Our final stop in South Africa: Johannesburg

It was indeed one, memorable Safari experience in Singita Lebombo Lodge and to round up our trip to South Africa, we made a quick stop in Johannesburg.

Our return flight to the Philippines required that we take off from here, so Johannesburg became our last and final destination.

Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa in terms of population, and is one of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the world. The Hubby and I discovered that this city actually reminded us a little bit of home- Manila in particular- with its dense population, pronounced social classes, and generally bustling atmosphere.

The entrance to the Saxon Boutique Hotel, Villas & Spa, our home away from home while in Johannesburg.

The beautiful hotel is situated in a quiet, tree-lined avenue located in the suburb of Sandhurst.

Very nice, open and welcoming lobby. The hotel has been voted the World’s Leading Boutique Hotel every year since 2001.

The hotel incorporated strong elements of African art in their interiors.

Everywhere we looked, we saw beautiful African accent pieces.

Authentic African art even on the walls.

Very interesting details.

African wooden decor made the hotel feel very warm and homey.

I fell in love with their unique African art that I actually purchased a few pieces for myself. They now decorate our home and remind us of our wonderful experience in this beautiful country 🙂

The hotel pool.

Although we stayed in Johannesburg for a mere 2 days, it still proved to be a very relaxing and happy one. 🙂

Saxon Boutique Hotel, Villas and Spa sits in a 10-acre garden, surrounded by lush greenery on all corners.

 Quiet, serene and simply beautiful.

With a few free hours in our hands, the Hubby and I decided to do a bit of sight seeing in the city and then headed over to Nelson Mandela Square, for some dining and shopping.

This is where we ate in some of their best restaurants and shopped for some African souvenirs from their antique dealers.

The square boasts of a 6-metre statue of Nelson Mandela to honor the former South African president. In South Africa and throughout the whole world, Mandela is a recognized symbol of equality and freedom. It is indeed admirable to see how South Africans talk about their leader with so much respect, love and adoration.

And so this is where our African adventure ends.  People often ask me about what destination I would like to go back to if given the chance. Automatically, with so much certainty and with a great deal of excitement, I say Cape Town and  Singita Lebombo Lodge in South Africa. The Hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in these amazing places. The relaxed atmosphere, the gorgeous landscape, and of course, the great wine and excellent food of Cape Town, coupled with the excitement and adventure of our Safari experience in the luxurious Singita Lebombo Lodge resonate in our memories until this very day.

The Hubby and I dared to go where we have never set foot before, not knowing what to expect, bringing with us just our open minds. The outcome? A life-changing experience. Everything else that we have seen or places that we have been to, seem to pale in comparison to this awesome adventure. Our African holiday is really something worth going back to; definitely a trip that merits reliving. It is one of those life experiences that both he and I will never, ever forget.

I hope you have enjoyed walking through my African journey as much as I did reminiscing it with you.

Till the next one.