I have a few days in Jo'burg before my safari starts, and am looking for a good hotel to base myself. I'm a single female traveler so safety is something of a concern. I actually haven't felt particularly unsafe in any of my solo travels about Western and Central Europe, since I tend to be pretty alert, but Jo'burg definitely seems like a place to take care in.

I'm looking for something around $100/night (or less, of course), and was thinking of perhaps the Sandton area. I'm really not sure where that is in relationship to tourist sites in and around Jo'burg, though. Assumably taxis are a good form of transportation. From the sounds of it, I'm best off not driving myself. Things I'm interested in include the Apartheid Museum, Gold Reef City, and... well, I'm not sure what else, actually.

So is Sandton a reasonable place to look? Should I try to stay more central? Any suggestions?

I definitely like basing myself in Sandton while I'm in Joburg. I'm also usually travelling alone, and feel perfectly fine there (although it's also because Sandton City is my mecca for shopping and stocking up on things...).

There are a number of hotels around Sandton, and at reasonable rates. I've stayed at the Park Plaza Hotel (pre-Flyertalk) and (post-Flyertalk) Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn or Hilton. All of the hotels are very fine, with the Hilton being on the higher end and Holiday Inn/Park Plaza at the lower. I used to get Park Plaza at about $50/night.

One other nice thing is that you are not limited to your hotel room at night, as most hotels offer a shuttle to and from Sandton City Mall, so you can get out for a nice meal or just stroll around the mall. You can catch the shuttle back or take a cab for about 30 rand (taxis in front of Michaelangelo Hotel). The hotels in the area seem to take security very seriously, and don't think it's strange to offer a shuttle service to go a couple of blocks.

As many tourists base themselves out of Sandton, you can arrange day trips with the hotel or with a service to popular tourist sites. Often these services have flyers in the hotel lobby and are easy to arrange.

I hope this information is helpful. Have a great trip!

I would recommend the Sandton Sun (now Intercontinental), it is joined to the mall by a pedestrian bridge making it more convenient than the Hilton, Holiday Inn, etc. and usually their price is reasonable (might vary by convention as it is also joined to the convention center). Other choice is the Montecasino IC if you want to be outside of Sandton (but I think Sandton is the best choice for a first visit, and not Rosebank etc.). Staying at the Airport IC is also viable (nice hotel, unlike most airport hotels, but no shopping like the other hotels have); you can do sightseeing straight from the airport (might be a good choice if you have a very tight schedule). Usually the airport IC is quite a bit cheaper than the other hotels of similar quality (sometimes half price, depends on load).