The Saxon
Sandton, South Africa
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THE SAXON - SANDTON,
SOUTH AFRICA
 Nestled
in the exclusive Sandhurst suburb of Sandton, SAXON makes a world class
statement of ethnic African elegance,
combined with personalized attention to detail. SAXON has always been
a place of welcome. First as a home, now a home away from home. With
its roots in the heart of Gauteng, it has drawn the warmth of the city
that bred it - from the world it has won it's refinement and ease.
SAXON
has witnessed history within its walls as it became home to Nelson
Mandela after he was released from prison. It was during this time
that South
Africa's former President used the serene setting of SAXON to edit
his autobiography "Long walk to Freedom."
Rooms  For
images of The Saxon, click Saxon
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Saxon boasts twenty six suites of various sizes. All suites incorporate
a strong element of African art, latticed shutters covering large
bay windows, looking onto the tranquil gardens or pool area. Each
suite features large screen televisions, VCR and DVD player with
surround sound system. Workstations fitted with multi telephone,
fax and ISDN lines, provide each guest an incomparable experience
in business oriented hospitality. The four presidential suites each
feature a separate lounge and dining area. The spectacular Mandela
and Mbeki platinum suites are furnished to cater for the most discerning
traveler.
The lounges of all suites are furnished for in-room dining
entertainment, as well as state-of-the-art business requirements.
Hotel facilities
 Despite being embedded in the city of gold, a place most known for it's
frenetic pace and mining town mentality, there lies a scenic jewel surrounded
by lush landscape gardens called SAXON. With its extensive use of water,
it naturally lends itself as a reprieve from the daily stresses of major
corporate deals and the hectic pace of city living.
The welcoming entrance with stately staircase
sweeps around a central glass dome, permitting natural light to blend
with and enhance the contemporary African decor and handcrafted ethnic
art artifacts. Leading off this area is a boutique shop, piano lounge,
smoking library and the dining room. Set in six acres of lush landscape
gardens, SAXON has been designed to capture and embrace its natural
environment. One of the design themes is the extensive use of water.
The central point of the water theme is the magnificent nine hundred
and twenty square metre swimming pool. Elevated above the pool is a
terrace overlooking the indigenous gardens, with the city of Johannesburg
as a backdrop. The
lattice shuttered suites, cool terraces and shaded gazebos adjoining
both the heated
lap pool and magnificent swimming pool,
enhance the fully supervised gymnasium, steam rooms and Essence Skin
and Body Salon. The restaurant offers a health menu to suit all jaded
palates.
Essence Skin and Body Salon
Essence Skin and Body at SAXON is set in a unique oasis,
abundant with bird life and expansive areas of calm water. It combines
the very best to give you a complete health care service and provides
access to a Dermalogica skin and body centre, fully equipped gym and
weekly yoga classes in the tranquil gardens. Essence Skin and Body at
SAXON offers a range of skin, body and essential grooming treatments,
but its true power lies in the ability to offer
skin care treatments tailor made to meet an individual's personal skin
care needs.
Conferencing
In the dining library, watercolors
of ancient African weaponry share space with an eclectic collection
of reading material.
This homely room is used for either private dining or boardroom style
conferencing. Two further boardrooms are available for executive conferencing
for up to thirty delegates. Built-in computerized technology forms part
of these conference venues, together with trained technical management
on standby, assisting with your IT requirements. The twenty-six seater
auditorium is equipped with the latest technology in projection and communication,
ensuring quality presentations in luxury surrounds.
Dining and
Cuisine
 The ambience of the dining room offers a "homey" atmosphere,
boasting an exclusive and unique wine display. A brigade of world
class chefs ensures personalized cuisine, catering for our well traveled
guests. The cocktail bar leads off the expansive pool terrace, koi
pond and outdoor heated pool. The health centre includes an elaborately
equipped fully supervised gymnasium, Essence beauty salon and steam
rooms. Revitalizing massages can be taken under the shaded gazebos
next to the pool, or in the privacy of your suite.
History
In the 1980’s, Douw Steyn,
top South African entrepreneur and founder of Auto & General, acquired
his dream home. It was to be called the SAXON. In 1990, South Africa’s
first democratically elected president, and world renowned peacemaker,
Nelson Mandela, resided at the SAXON for
six months whilst his own home was under construction. It is within
the walls of the SAXON that Mandela edited his auspicious autobiography, ‘Long
Walk to Freedom’, and the suite he
occupied during his residence is now the Mandela Suite.
The idea to transform
the SAXON into a luxury conference centre facility came when Steyn
moved to the United Kingdom to open his insurance company
in Peterborough in 1992. Steyn’s vision was to create an
exclusive state-of-the-art venue that would exceed the expectations
of any business
executive, politician
or celebrity from anywhere in the world. In June 2000 the SAXON opened
its doors to the public as a 26-suite supreme luxury accommodation
hotel and executive conference centre.
SAXON
Guests
The SAXON hosted the welcoming party for Academy Award winner Whoopi
Goldberg. The SAXON is a home-away-from-home for many international
film stars, such as: Danny Glover (‘Lethal Weapon’),
Lou Gossett Junior (‘An Officer and a Gentleman’), Morgan
Freeman (‘Shawshank
Redemption’), Djimon Hansou (‘Amistad’), Amanda Donohoe
(‘LA Law’, ‘The Madness of King George’) Kathleen
Turner, Charlise Theron and Gary Busey (‘Fear and Loathing in Las
Vegas’, ‘The Player’). During Prince Edward ‘s
visit to South Africa in 2002, he resided at the SAXON.
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