it is the smallest of South Africa’s nine provinces,
Gauteng (“Place of Gold” in Sotho) is the commercial and
industrial powerhouse of the country and indeed of southern
Africa. Gauteng is a cosmopolitan, multicultural mix of people
from all walks of life, all corners of the world. Gauteng’s main
attraction is big business, but there is so much more of
interest: museums, galleries and historic battlefields. Gauteng
is also an entertainment playground offering world-class
restaurants, shebeens, shopping malls and music venues. |
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Johannesburg Weather
Due to its altitude of 1 753 metres above sea-level, the climate in Johannesburg and on the Highveld is pleasant throughout the year. This favourable climate is one of Johannesburg’s main attractions. Many residents would never consider living in hot, humid Durban or cold, wet Cape Town, although they enjoy annual holidays at the coast. In summer, the days are not too hot and the nights are pleasantly cool. In winter, temperatures at night are low, sometimes falling below zero, but during the day the sun shines and temperatures can reach 25°C.
The rainy season is in summer between October and March. Otherwise the dry climate of the African interior high-plateau, the Highveld, is dominant. Johannesburg gets an average of eight to ten hours of sunshine per day. The weather only gets nasty there when the strong August winds blow over the Highveld and the loose sand of the mine-dumps whirls through the air and covers the city with a yellow haze of dust.
In Pretoria, about 60km north of Johannesburg, it is always two or three degrees warmer because of its lower altitude of 1 365 metres above sea-level.
Currency
One South African rand = 100 South African cents.
Credit and charge cards are widely accepted, including American Express, Bank of America, Diners, MasterCard and Visa. Some automatic teller machines (ATMs) give cash advances. Travellers’ cheques are widely accepted and exchanged. Commission charges depend on which bank you use and which travellers’ cheques you have. Most banks are open Monday to Friday 09:00 – 15:30.
ATMs are found in most towns and operate on a 24-hour basis.
South African time is two hours ahead of UTC/GMT.
Electrical Power
Electric power is 220/230 V at 50 Hz.
Visa Details
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