Where to stay while in transit through South Africa, Johannesburg

Where to stay while in transit through South Africa, Johannesburg

Afton Guest House is located only 7 minutes from Johannesburg International airport (O.R. Tambo International Airport) and will provide you with a Meet & Greet service upon your arrival along with transportation to and from the airport. Afton offers the ideal “Bed & Breakfast Accommodation” for visitors to Johannesburg or passengers in transit. Find rates and information on their web site at Afton Guest House - The Traveller's FRIEND in Johannesburg.

Please post any comments or suggestions...

This is a great tip Jerome. My family and I have stayed here several times. They offer great service and the breakfast is very good. If you are there in the evening they will take you to a steak house that is above a pharmacy that I cannot remember the name of but is very good. They have some some curios there but they will also take you to the big native market in Joberg if you have time. I highly recommend the Afton House.

Jaustin, Glad to hear that you have had a good experience there as well. They go out of their way to make sure that their guests are well taken care of.

Jerome is right, for hunters visiting us in South Africa, the Afton Guest House is the best place en route to/from OR Tambo.

As a result of this thread I have booked with the Afton GH for a few nights. I must say Annelise was great to work with through email. I also spoke today on the phone with her, very pleasant and friendly.

The Afton Guest House is the only way to go..
Louis and Annelise Bekker

Afton Guest House - The Traveller's FRIEND in Johannesburg
afton@netactive.co.za

The actual name of the place is Afonio Guest House..
17 aftonwold Way, Aston Manner,1619
PO box 11802, Aston Manor, `1630, Gauteng, So. Africa


tel: 27 11-391-7625, 27-11-391-4393, 27-11-972-5159
fax 27-11-972-4753
cell 27-83-444-4432

Afton is great service to use...but after getting soaked on the meal and drinks the last time I was there this year....I'll be reluctant to go back. There are a lot of other services getting all there eggs in a row and they are cheaper.

Believe me I'm still pissed about that crappy meal that cost a arm and leg after a 21 hour flight.

Enysse,
Damn, I hate to hear that...what are the details? Was the meal at the Afton or did they take you out? if so didn't you have a choice?

Do you know of other bed and breakfast places in JoBerg. I have a great place in Cape Town but only know of the Afton in Joberg..

I know the Holiday Inn was great about 10 years ago, but don't know much about it now and you know how things can change..It seem someone told me the Holiday was now run down????

Ray, I'm at work and would have to get the information I collected while I was in Africa last May 2009. There was a small crowd at the Afton when I was there. The steak was hard and chewy and small....nothing like the time I was there is June 2008. They said they had a new cook, a guy dating one of owners daughter and the drink prices varied.

I know for what they charged....250 Rand for the food, not including drinks...we should have been eating a whole lot better!!!! They told me times are tougher now...I guess so.

Any of the fast food places in Africa...where a lot better to eat and heck of a lot cheaper.

I guess one place I would look at is Hunter Permits Africa at www.hunterspermitsafrica.co.za run by Adele Jansen van Rensburg....cell ph. +27 82 823 7030 / Fax +27 11 979 0797 / email. I guess they don't own a guest house but do bookings for guest houses. Other than that they do import / export permits, meet and greet, safe keeing of firearms, transporting firearms, ammunition finds, they have a shooting range, etc.

The young guy from Texas that was seated next me had a place that doesn't cross my mind for $35. Lodging, food and shuttle service. They are out there and there are a lot of good South Africans providing good service at a reasonable price.

I'll do a web search next time.

A friend and I have booked for a night at the Afton Guest House in July 2010. So far Annelise has been excellent to work with via e-mail.

enysse, sorry to hear that you had a bad experience, I hope things improve again before next year.

nd

I was there on Aug 14-15. The breakfast was good...not quite enough but good. They did take us to a shop for souvenirs on Sat. There is a guy that cooks steak, salad, & baked potato, for $25.00 u.s. We did not eat it & it seemed that if you didn't have that you were out of luck. We drank Castle & Redd's @ r20 each which is about $2.00 u.s. It seemed to be o.k. It was a little unorganized it seemed at the airport when we arrived because we had to look for the meet & greet guy. They did take us back to the airport where we met up with Brucie. Thank goodness he was there because I had trouble with SAA not wanting to give me my ticket because I did not have the card I used to buy the ticket with me. They were going to make me buy a new ticket but Brucie talked to the agent & said some things (Afikanese) & got it worked out. We tipped him for with out him I would have had to spend $400.00 u.s for a new ticket. They are now offering a gun permit service as well we were told. I will likely use them again once I return to Jo-burg.

