![Swimming pool [outdoor], Protea Hotel by Marriott Johannesburg Balalaika Sandton in Johannesburg](http://pix10.agoda.net/hotelImages/595/59579/59579_14082917410021717245.jpg?ca=2&ce=1&s=1024x768 "Swimming pool [outdoor], Protea Hotel by Marriott Johannesburg Balalaika Sandton in Johannesburg")
![Swimming pool [outdoor], Protea Hotel by Marriott Johannesburg Balalaika Sandton in Johannesburg](http://pix10.agoda.net/hotelImages/595/59579/59579_14082918360021719548.jpg?ca=2&ce=1&s=1024x768 "Swimming pool [outdoor], Protea Hotel by Marriott Johannesburg Balalaika Sandton in Johannesburg")
Newly renovated
Protea Hotel by Marriott Johannesburg Balalaika Sandton
20 Maude Street Sandown Sandton, Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2146 - See map
Get your trip off to a great start with a stay at this property, which offers free Wi-Fi in all rooms. Conveniently situated in the Sandton part of Johannesburg, this property puts you close to attractions and interesting dining options. Don't leave before paying a visit to the famous Apartheid Museum. Rated with 4 stars, this high-quality property provides guests with access to restaurant, fitness center and steamroom on-site.
Highlights
Facilities
Airport transfer
Car park
Shuttle service
Fitness center
Free Wi-Fi in all rooms!
Luggage storage
Your dates are popular among travelersUsers are booking a place in Johannesburg every 4 minutes on Agoda.com
![Swimming pool [outdoor]](http://pix10.agoda.net/hotelImages/595/59579/59579_17081820570055519050.jpg?ca=13&ce=1&s=1024x768)
![Swimming pool [outdoor]](http://pix10.agoda.net/hotelImages/595/59579/59579_17081820570055519050.jpg?ca=13&ce=1&s=98x98&ar=1x1)
![Swimming pool [outdoor]](http://pix10.agoda.net/hotelImages/595/59579/59579_14082917410021717245.jpg?ca=2&ce=1&s=98x98&ar=1x1)
![Swimming pool [outdoor]](http://pix10.agoda.net/hotelImages/595/59579/59579_14082918360021719548.jpg?ca=2&ce=1&s=98x98&ar=1x1)
![Swimming pool [outdoor]](http://pix10.agoda.net/hotelImages/595/59579/59579_14082918410021719580.jpg?ca=2&ce=1&s=98x98&ar=1x1)
Awesome hotel excellent menu for breakfast lunch dinner ”
Inside shopping centre no need for driving around if needed to go somewhere hotel shuttle
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Mini vacation ”
We had a wonderful breakaway stay at this hotel. Definitely would recommend it, friendly staff, closer to Sandton City mall & public transport❤❤🇿🇦
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Dear Christine, Thank you for choosing to stay with us and for taking the time to share your feedback. We are delighted to know that you had a wonderful stay at the Balalaika. Please note we have shared your comments with the TEAM to show what a good job we are doing. Please let us know when you return so that we may make your next stay just as memorable, again thank you for choosing to stay with us and stay warm! Kind Regards, Leonardo Rojas Guest Relations Officer guestrelations@balalaika.co.za
Exceptional service ”
The BEST service that I have experienced in a very long time.
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Dear Nelene, On behalf of the entire hotel team, I want to thank you for rating us good regarding your recent stay. It is always encouraging to hear positive feedback, particularly when it comes from those who matter the most – you! Your feedback has been shared with the Hotel Team, as a way of celebrating the great guest experiences we delivered. Once again, I appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback. We hope to welcome you again soon. Sincerely, Moloko Rasefate Guest Relations Manager Protea Hotel by Marriot Balalaika Sandton moloko@balalaika.co.za +27 11 322 5000
Good service”
Staff were good, free shuttle to the mall, most of the drivers were ok, room was nice but a bit of a walk. Nice courtyard and gardens. Pleasant stay
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Excellent”
Excellent value for money
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Dear Don, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback regarding your recent stay with us, it is greatly appreciated. We look forward to hosting you again! Kind Regards Riona Soni Guest Relations Officer
Balalaika stay”
Great customer service & staff
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Dear Mahomed, Thank you for sharing such a great review about your recent stay with us at the Protea Hotel Balalaika in Sandton. We are delighted that you had a great stay however your rating was concerning to us as we thought we might have failed to meet your expectations. Please feel free to let us know when you return and be safe. Kind Regards Moloko Rasefate
Not great. Awful actually.”
