Three weekends ago the girls and I flooded your social media time lines with pictures of our stay at Fairlawns Boutique Hotel, it was our last getaway for the year and we wanted to do something a little bit extra and so when the opportunity with Fairlawns came up, we jumped at the chance!

I’ve been lucky enough to stay at a good number of luxury hotels but I have never seen grounds as beautiful as the ones at Fairlawns. The landscaping is absolutely incredible and truly makes you feel like you are miles away from the hustle and bustle of Johannesburg when in actual fact you are smack-bang in the middle of Sandton. Another aspect of Fairlawns that I also really appreciated is the fact that you don’t stay in hotel rooms per say, but rather in different suites, this is really wonderful as you gain so much more privacy.

We were originally booked into the Tree House Studio, which as the name suggests is nestled in and amongst the treetops, but were upgraded to the Maison Spa Suite (formally known as the Presidential Spa Suite). We all “ooh-ed” and “aaah-ed” when we walked into our home for the night, it really is a sight to behold with its grand staircase, opulent lounge and the most gorgeous bathrooms with a tub to die for. The main room has a stunning four poster bed, a working fireplace and french doors that open up onto a balcony that overlooks the Fairlawns grounds. The second bedroom is slightly smaller in size but not in what it offers; a wonderfully comfortable bed, floor to ceiling windows with stunning views and of course a to-die-for bathroom.

As absolutely stunning as the suite was, there were a few things that I was disappointed by; the bath that I was so looking forward to taking a soak in leaked through the plug, there wasn’t any milk in the fridge f0r us to make tea and coffee with (we did call housekeeping and they brought us some really quickly), the TV downstairs didn’t connect to the surround sound (we called maintenance but they couldn’t figure it out so we watched TV in one of the rooms) and none of the telephones worked except the one in the main bedroom. I know these might sound like small problems, and in the grand scheme of things they are, but when you are shelling out R24 000 per night, I feel like things like this shouldn’t happen. Other than these few glitches though, the suite was incredibly comfortable and we all had an amazing nights sleep!

The award-winning, Balinese inspired spa at Fairlawns Boutique Hotel was something that I was looking forward to after reading all about the extensive renovations that had just recently been done. The outdoor relaxation and pool area is really incredible and you can’t help but start to unwind. Amenities include a heated plunge pool, Knipe therapy, a spa bath as well as private escapes with Chinese beds if you really need some alone time. There are also outdoor treatment rooms in this area but they can get a bit noisy if you are having a treatment during a busy time of the day. My pregnancy massage was in one of the indoor rooms which all have wonderful mood lighting. My therapist was excellent and applied perfect pressure, I walked out feeling so much lighter than I did when I walked in.

That night we had dinner at Amuse-Bouche, Fairlawns fine dining restaurant. They have a platinum award winning wine list as well as an a la carte menu. Unfortunately I couldn’t sample any of the wines but I thoroughly enjoyed my mushroom risotto. The portion size was exactly what was needed and the flavours were rich and creamy, just delicious! As it was a Saturday night, we were treated to the resident pianist who plays there regularly, it added such a wonderful element to a gorgeous dinner with the girls. If you are in the mood for a night cap after dinner, you could make your way down to the Muse Champagne Room which offers a wide variety of options to suit every palette.

We also had breakfast at Amuse-Bouche but on the terrace which is just lovely in the morning. The continental course had so many different options; oysters to dried fruits, pastries to cereals, it really was difficult deciding what you could live without. For the hot course I opted for the oats with melted fudge and salted caramel which was sublime! You could easily sit out here and let breakfast roll on into lunch and then onto tea, the atmosphere, like the rest of Fairlawns is incredibly relaxing and serene.

The girls and I were truly spoilt to spend a full 24 hours at Fairlawns Boutique Hotel, experiencing almost everything that they have to offer. Is it a splurge? Absolutely! Would I suggest that you experience Fairlawns for yourself one day? Oh yes! Even if it is just a wonderful dinner or a well deserved spa day, Fairlawns Boutique Hotel has the ability to really make you feel a million miles away from your problems and city life.