Protea Hotel Balalaika Crown Court - Johannesburg

In need of some renovation. The staff was nice and attencious. Good restaurants nearby. Very good breakfast altough expensive.

Great stay, in the midst of Sandton. Hotel has its own charming character, with great food and service.

This hotel has an old world feel about it and is just lovely. It has a good standard. The staff are friendly and polite and the grounds with two swimming pools are maintained well. Dinner at the Bull Run can be highly recommended. The cost of the hotel makes it very good value for money.

There are no parking at the hotel and extra costs involved to park at a nearby shopping centre.

Great location, right at the center of Sandton, 5 min walk to Sandton city, Mandela sq. very good breakfast, 100M free wifi, comfort room, clean, friendly stuff. was my second time and will get back to this hotel on future business trips.

Balalaika will probably be my favourite hotel to stay. I like the hotel , the staff and the fact that is next to all my favourite shops and restaurant.

This was not my first stay at the Balalaika Crown Court hotel. The location is convenient and the rooms are generally comfortable. My stay at the hotel this time was a bit disappointing. My main complaint was the staff. No one seemed aware of the "deal" that was offered on hotels.com about unlimited Internet. A deal that I paid a higher rate to acquire. […] The staff although aware that other guest had made the same claim, refused to honor the "deal" which was the main reason that I decided to stay at the Balalaika. In general, the staff was disappointing. The concierge could not provide a taxi driver who could "find" the places I needed to be. Housekeeping had difficulty finding a bottle opener. When found, the bottle opener could not be left to open bottles, so I was presented with the option of opening all the bottles immediately or calling housekeeping each time I wanted a bottle opened. I chose the latter which ended with me waiting for the opener that never came. Finally, reception was disappointing first as mentioned above because of the lack of knowledge of the "deals" that the hotel offers and second because of their lack of ability to remove items from your bill. I was told if they removed the unopened bottles from my bill, it would "mess up their accounting". Like I said, generally disappointing service from the staff. Therefore, despite the hotel's convenience, it's very difficult to recommend this hotel when the staff seems poorly trained in customer care and company policies. Lisateave

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Breakfast is expensive at the hotel. Room service is reasonable - around R45 - £60. Breakfast in the dining room is about R100 more expensive. Either eat in your room or go to the Sandton Centre - there are much cheaper places to eat. Overall, the hotel is very nice. A little tired and in need of decoration. A convenient reasonably priced place to […] stay. Lisateave

Everything wonderful about this hotel. The entire staff very friendly and accommodating. The rooms comfortable. The breakfast dining outside among the foliage was the best way to start our day. Hotel close to Gautrain, shopping and eateries. Didn't want to leave. I hope to return and will highly recommend. Thank you so much for a wonderful stay.

We had a very nice stay. The room was functionally and practically laid out and has a great bed giving a splendid rest. Our attention was drawn to the friendliness and honour with which the staff treat the guests. This was great. The only negative though might be the parking and arrival situation - the place at the front is very small and you can hardly […] stop then someone is behind you silently chasing you on. Otherwise - excellent! Lisateave

This was the second time I stayed at this hotel, and I found it comfortable and clean, and the staff always friendly and welcoming. The first time I stayed there I was traveling by myself (a woman), and basically picked it because it was in a safe neighborhood and I could go have dinner at a number of restaurants next door and not worry..

A great hotel, quiet, many amenities ... great restaurants, workout facilities, pool, but ... if you want the internet, they have it, except, it is really slow and works intermittently. Unifolrtunately, we were there to work and the internet did not work for us. Highly recommended if you are not there to work.

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Great location for shopping and riding the Gau train. Comfortable and clean facilities. Safe area to walk. Breakfast pricey if not included in room costs.

Our stay was very pleasant tat the Balalaika Hotel in Sandton. It is literally a two minute drive from the fantastic mall, Sandton City. The hotel has a very European-like feel! Old Spanish feel to it, with friendly staff. Lots of greenery. It's different from a usual hotel as it has an abundance of greenery as you walk to your room. The only disadvantage: […] the room is a long walk from the entrance of the hotel- but if walking isn't a problem for you, this hotel is really a good stay! Lisateave

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Really enjoyed our stay here. The hotel is a 5 minute walk away from Sandton City for all your shopping, eating and entertainment needs. It was comfortable and clean. The bar and restaurant ambience were very nice. The only downsides were: - you have to pay extra for car parking - the hotel is right next to the Village Walk where many shops are closing […] down - service in the restaurant was not very good, but service charge is automatically added to your bill Lisateave

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hotel is great,accessible to all good places.only one thing i like to use everyday is indoor heated pool which is not available..hotel staff some are freindly some are not,but over all im satisfied..looking forward to stay in this hotel with my famely on my next visit..thank you for ur assistance...mrs farrell.

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Bedroom nice and the writing desk is a nice touch for businessmen. Reception staff friendly, but no apology for poor service elswhere in hotel and no offer to correct anything either. Bathroom looking tired and plug in sink does not work. Room service did not answer calls in morning to order breakfast. Valet did not answer calls at all. Light bulb broken […] in bedroom and not changed. Lisateave

Older establishment,none of the glitz,very comfortable and a great location.Staff very friendly and efficient.Lovely garden and pool area to relax.

The hotel is well located to eating places and shoppining malls.

