tmac100

I land in JNB at about 10:30 and meet my boys who fly in @ 19:00. We all fly out at about 06:00 the next morning.

Suggestions as to waiting it out?

I looked at booking a room at the airport hotel but the website says a room cannot hold 3 folks.. Two rooms, nah I don't think it is cost effective. We are travelling, and NOT on business. Getting into a hotel away from the airport, but then I wonder about safety, getting some sleep because of a 8 hour time difference from North America, and getting to the airport for a 4 am check-in..

A colleague said to just sleep at the airport on the floor - 2 sleep and one is awake. We have sleeping bags, so..

I checked the "sleeping at airports" web site and it seems do-able at JNB (post FIFA World Cup).

allergictocoach

Check for the Hotel Formula 1 near JNB. It should (tightly) take 3 people and it was about $125 a night max during the World Cup. I stayed at the one near Sandton and it's a lot like a Microtel here in the USA. Nothing fancy just a place to sleep and shower - really tiny with a double bed, bunk bed and a small flat screen TV. It was relatively isolated and secure for JNB with a gate around the premises and 24 hour attendance at reception. I prepaid $54 a night during the Cup and it was great value compared to the other hotels with very limited availability. There is one that must be less than 2 miles from JNB. I saw it as we were on the way out. It's an ACCOR hotel brand btw. You can get the direct site thru google.

If it's after the World Cup availability probably won't be an issue and the price might make 2 rooms doable. If you do stay in the airport in the winter bring a coat. It was freezing the other night. Not sure if there isn't heat or if it was out of service.

simon stingray

You don't state when you arrive in SA but as long as its not during the world cup, you should have no problem locating reasonable hotels close to the airport.

The OR Tambo Garden Court (part of the Southern Sun Group) is only a couple of KM's from the airport and has rooms that would be suitable for 3 (Assuming that your "boys" are children). It looks like they have a shuttle service to/from the airport but you could e-mail them and check as you would have to leave early for a 6.00am flight. It looks like they charge approx R1100.00/night for a room.

https://www.southernsun.com:443/SSH/...11acRCRD/37/51

tmac100

We all get in on July 13th. It does not look good for the posh hotels, so right now the plan is to get them out of customs clearance and talk/catch up... By 9 pm they will start nodding off, so it will be time to pull out their sleeping bags and sleep in a chair or on the floor. Two of us will sleep and one will watch.

As the SAA flight leaves before 6 that means check-in will start just after 4...

We shall see. OTOH, the ACCOR hotel mentioned earlier (at 400 ZAR) is a definite possibility as they will allow 3 in a room - if the sons (both adults) get thru customs fast - a warm shower/bath is really relaxing and really helps a quick sleep.

boar

Not sure if you are familiar with Intercontinental's Priority Break offers but you can book 2 rooms at the Intercontinental at the airport for the night of July 13 for a mere 10,000 Priority Club points. I would imagine you could find these points fairly easily on Coupon Connection. They would roughly be worth $100 - not bad for 2 rooms in an Intercontinental.

Cheetah_SA

Erm... that is Points Break. But terrific spot boar . That hotel almost never has discounts and is usually well over R2000 per night so I am well amazed to see it on the PB list. Wonder what availability is like?

Failing that the Town Lodge nearby should have good rates.

tmac100

Thank you everyone for the advice and..

The oldest son said to me a couple of hours ago "Dad, screw that stuff. We will pull our sleeping bags out and sleep on the floor! I mean we will just get off a 10+ hour flight and will be in no mood for anything - not even a beer at any pub at the airport. Two sleeping while one is awake. I will also bring some fruit and snacks before we leave for Africa and we will be OK until 4:30 am when we have to go in the SAA flight, besides SAA serves some sort of breakfast, don't they.."

So that seems to be the bottom line. Screw the wait. Sleep/sit at the JNB airport and move on.

I have to say that we will have an incredible 5 weeks together in SA, and then Botsawana, Vic Falls, Lake Kariba and it's Tiger Fish, and then another week in South Africa.

Thanks again for your considered advice :-)

Sleeping on the floor at JNB will just be part of "the adventure".

boar

Good luck but I have to say you are missing a great opportunity - 10k points for 2 rooms at the Intercontinental is a steal. It is worth it just for good self to kill the 8 hrs or so before your son arrives let alone the 2 rooms for the night. There appears to be plenty of availability. I wouldn't recommend you spend 8 hrs killing time at Joburg airport - you will go mad. Maybe you could take the Gautrain into Sandton and watch a film in Sandton City. Nothing worse than starting a 5 week dream holiday feeling absolutely f...d. If you cant find the 10k points PM me and I will see what I can do. I have already booked a night there for July 20, my last night in SA. This place is $400 a night.

Cheetah_SA

And the IC has a great swimming pool and gym on the top floor with views of the runway. Definitely a worthwhile place to while away a few hours.

tmac100

Common sense prevails ... maybe.

I booked a night at the Formula 1 hotel near the airport for the 3 of us. 399 ZAR and the boys will be able to shower and sleep for a few hours after flying 14 hours from Atlanta. It will be better for them than crashing at the JNB airport in sleeping bags. My ex reminded me of how zonked she was after flying YVR-SYD in 1985 and then travelling by train for 5 or 6 hours south to stay with friends - and she was 25 years younger then ;-) So what that the sun is in "the wrong part" of the sky. Youth is really wasted on the young.

A clean room and a hot shower should get them ready for a 5:50 SAA flight to PLZ and then going (almost immediately) to the surfing championship at J-Bay - with resultant loss of any trace of "tiredness".

So much for common sense, but then I am a 62 y.o. "dad" and happy to be one.

og

Wow. What a deal. I'm in JNB a month later and just booked a room at the JNB IC for 5k points. Thankyou so much for mentioning this deal.

Craigo

Like og I'd like to say a big thank you and ^ to boar and CheetahSA for highlighting the IC Points Break deal. I'm travelling with my father to Kenya for 9 days, coming in from Sydney to Johannesburg on Qantas, then flying to Cape Town afterwards. Due to flight timings we have to overnight in JNB before and after the flights to NBO and we've booked separate rooms for those two nights for 10,000 Priority Club points each.