Four Seasons Westcliff experience

Once a week it’s date night. This time around it is a stay night at the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel in Westcliff. Located in the heart of Gauteng Province in the City of Gold. Off the mountain a set of interconnected buildings cascade like a very well stacked elaborate celebration cake, in Westcliff. The location ensures that there are no badly located rooms, you have panoramic views of Gauteng from anywhere in the hotel. The structure strikes a delicate balance between personal privacy and access to the amenities like the spa and incredible restaurants.

A warm welcome from the staff at reception with that five-star attitude. I mean that “Your wish is my command” kind of attitude, everyone that we met wished my husband a happy birthday. A beautiful beginning to this day, check-in is seamless. A five-star establishment must always have valet parking, after our luggage is offloaded the hotel staff hands us a ticket and our car disappears into the parking. The instructions are simple, every time you need your car just state the number on your valet ticket, but hotel staff gives even the easiest task a personal touch. We have no plan of using the car. In no time a golf cart whisked us to our room. The naming of the sections of the hotel pays homage to the different iconic parts of Joburg and the province.

We are staying in a well elevated Egoli terrace, room 505, the room is exquisite and well-appointed. The entrance lobby gives you that “I Have Arrived” feeling in more ways than one, the lush and luxurious carpeting and flooring starts right there in the lobby. There is nothing I love more than personal touches and a beautifully made dessert. In the room, there was this beautiful macaroon arrangement as a welcome gift, a scrumptious delectable fudge bar for your indulgence, and a handwritten letter from the Manager welcoming us to the Four Seasons Family.

Nothing prepares you for the attention to detail in this room, a super comfortable oversized bed adorns the middle of the room with pillows that are crafted with the Four Seasons Logo. Luxury at its best, a very ornate couch and an ottoman with a zebra pattern that matches the curtains. A gorgeous floor-to-ceiling marble-tiled bathroom with a bathtub, shower, and luggage area is neatly tucked away at the back and completes the room. The level of detail and luxury in this room reminds you why the Four Seasons hotel group is one of the best in the world. There is a beautiful flow in this room, the three arched French doors, give you more than a glimpse of the views I told you about earlier. The outside balcony area gives you access to the amazing Westcliff views, overlooking lush green Johannesburg, from up here you understand why this City is referred to as the world’s largest man-made forest.

We settled in, from there we headed out to explore the property, we decided to take lunch while taking a dip by the pool. The property is very quiet, but once you settle down in an area the hotel staff appear from nowhere to ask if you need anything and to explain how to order food and drinks, now that’s the five-star lifestyle.

The Four Seasons Westcliff hotel uses technology to avoid the spread of the Covid19 virus, so to order you scan the QR code on the small table next to you and you access the menu, you can also WhatsApp your order or use the Four Seasons App. You state the seat number on your order and the hotel staff will deliver to where you are. We ordered our food and drinks and started cooling off by swimming before our food arrives. The water is cool and refreshing. It was a cloudy day but the summers in Johannesburg are very warm. About 30 minutes into our swimming, it started raining, at first it was just drizzling a few minutes later it was pouring. We had our lunch while watching the rain. Rain is always a beautiful sight except for when you are sitting in traffic that’s when it becomes a nightmare.

We headed back to our room and relaxed before we prepared for dinner. We had reservations at Flames restaurant. We started to get ready for dinner and off we go. The food was delicious. I had fillet steak and for dessert a 24K Magnum. The dessert is wrapped in edible gold leaf, a perfect end to a scrumptious meal with glitz and swag in the City of Gold. There was a special surprise for my husband as it was his birthday, they had made this beautiful lemon meringue dessert with “Happy Birthday” written on a plate. What a beautiful evening. The birthday boy was very happy.

After that scrumptious meal, we returned to the room and went to sleep. It is amazing how comfortable the bed is. It feels like you are floating in a cloud as it gently rocks you to sleep. I love comfortable beds, a bed can make or break a place. The next morning, we sat on our balcony at sunrise this is one of our traditions, we have coffee while we watch the sunrise.

Breakfast on a terrace at The Views restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel is an event on its own. The awe-inspiring views are what makes these experience wholesome. “Whatever tickles your fancy” that’s what you will get, fresh fruits, pastries, continental breakfast, hot breakfast. It is up to you to decide what will make you happy to begin your day. We had some fruits, pastries, and eggs benedict an old-time favourite of mine and it was delicious.

After breakfast, we explored the property a little bit more before heading to the spa. The spa is always a great place to relax and unwind whether you sit in the jacuzzi and let the water soothe you or a session in the sauna or have a massage treatment. The spa at the Four Seasons hotel is there to cater to your Spa needs. For that extra detail, the spa’s facilities are booked on a personal basis. The spa has a sun deck where you can order light meals and relax. There is also a fitness center on-site for the gym buffs.

I enjoy all types of travel, but it is the attention to detail that I love about luxury travel. From arriving at the hotel everybody knew it was my husband's birthday from the ladies at reception when we checked in, they wished him a happy birthday. The guy who took us to our room on a golf cart his first words were “Happy Birthday Mr. Kgobe, on arrival at the restaurant the lady that received us said “Happy Birthday” our waiter also wished my husband a birthday. This made his day a little extra special. Another thoughtful thing that I noticed at the restaurant is the little packet that they give you on arrival to keep your mask in it, how thoughtful is that? In the room there are masks, alcohol wipes, and your own sanitiser. We had an amazing time at the Four Season Westcliff. Looking forward to returning to this hotel and also experiencing other Four Seasons experiences in other Four Seasons hotels world wide. “Always take time to do whatever makes your soul happy”