Recently, I attended a wedding at The Grace In Rosebank. I’d never been to the hotel before and oh my, what have I been missing!? This is one of the Johannesburg hotels that describes itself as a “Gracious Home” and the welcome is just as I would expect from such a claim. A warm fuzzy feeling, of being surrounded by friends, accompanies me as I wait in a comfortable armchair for my fellow guests. This hotel is 5 star, but it’s certainly not pretentious.
The wedding was held in the garden, which is on the 4th floor – yes would you believe it – there are actually trees growing with their roots above the branches of the Jacaranda in the street below. In fact with the Jacaranda in full bloom it seems like a purple river below us, rather than a street. Who needs paper confetti when you can have soft, real petals wafting over you? With crisp table cloths and tasteful table decorations the setting is perfectly natural. I can imagine guests lounging on the lawn with champagne during the speeches!
So the setting is amazing, but the food is the crème de la crème. If you’ve never eaten at the Grace dining room before, I suggest you make a booking now. Of the Johannesburg hotels The Grace is invited back time and time again to “Taste of Jo’burg”, the showcase for the best restaurants in the city. There are so many things, other than the food, to focus on at a wedding and today is no exception. The bride is beautiful, the speeches emotional and the variety of guests entertaining, yet each dish placed before me is an unavoidable distraction. Tantalising aromas and captivating flavours, all graciously served.
After the speeches, during which a couple of people do indeed recline on the lawn, I take a stroll up to the swimming pool terrace and take in my surroundings. I am looking out from the garden of the hotel, Johannesburg laid out before me. From the classic images of the Telkom, Sentech and Ponte towers in central Johannesburg to the picnic field of the Botanical Gardens at Emmarentia I can literally see for miles. Next time I think I’ll book a room, so that I can not only sample the exquisite bedrooms, but also experience swimming above Rosebank, before breakfast
