FIRE & ICE MELROSE ARCH {REVIEW}

Smack-dab in the middle of Joburg, the Protea Fire & Ice! is located in the hot lifestyle precinct Melrose Arch and I was lucky enough to stay for a night a couple of weekends ago.

 Our first night was spent at the African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel, where I have stayed several times over the years. 

Review African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel Melrose
Review African Pride Crystal Towers Cape Town

The second night was at the Fire & Ice, which is literally a block away from the Melrose Arch Hotel and both are ideally situated for shopping, restaurants and bars. 

Once you arrive at either of these hotels your cars are redundant for the duration of your stay.

The Fire & Ice brand falls under the Protea Hotels banner and having stayed at its sister Fire & Ice in Cape Town I was curious to see what Melrose Arch had to offer. The outside of the building does not give you any indication of the Glitz and Glamour that lies behind the office look exterior.

Silver screen heroes and heroines are the inspiration behind the luxurious decor and it really does offer a truly unique experience. 

As with most hotels today, the hotels under the Protea umbrella offer everything for the business and leisure traveller alike. As you can see from my pics below the 197 Luxury rooms are nothing short of fabulous with luxurious furnishings, in-room showers and beds that will swallow you whole and spit you out relaxed and rested! 

They all come with the standard Satelite tv, free wifi, air conditioner, black out curtains, hair dryer and a workstation. My only complaint is he lack of a bath, which for me is important as I love to wallow in my bubbles at the end of a busy day of retail therapy.

The hotel also has the usual restaurant facilities, bar, pool and a small gym, which I can assure you is needed after all the food and the milkshakes! 

The Milkshake Bar at Fire & Ice is infamous in Johannesburg and I can highly recommend a visit to try one of their decadent, delicious, calorific loaded milkshakes hence the need for the gym.

I would definitely stay again, as I loved the Glitz and Glam, its location and the vibe.....

Larger than life photos of movie icons greet you at the reception

Stylish black,white and silver decor

All important Workstation

In Room Bathroom

Seperate toilet

The Glam Public Lounge Area

Dining Area

Loungers ready and waiting by the pool

Milk Shake Bar

Ferrero Rocher Milk Shake

Gym

Fire and Ice

MY LITTLE BIT OF PROVENCE IN JOHANNESBURG SOUTH AFRICA

If ever you are looking for accommodation in the Rivonia area of Johannesburg I can highly recommend the Bellgrove House....tired of staying at the usual chain hotels I decide a change was needed. I actually ended up staying at Bellgrove due to an overbooking in the nearby Bed & Breakfast where I had stayed several times before....I must say after a long working day I wasn't impressed when I arrived and the receptionist explained the situation, so me being the accommodating sole that I am.....tongue in cheek! I made the short journey to Bellgrove where they had booked me in as my replacement home for the week.

As soon as I arrived and was very efficiently welcomed by Rhoda, I knew immediately that this was a good alternative...which now meant that the previous B&B had lost a regular...sorry!

The "cherry on the top" for me is when you are sitting in the peaceful, Lavender fragrant garden you could quite easily be mistaken into thinking you were in Provence France...and that feels good....

There are seven spacious suites that are spotlessly clean and beautifully decorated by the owner Irene Bell who hails from Scotland....You can see that attention to detail is Irene's forte... .and she really does make every guest feel very welcome with all those extra little touches that the larger hotels fail to offer.

Your "delish" breakfast is cooked to order and can be served out on the patio amongst the beautiful rose bushes & overlooking the pool ...what a great way to start your day!

I have stayed several times at Bellgrove & Irene and Rhoda really do go the extra mile, as nothing is too much trouble....for females travelling on  their own "its a must place to stay".

Oh! I nearly forgot to mention, they can also organise a wonderful male masseur/reflexologist called Quintin to visit in the evenings.....this is a must for me during every stay, as in the evenings I have the time whereas back at home its more difficult... but that's a post for another day!

Prices start at 

Standard Suites (Inclusive of a full breakfast & vat)       For more info and rates visit       http://www.bellgrove.co.za

Single R865.00 per night Sharing R545.00 per person per night