We procrastinated between this hotel and another one for ages but definitely made the wrong choice in the end. Being the only sunny warm day of the week, we wanted to spend the day by the pool having a few drinks but there were no pool chairs by the first pool, and the whole pool was covered in shade. The second pool was tiny and only had a few loungers which were all taken, and there was no bar service. We ended up instead sitting on chairs by the bar, no areas with any summer sun. The Bull Run for supper was a huge disappointment… we waited for about ten minutes with no one coming to seat us. We ordered the burger special which clearly states topped with cheese and served with a lager, neither of which arrived. We told a waiter who just never came back after that. The manager came to check on us and we told him. He insisted there was no cheese on the special even after we showed him the image. We left so disappointed by the service and food. I used to LOVE the Bull Run but couldn’t believe how bad it’s become the since a few years ago. We asked the hotel reception for a fan to sleep with for the mosquitos, as the aircon wasn’t doing anything to deter them, no fan. The pillows were so unbelievable uncomfortable, raised so high and so hard that neither of us slept well all night. I ended up using my jersey as a pillow and woke up with a sore neck. Worst hotel stay I’ve ever experienced.
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Not for us”
Very old, dull hotel. The kind of hotel companies book staff to save costs. Nothing special about the hotel.
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Good Day Japhet, Thank you for sharing your honest feedback regarding your recent stay with us. We would like to apologise for short failing to meet your expectations with regards to our Hotel Condition. We have shared your message appropriately with the Hotel TEAM and rest assured, we have an ongoing refurbishment that we currently using half of the rooms that are fully renovated. Let us know when you return to turn this around as we would always want to offer you the most amazing and memorable experience during your second stay. We hope to see you soon. Stay safe ! Kind Regards Moloko Rasefate
Budget hotel”
Great option for a 2-3 day low budget stay. The location is excellent. Great for expats. However any hotel is only as good as it’s least friendly staff member. Also, as hotel is currently undergoing renovations/maintenance works, power phone lines and lifts sometimes don’t work.
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Dear Wachizya, Thank you for choosing to stay us with us and taking the time to share your honest feedback. Providing the highest level of hospitality is our number one priority and we sincerely apologize for falling short of meeting your expectations. As a teachable moment, we have shared your feedback with the appropriate hotel team to ensure the necessary guidelines are in place to prevent the issues you experienced from occurring in the future. Kind Regards, Leonardo Rojas Guest Relations Officer guestrelations@balalaika.co.za
Great location, comfortable rooms”
protea balalaika has all the advantages for any visitor to sandton: i)it is near to mandela square, ii)hence near to the sandton shopping malls; iii)it is accessible from the gautrain station; iv) has an eco-friendly environment (almost as if it is in a garden setting). in addition to these physical attributes, the hotel gives value for money, has a professional staff always ready to attend to customers. finally, the restaurant and bar complete the home-away-from home setting of the hotel.
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Excellent Service”
I stayd with the Protea Balalaika for 5 days in February 2012 and wa svery impressed with the hotel and it's staff. Great location, excellent restaurants and outdoor areas, super service and friendly staff. The only minus was that the free WiFi had usage limitations and the internet payment solution work poorly when you have severeal devices PC, Ipad, Iphone. - But appart from that issue - excellent experience - and I'm going back to stay there next week.
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Remember: this is Africa”
We arrived late in the afternoon, with a crush of people at the check-in desk. We had reserved a double bed through Agoda a month before, so we were surprised when our bed was two singles. The front desk staff was very gracious and we were upgraded into a coporate suite. We were grateful. The suite was clean. We were surprised that the hair dryer was nowhere near the bathroom, nor could it be moved, as it was wired into an area near the desk -- perhaps for power/amperage reasons?? The lighting arrangement for the bathroom was -- the only word I can think of is aggressive -- a there was no way to turn on the bathroom area light without lighting up the bedroom, too. And since the bathroom/sink area light was behind one's head as we faced the mirror, it was hard to put in contacts or put on make-up. Note also that the hotel meanders over quite a large area. If you have walking issues, be sure to ask for a room near the front. Some in our party were located below ground level in the basement; others were way in the back even past the conference area. Other than those issues, the Protea is quite comfortable and very convenient to the Sandton Conference Center and the Nelson Mandela Square shopping.
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Great location a long walk from reception 230 mtr”
enjoyed the colonial atmosphere, the balalaika is well situated in the busy sandton business zone opposit deutshe band and the jse. the lovely well maintained gardens are an excellent place to meet in the busy downtown area. village walk a well known shopping area adjoins the hotel providing access to numerous high quality restaurants and clothes stores.
