Some Rest and Recuperation! South Africa & Dubai

When finding accommodations for vacation, there are few things to take into account. The location of where you’re staying, its proximity to tourist attractions, restaurants, and its overall safety. This is important for me when booking my stay for short- and long-term trips. My trip to South Africa and Dubai was long term so I made sure I planned everything out perfectly while keeping my budget in mind.

Entrance of The Houghton Hotel. Image by Martin O. Tettey

Don’t let these five-star accommodations fool you, I received incredible rates for all of them, including my Airbnb Plus. I visited Johannesburg and Cape-Town during my trip to South Africa. I booked my hotels through the Chase Sapphire Preferred and American Express Platinum cards to give me insurance protection without having to pay extra for it. Both cards book through Expedia anyway so you don’t have to worry if you don’t use either credit cards. You can use my link here to apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred. After you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening — that's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

The Houghton Johannesburg

Upon arrival at Johannesburg, we stayed at the new Houghton Hotel, which launched in May of 2019. I’m a man of luxury and staying at a hotel that is a part of The Leading Hotels of The World group gave me exactly what I needed to thrive. I wanted a place where I can relax after quick excursions since we were only in Johannesburg for two nights. I stayed in the Executive King Suite, which was very modern, minimal, and spacious.

Bathroom of the Executive King Suite. Image by Martin O. Tettey

To top off my relaxing stay, I did a spa treatment at the hotel’s Amani Spa. I did an hour-long of the “Warm Trigger point massage.” It was a bit pricy but worth it after a 20-hour flight. 

Amani Spa Heated Pool. Image by Martin O. Tettey

Amani Spa lounge area. Image by Martin O. Tettey

Airbnb Plus Rental

Since I was in Cape-Town for a larger amount of my trip, I thought an Airbnb was a lot more cost-efficient for the remainder of my trip. Before booking, I wish I dived a bit deeper into the research on my trip because I would have just spent the extra money to book a hotel. South Africa conserves energy just like a lot of other African Countries, meaning the power for certain areas come on and off at certain times. It was a bit of an inconvenience trying to begin and end each day without power. I guess I was shocked because South Africa was so developed. The Airbnb was still very clean, safe, and spacious. Wasn’t too crazy about its location either but it could have been a lot worst. 

(Check out my Instagram Highlight’s for Airbnb & Hotel tours.)

Four Seasons West-cliff Johannesburg

After Cape-Town we made our way back to Johannesburg before departing South Africa. We had lunch at the Four Seasons when I first arrived in South Africa and loved it so much that we decided to book it on a whim. We booked this stay through American Express’s Expedia portal and got a tremendous rate for it. The room was very elegant and old fashioned.

Garden View Premier Room. Image by Martin O. Tettey

From its vintage gold faucets to its retro bedroom wallpaper, each detail exhibited very traditional yet elegant styles. The service was phenomenal! Since the Hotel is on top of a very steep hill, the front desks arrange a golf cart shuttle that will bring you up to your room or the elevator to the restaurant. We opted to pay $20 for all you can eat brunch. It was the best all you can brunch I’ve ever experienced in my life. From Sushi to fresh raw oysters, steak, omelet, name it, they had it! It was beyond perfect.

Address Sky View Dubai

Since Emirates airlines transfer hub's in Dubai, I decided to extend my layover an extra day to see the city again. It’s valuable to take advantage of your layovers in different destinations. I booked a one-night stay at The Address Sky view Downtown, which opened in December 2019. Address Sky-view was stunning.

The air ducts had a strong fragrance that smelt just like Terre DE ‘Hermes perfume! It was incredible to stay in a hotel I remember seeing under construction during my 2018 visit to Dubai. The room was very modern, maybe a bit too modern as I didn’t even know how to work the lights! The bathroom had a double sink, marble flooring, private shower, and toilet (which I love most). It was also perfectly located in the center of Downtown Dubai. I highly recommend a stay here. Vacations allow us to rest and recuperate so it’s important to invest as much as possible into time away!

Premier Room. Image by Martin O. Tettey