On my last trip through Jo'burg, I stayed overnight at a lodge a few minutes from the airport. Its website touted having live game animals, but the game consisted of a couple of fallow deer and a duiker.

My room and bedding were clean, I was picked up and returned to the airport on time, and a good breakfast buffet was included. Cost for one night was the equivalent of U.S.$50 when the rand was about 6 to 1.

The downside was the evening meal. The establishment had a printed menu, but all food was delivered from outside. A fellow traveler and I shared a gawd-awful pizza.

I can't remember the name of the place.

Bill Quimby

The name of the place I stayed in 2007 is the Airport Game Lodge.

I found its website again, and the rate for a single occupancy room now is R450, which means it still is about U.S.$50 according to the last time I looked at a currency converter.

I will pay a little more and look for someplace with an on-site restaurant the next time I lay over in Jo'burg.

Bill Quimby

Talking to Gracy Travel who said Afton House's owner had become quite sick last year and was taken over by relatives. Said they've received a number of "unflattering" reviews since that time and have since shifted their recommendations to AfricaSky Guest House. Said food and drinks are right there rather than needing a ride somewhere?

Anybody else know anything about AfricaSky Guest House?

dv, Thanks for your sharing what you have heard.

Having stayed there myself, I have recommended Afton Guest House to many hunters. I have heard that the owner has serious health issues, however I have not received any negative reports, on the contrary I have only heard positive reviews, though things can change... Afton Guest House has sort of been the "go to" place for hunters transiting through Joburg for many years and it would be sad if this is true. This is the first I've heard of it so I wouldn't disregard Afton Guest House just yet!

I am not familiar with AfricaSky Guest House but from what I saw on their website it looks very nice and is close enough to the airport... here is something from their website:

AfricaSky Guest House is a luxury executive guest house 10km from Johannesburg International Airport. Set in a beautiful garden that offers privacy to guests as each room has a private entrance. This owner run guest house epitomises warm hospitality and service excellence. A tennis court and swimming pool is available to the guests.

For more info, you can visit their website at AfricaSky Guest House.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AfricaHunting.com

Having stayed there myself, I have recommended Afton Guest House to many hunters. I have heard that the owner has serious health issues, however I have not received any negative reports, on the contrary I have only heard positive reviews, though things can change... Afton Guest House has sort of been the "go to" place for hunters transiting through Joburg for many years and it would be sad if this is true. This is the first I've heard of it so I wouldn't disregard Afton Guest House just yet!

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Yes, unfortunately you never know if it is just a business dispute or what the truth of the matter is.

Hopefully someone will stay there and let us know about food, safety and accommodations.

happy hunting, dv

i stayed at the Safari Club SA Guest House this year. we were met at the airport and dropped off. they had a bar on site and meals were available. breakfast was great and they even made me an english style breakfast one morning, no problem at all. it is 5 minutes from the airport and a very nice place. their website is Safari Club SA - Superior accommodation at OR Tambo International Airport

Thanks kuduman for that recommendation, I think it's great when members chime in a let everyone know of the places that they have stayed... the more options available the better. The Safari Club SA Guest House looks like a place that a lot of hunters are looking for, close to the airport, nice, clean with a BAR and a good breakfast.

I just returned from my photo and hunting safari to RSA. My wife and I stayed at the Afton GH. We were greeted at the airport by Jacques who works for Afton. He took us over to the SAPS office and made sure everything was taken care of with getting my rifle. After getting my rifle we loaded up in the van with a number of bowhunters from the U.S. and made the short drive to Afton. We took advantage of the steak dinner opportunity that was prepared by Annaliese's son. It was a bit on the pricy side, but it was very good and we had no complaints. We actually stayed two nights there on our arrival as I was able to save a bunch of money on airfare by coming in a day earlier. The second night we went to a nearby Italian restaurant. It was okay and quite inexpensive, but fries were served as a side dish? Fries with Italian? I guess you get what you pay for.

Our room was very clean and comfortable with a television and en suite bathroom. The staff was very friendly and Anna even allowed me to use her special phone that is a dedicated U.S. phone to call my sons back home.

All in all, I had a very positive experience with the Afton GH and would recommend it.