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Safe, Comfortable and good value for money”
As first time visitors to Jo'burg and having read all of the horror stories we needed a place to stay that was secure, comfortable and close to transport, but still value for money. The Protea Balalaika delivered on every count. We really enjoyed our stay there and in fact attempted to stay longer, but they were booked solid. A very affordable place to stay that we would definitely stay at again. Don't forget to go to the Bull Run Restaurant !! I am fussy about my steak and it was excellent. I believe that they should offer an airport transfer service though, especially since we arrived after dark.
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Rustic Charm”
lovely older hotel in the heart of sandton. built in 1949 and still retains a lot of rustic charm from its time as a stables. good value for money. rooms are a little small but beds are very comfortable and the room well appointed. bathrooms and shower are great. make sure you book room and breakfast. breakfast is great here and the sitting out area is really neat. if you don't book the room/breakfast however, the breakfast is a little expensive at r 155 per person. the spread is great and if you chose to sit outside, many of the local birds will come to join you... quite delightful! at the price, this is one of the best places to stay in jnb. the area surrounding is completely safe as well, which is a nice bonus. staff are helpful and polite. the hotel has a gym but it needs to revamp the dumbbell set which is old and not properly matched as some are missing. a few heavier dumbbells would be perfect. overall a great and inexpensive hotel which i would recommend to everyone. quite a few airlines chose to put their staff here when they lay over in jnb, which should tell you a lot!
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Lovely Hotel and Great Location”
I very much happy with the hotel, the location of the is good. Beside a small shopping mall but no worries a small walk (9mins) you reach Sandton City Mall and the connecting Mall. Also good location for business traveler and visiting Sandton Convention Centre. Price of this hotel is ok if could lower a little will much balance.
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An oasis in Joburg”
my second visit to the balalaika, first was in 2008. had a standard room this time, which was same size as superior but without a view. very comfortable bed, good bathroom and housekeeping service. had an issue with the inbuilt electical adapter but sorted out quickly by maintenance man. room service is great value and huge servings.
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Great location, nice atmosphere”
Always a pleasure to be back at the Balalaika Hotel, I enjoyed the room, the restaurant, bar, the little garden with swimming pool, the overall atmosphere. Only negative comment would be the wait each time at check in. It takes between 30mn and 1 hour to get to your room especially when you arrive in the morning because they have to clean and then check it has been cleaned to finally give you access to you room. So you might be 12th or 2nd on waiting list, you just need to be patient, have a drink and relax at the terrace or in the lobby.
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Short Break in Jozi”
This was our second visit to the Balalaika, this time we stayed for one week. From arrival to departure everything was perfect and great value for money. Bar staff were superb and good fun and good company. Location of the hotel is good, five minutes walk from Mandela square, would recommend to anyone who is taking a trip to Joburg.
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Centrally located and spacious room”
We stayed at this hotel for 1 night after flying in from Namibia. We took the Gautrain from the OR Tambo Airport directly to Sandton (ZAR 252 for 2 persons) and the hotel sent a van to pick us up just outside the Sandton station - very convenient and easy. The train ride took about 15 minutes and from the station to the hotel, it is a mere 5 minutes’ drive. We stayed in Room, which is on the ground floor facing the garden - not much of a view, but it was already late, so we did not mind. If we were to stay longer, we would have asked for a room on the upper floors so that we can open the sliding doors. The grounds of the hotel was very well maintain and the beautiful garden with lots of trees was meticulously attended too. Our room was reasonably spacious (with a working table), the bed was comfortable, hot shower was strong and standard toiletries were provided. Wifi was free for the first 100 mb per guest and we could get quite good strength from the room. We did not use the air condition and so, are not able to comment on the noise. We ordered room service for dinner – the service was fast and the food from their Bull Run Restaurant was good and reasonably priced. We had breakfast at the open-air restaurant - the spread was varied and freshly brewed tea and coffee was brought to our table as soon as we took our seats. There was a minor hiccup however, when we were told by the waitress that we had to sign and pay for breakfast when in actually fact, it was included in the rate we had paid for. We told her so and asked her to confirm this with the front desk. She came back to inform us that the front desk confirmed that breakfast was not included and we had to pay. We had to go back to our room to fetch the receipt for our payment (which we had printed and brought along), which clearly stated that breakfast was included. Other than that, this hotel is a good place to stay as it is centrally located and easily reached from the airport.
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