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10 December 2020

Saxon Hotel, Villas and Spa Excited to Unveil Their New Look

By *Krista North, Saxon Hotel, Villas and Spa

The Saxon Hotel, Villas and Spa in Johannesburg is delighted to unveil a fresh new face to its public areas following a major refurbishment throughout recent months.

During the months of the hotel’s closure due to the pandemic, Team Saxon has been hard at work to ensure that the much loved Saxon hospitality can be enjoyed in even more beautiful surroundings with the improvements that have been made to the iconic Saxon reception area, Qunu restaurant, the Cigar Library and the Olive Bar.

The Saxon reception, with its distinctive chandelier and twin staircases, has been the hero of many an Instagram post over the years. In tribute to the hotel’s friendship with favoured former guest, the late South African president Nelson Mandela, the well-known Dean Simon artwork, “Foresight and Hindsight – The Five Faces of Mandela”, which traces the progression of Mandela’s life from his early youth through to the compassionate older statesman, has been given pride of place behind the reception desk, framed by textured wallpapers and artisanal beaded lampshades in traditional style.

The updated new look for Qunu restaurant features a dramatic mural composed by Justin Badenhorst from Nomad, creating a new focal point in the restaurant. The mural was painted from a photo taken at Shambala Private Game Reserve, the Saxon Hotel’s sister property in the Waterberg area in South Africa, showing a warm sunset view over the reserve from under a Wild Seringa tree (Burkea Africana). The striking look of the floor has been a talking point already, its new texture is a liquid marble flooring technique making for a fresh look and combining well with the new colour palette of the restaurant.

In Qunu, guests will now be delighted to see their perfect aperitif prepared at the newly installed bar, whilst enjoying the music of Saxon’s in-house musicians saxophonist Femi Koya and pianist Jonathan Assempah, before embarking on their culinary journey with our Qunu team. Qunu’s award-winning menu showcases a fine balance of African flavours, using produce from Saxon’s Sarapana garden and the best locally sourced heritage ingredients. The beautifully presented cuisine on offer includes local and international favourites and even a few twists on traditional dishes, treating our guests to the outstanding dining experience Qunu restaurant is known for.

Saxon Managing Director, George Cohen noted: “I look forward to welcoming guests back to the Saxon to share these exciting improvements with everyone. We have truly missed being able to offer our inimitable Saxon Journey and we can’t wait to be able to do so again soon.”

On re-opening in early 2021, the Saxon Journey be somewhat different with the new safety initiatives introduced, but the Saxon will continue to offer the warm South African hospitality that guests have come to expect. More details on the measures put in place to ensure the safety of guests can be found on the Saxon website at www.saxon.co.za/covid-19-hotelnews/