Sandton Apartments Hydro

I arrived at 10:04 after travelling for five hours, but security wouldn’t let me in because visitors aren’t allowed after 10pm. I had to book somewhere else for the night, even though my room here was left unused. Horrible experience.

Apartment 212 was a disaster, and I won’t stay here again. There was supposedly space for four, but only three of everything was provided. Half the lights didn’t work, the aircon and heaters were out, and the bedside lamp in one room was broken. There were no spare blankets for our winter stay. The TV channels didn’t work, so I had to use my own MiTV stick. The living room window was badly damaged, and the curtain tie backs came out of the wall when touched or when closing the curtains. It wasn’t clean or up to modern Sandton apartment standards, and we were too uneasy about using the kitchen to make food, so we ordered takeout. There was even a DeliveryX menu on the fridge dated 2018. Check-in was just as bad. Security was rude and unhelpful, and one man was literally hanging over the back of a chair. I’d sent ID copies to the owner two hours before arrival so security could register us, but they hadn’t received them. The owner said he hadn’t seen my WhatsApp and would send them right away. After waiting 15 minutes, I called again and was told I was wasting time by talking on the phone, which was stopping him from sending the copies. We waited another 20 minutes before the IDs arrived. It took nearly 40 minutes in all to get checked in.

I spent more than three hours trying to get in because I didn’t have a printed ID. Security won’t admit you without a hard copy of your ID or passport unless you can get an affidavit, and the cancellation fee is so high that I felt stuck staying there. The police officer at the nearby station apparently also complains that guests are often sent there for affidavits. I can understand security may fear losing their jobs if they’re lenient, but they didn’t listen to people’s circumstances and could be rude. Other travellers had the same problem because they hadn’t known they needed printed documents. When guests tried to negotiate, staff wouldn’t listen and recorded them without consent. The place was dirty, and I couldn’t reach management or the host.

The penthouse had a great view, and the bed and pillows were very comfortable. It’s in a safe area, close to the supermarket and Sandton Mall. I had a great time and took photos to remember it. I’d happily recommend staying here.