I have stayed here numerous times over the past 18 months and have never felt the urge to go elsewhere when on business in Johannesburg. The hotel is part of the Montecasino complex, which is designed to be a Tuscan village transported to South Africa. I would rate the hotel excellent if the rooms were slightly better. Invariably, they are either too small, too noisy - avoid the rooms overlooking the highway - or too hot - the air conditioning is normally too noisy to leave on at night.

The really strong features of this hotel are the food, the pool and the staff. From breakfast to dinner, the quality of the food is excellent. The breakfast buffet is one of the best around, particularly if you like fresh fruit or juices. The lunch / snack menu also comes highly recommended, particularly the antipasto and the squid. The one caveat is the speed of service. This is Africa, so make sure you have plenty of time to spare if you are ordering from the menu rather than taking the buffet option.

The pool is also a great place to spend an afternoon, particularly if you have arrived after an overnight flight. It is large with comfortable loungers and almost guaranteed sunshine.

The staff are very helpful and friendly. While speed is rarely a top priority for them, you tend to adjust to their pace after a few days in South Africa and their helpfulness more than compensates for any lack of speed.

Overall, the Palazzo is a hotel to which I always enjoy returning and which I would recommend to anyone visiting Johannesburg.

Excellent hotel with italian theme throughout. Only one on-site restaurant but a great selection adjacent in the Casino complex which is walkable and within a security perimeter. Health club has no elliptical machines and 2 of 3 treadmills had loose belts, and was relatively small, but usable. Pool looked great. Breakfast offerings were outstanding although buffet style. Service was spotty at times but recovered well when informed of problems. I had only a standard room and while it was not large it was very comfortable and the bed/pillow selection was great. Bathrooms are large and accommodating. Overall it was a pleasure to stay at this hotel.

I only wish I'd found this hotel on ealreir trips to Johannesburg. Very reasonably priced, great views, loved the wi-fi access, and the staff were truly wonderful. When you stay in as many hotels per year as I do, it takes a very special experience for me to write a review, so I am very glad I have!

Fourth visit. We tend to use the Palazzo as the last stop on our African tours. You can roll up with sand in your shoes and within an hour you feel like royalty! As others have stated, the breakfast is fabulous, the pool and garden is to die for, and the service is great (especially front desk and concierge). As city hotels go, its as good as it gets in Africa. BTW the rooms are adequate, but the suites are truly regal!

With a rental car you can easily access all the highlights of Joburg and Sandton. Montecasino has good novelty value, a bit like a piece of Las Vegas in Africa!

We've also stayed at the Michelangelo, the Grand Hyatt, and the Sandton Sun. These are great business hotels, but The Palazzo is nicer and altogether a more relaxing environment.