Moloko Strathavon Hotel
Press Release
September 2010
 
Serene . Tranquil . Exclusive

Johannesburg’s newest luxury hotel, The Moloko Strathavon, has barely opened its doors and already it’s being touted as the future face of the boutique hospitality market.

Location, Location, Location

A discreet sanctuary along a river in a small forest of indigenous garden, visiting the Moloko Strathavon Hotel is like staying in the African bush. Yet it is situated just around the corner from the city’s business and shopping hub in Sandton.
 
Moloko Strathavon knows that tranquility and exceptional service are what guests are looking for after a busy day. Nothing can provide this serenity quite like nature.

Consciously Different

At the Moloko Strathavon, wooden walkways lead through water features and past secret gardens, opening up to reveal ponds and decks and leading in to lounges and reception areas flooded with natural light, constantly revealing a harmony in its design.
 
When designing the Strathavon, architect Sari Botha and her team had to clear the plot of rubbish, drain a marsh and recover a river in the process of restoring the land to its indigenous state.
 
“We imagined a luxurious hotel in a beautiful indigenous garden with many trees and water features. Where possible it would overlook the river, which would be opened up, its banks stabilised and planted,” says Botha. “There should be large areas of glass to slide or fold away to allow the interior to be become shaded exterior. A meandering passage stepping down the site with views of the pond or the river glimpsed through slotted openings. A structure which unfolds and exposes itself slowly.”

Wellbeing

Moloko Strathavon is more than just Johannesburg’s best kept secret and a new landmark for the sustainable future of architectural design. It is also a leader in leisure and lifestyle trends.
 
Just weeks after it opened, the Moloko Strathavon Spa was awarded the 2010 Professional Beauty Awards Best Unique Spa. This new generation wellness and beauty centre echoes the broader Strathavon development.
 
It is sophisticated, natural, organic and tranquil – yet advanced in the treatments and techniques offered. The spa’s ethos is to step lightly on the planet and to invest in sustainable beauty.
 
It embraces the preservation of the environment through reduction of waste and increased recycling as well as controlled consumption of water and electricity. It uses materials that are natural and recyclable and is committed to community development.
 
The uniquely designed healing sanctuary boasts highly trained therapists who engage in a range of the very latest beauty therapies, skin treatment, massage and body care. Idyllic treatment rooms are constructed from stone and wood and each reveals a private timber-decked area surrounded by zen gardens, water features and live bamboo screens.
 
The chic, fluid pool terrace is adjacent to the spa.

Sleep Tight

The Strathavon’s superbly appointed rooms and suites have private terraces overlooking the gardens. The Executive Suites all have their own lounge and a separate kitchenette with separate entrances. Presidential Suites have their own elevators.
 
It goes without saying that attentive and discreet service is the lifeblood of a boutique hotel, but staying at the Strathavon offers so much more, from courtesy chauffeurs to tailoring to a private gym.
 
But perhaps most importantly, the hotel strives to make sure that you have a perfect night’s sleep. Bedrooms are grouped in combinations of only two per floor, forming six double-storey units. The suites are grouped in the same way.
 
Executive and Presidential Suites are in a separate grouping with private access to allow for even greater privacy.

Fine Dining

The Moloko Strathavon’s circular 60-seater restaurant offers fine international dining in chic modern surrounds punctuated by touches of drop-dead luxury. Decks open from the restaurant to add the gardens and the sound of water to the overall effect. The restaurant is also proving to be a highly sought-after venue for signature events.
 
The restaurant offers an evolving continental menu that is as exclusive as it is refined, varied and infused with cosmopolitan flair.
 
A cigar lounge above the restaurant stocks only the best, with a reputation for the finest cigars and cognacs.
 
Of course, guests may prefer to order from 24-hour room service – or to dine on their private terrace overlooking a romantically lit garden.

The Spirit of Moloko Strathavon

Perhaps it is the three tall wooden “spirit men” grandly displayed at the hotel’s entrance that best sum up the organic nature of the Strathavon development.
 
They were discovered on the property while it was being cleared by the demolishers, hidden in the overgrowth. They were saved and taken for safety to the architects’ offices where they stood in the foyer.
 
Says Botha: “Every day I felt their silent reproach as I entered the office: ‘hurry up – we want to go home!’ ”