I have just spent 14 nights at the Balalaika. It is one of favourite hotels in the world. Why? First, the fabulous staff, Happiness in No 1 spot, but also Matthew, CJ, Petros and all the others. The gardens are a fragrant, spectacular delight and the thought that they may ever vanish in favour of something modern fills me with sadness. There is a wonderful […] old fashioned feeling to the Hotel, but with all the mod cons and within walking distance of the Gautrain, as well as the fabulous Sandont City shopping Mall. The rates were really reasonable when booked through Hotels.com. STAY THERE if you possibly can. It beats all the 5 star flashier hotels at which I've also stayed hands down. I will be returning! Lisateave

Quality of hotel service, Condition or maintenance of the hotel, Cleanliness of your room, Comfort of your room, Convenience of hotel location and Surrounding neighbourhood were first class. My only complain was the high price they charge for internet. I believe that the high price paid for the room should includ internet access, thet is critical for […] business people and today charging for Internet is like charging for hot water in the showers. Lisateave

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Had a very pleasant stay and the hotel is very child-friendly!

This is a pleasant, efficient, clean hotel which seems low-key and friendly. Beware, however, of the difficulty of getting around Joburg. The concierge discouraged us from metered taxis, the rapid transit system, or busses. He could ONLY seem to recommend hiring a car for any transportation--typically $40-$60 for each and every trip. Turns out that […] he is getting 20% of each transaction. That 20% (and perhaps more) can be saved if you set up your own plans directly with the driver. Lisateave

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The customer service at this hotel is shockingly bad. I would never recommend a hotel with such a poor and unintelligent staff. The hotel told me upon arrival that the room I had booked was not available. They made no attempt to apologize for their mistake, or offer any alternatives for our booking. The woman, Annelis, was extremely rude and unapologetic […] for the hotel's mistake. It is unbelievable that any hotel would be so rigid and unable to accept responsibility for its mistake. To the hotel's benefit, it is conveniently located within 10min walk to the train station, and for the price, has fair amenities. I would not recommend this hotel. Stayed July 2011. Lisateave

I selected this hotel since it was reasonably priced and is 5 minutes from the convention centre. It was nicer than I expected and I would certainly stay again. My room was in the newer section, quite a walk from reception. It was quiet, clean and comfortable. I ate one night at the hotel restaurant, the Bull Run which was good. For b'fast I went to […] the small mall next door for fruit and pastries. The hotel has a shuttle to the Gautrain, which is the fastest way to the airport. Lisateave

I was in Sandton for a show at the convention centre. The hotel is a short walk away (5 mins). Easy to walk in to the sandton centre for food and shopping and attached to the small but nive village walk mall for more food options. Also, 5 mins walk from the Sandton Gauteng Train station from the airport (but they will pick you up and deliver you there […] for free if you ask). The big location plus is that you are in a cute older building with two delightful gardens with pools and done out in a cutesy low key 'Olde English' fashion, rather than the monster malls of Sandton. Room was great with desk and office chair for working, wifi expensive but OK if you buy by download amount and stck to email. Bed very comfortable. The surrounding neighbourhood is smart clean with big building and could be anywhere in the world apart from the street stall where black South African workers get their food and produce. To actually see Johannesburg you must ignore the hotels advice that downtown is dangerous and Soweto suicide. I used local taxis (never overful and at £1 a big difference to the private hire at £25) from outside Sandton library. Downtown is full of life, new commerce, well renovated, more secure than London (due to CCTV and a massive security presence to reassure you) and now an exciting vibrant African city. Newtown is lovely, get a white chocolate mocha at Kaldi's on the square. Use the new guided bus service out to Soweto to see the Mandela House museum and see if you can avoid a tear. Obviously, it's a big city so take precautions and take care, but get out of Sandton and experience Jozi (not Joburg). Lisateave

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The Balalaika is in the heart of Sandton and offers good value compared to some of the surrouding hotels. It's one of the oldest hotels in the area (open since 1949!) and it is looking a little old and tired in places, but the service is good and the value is excellent for the area.

Hotel is fine... good location and within walking distance to Sandton City. Unfortunately the room I was given was not the best with no view... sort of basement room. But comfortable and clean. Breakfast is ok but very friendly staff.

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Balalaika is very well located, and has its charm, with rooms around swimming pools and garden. Bed is excellent and pillows make the difference. There are birds everywhere and you feel at countryside, being in a urban area. In the other hand, the room I stayed was very noisy, the internet (surchange) is too expensive. Gym is OK. When you add prices […] for breakfast, and internet, then expects total cost to go up substantially, Lisateave

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Great hotel. But even great hotels need improvement sometimes. Parking and internet service are expensive and I feel Parking for guests should be discounted or free, after all we are spending our money at the hotel to just sleep and park our bags. I also feel the internet was too expensive. Why isn't internet free like the rest of the world. South Africa […] needs to get in time to the rest of the world. Come on guys, lighten up on the internet charges. The concierge had no idea of what was happening in town. WE had to use the hotel Hilton Concierge to find a venue that served food and had music and dancing. Lisateave

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We had 2 rooms and only an overnight before departure from J'berg. We found the hotel staff excellent and very helpful and it was ideally located close to Sandton Shops and easy access to Monte Casino and airport. Will stay again.

Really love this hotel. Great setting and location. Staff is great. The Bull Run restaurant is great too. Would recommend to all! Booked at the Hilton for a night at the end of our stay, but just not the same feel. Balalaika is the best!

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Great location. Nice room. Friendly accomodating service and great value.

Fantastic staff . Wonderful location. Saved a fortune by buying stuff at Pick n Pay in the Village Walk Mall which is attached to the Balalaika. The gardens are gorgeous.

Good breakfast, nice grounds, room was quite small.