Such seamless but thoughtful touches in all areas:

• a splendid, attractive notice board in main core public area
• guest internet station provided
• high attention to energy-saving measures including solar geysers, CFLs, solar garden lighting, water-saving shower roses, etc.
• generous provision of heating, a real plus for travellers including under-carpet heating
• complimentary bottled water & quality home-baked crunchies, Liz’s own muesli & a delightful easy-pour honey tube on breakfast tables
• breakfast room with LED DSTV
• easy instructions for complimentary internet access in rooms
• various menus, maps, evacuation & fire procedures in all rooms, quality paper holder, recycling info on waste bins
• generous DSTV in rooms
• fridges stocked incl fresh milk, and so on.

Really excellent & indicative of high levels of general efficiency.  The exceptional provision of guest comforts for both leisure & corporate guests and the high standards of personal yet professional service and hospitality continue to set this establishment at an exceptionally confident Superior level.

We at Liz at Lancaster Guesthouse are fortunate to have hosted many patients who have been recovering after surgery at various Clinics within easy reach of Liz at Lancaster: the Rosebank Clinic, http://www.netcare.co.za/live/content.php?Item_ID=171 Wits Donald Gordon Medical Institute http://www.dgmc.co.za/   in nearby Parktown, Morningside Clinic http://www.mediclinic.co.za/hospitals/Pages/about.aspx?h=16  and the Milpark  http://www.netcare.co.za/live/content.php?Item_ID=161   

There are many advantages of staying in a guesthouse for post-operative care. Apart from the obvious advantage of lower rates at guesthouses as compared to hotels, there are many other pluses : the biggest being privacy and being able to recuperate out of the public eye.  With rooms opening out onto private enclosed courtyards guests can make the most of fresh air and secluded privacy. And during the day when business guests have all gone off to work they can venture further and enjoy a tranquil garden setting with sparkling pool, shaded areas and Joburg’s significant bird-life.  All units at Liz at Lancaster have intercoms to the main house and staff so there is 24/7 access to Liz, Catherine and Zac all of whom live on site. As a registered transport provider Zac provides on-site transport needs: airport transfers, drop-off and collection at the hospital and drives to any attractions or shopping destinations.  Many guests choose to have their breakfasts served in their rooms or in their patios – at the time of their choice.  Although Liz at Lancaster also provides healthy post-operative lunches and suppers, with fully equipped kitchenettes in all units, once guests feel strong enough, they really appreciate the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of being able to prepare their own light meals.  Walking in the area is completely safe with a 3 minute stroll to the shops at the end of the block, being an ideal distance for those wanting to do some gentle exercise. Here there is a coffee shop, hairdresser, 7.30-7 grocery store, chemist, etc. And finally, the caring and nuturing attitude of Liz, Catherine, Zac and Thandie counts for a lot when recovering from a medical procedure.

While we have hosted patients recuperating from a wide range of medical procedures, most of our ‘medical guests’ have been recovering from plastic surgery.  Over the years Liz at Lancaster has been fortunate to host patients from many of South Africa’s top plastic surgeons:  Dr. Saul Braun  http://www.drbraun.co.za/rosebank_medical_facilities.htm  and Dr Fayman http://www.doctorfayman.co.za/  who both practice at the Rosebank Clinic; from the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Institute , Dr Richard Stott; as well as Dr Peter Scott who works out of  the Morningside Clinic. 

Here are just two of the many letters of thanks from our medical patients:

June 2006

Thank you Liz for everything. I had a really relaxing time with you all. You run a lovely place and I will recommend Liz at Lancaster to anybody who is coming to SA in future. Thank you for the jigsaws – it will be a long time before I will be doing a jigsaw again!. Loved the peace and quiet – it contributed to my fast recuperation. Thank you.

January 2012

I have now settled back home and into the office as well.  I am healing superbly well with only occasional discomfort.  I wanted to thank you again for the warm hospitality that you accorded to me during my stay there.  It is not every day that I come across the kindness and personal touch with which I was treated – and this extended to Catherine, Zac, Marley [the lovable Labrador] and Rosemary. Thank you again, I look forward to my stay in April.

Cost R230 per person   To book email gerald@joburgplaces.com Tel 082 894 5216

Jessica Webster’s exhibition Mainly Benoni. And Paintings opens at 12 pm today at Nirox Projects on Arts on Main

Showing at In Toto is She@Intoto a group show on women by women. The invite includes Georgia O’Keefe’s aphorism: ‘I feel there is something unexplored about women that only a woman can explore’.   Closes 28th Feburary so plenty time to visit.   6 Birdhaven Centre, 66 St Andrews St Birdhaven

Closing on 28th January is John Phalane’s Malete an exhibition of his map art , currently showing at AOP at 44 Stanley Ave

Voice and Citizenship is a group show with a difference.  Showing at Artist Proof Studio at the Bus Factory in Newtown until 31st January, this exhibition depicts the visual journey that five Artist Proof Studio students and Cloudia Harwig their facilitator have undertaken over the last year as part of her masters study titled: ““The role of screen-print projects in enhancing awareness of active citizenship: a case study at Artist Proof Studio”.  The exhibition presents the processes, concepts and final artworks in the sequential stages that took place throughout the study. The screen-printed results present the different varieties of stencil-making techniques that screen-printing has to offer.   

Diane Victor’s exhibition at University of Johannebsurg Gallery finishes on Wednesday 25th Jan with a closing ceremony at 19.00

Anton Momberg’s show at Circa Gallery opened on 13th January and runs until 11th February.

Tinsel the fabulous store with jewellry designed by Geraldine Fenn and other award winning SA contemporary jewellers is moving at end January to Parkhurst . So visit them at their current location (until 31st January) in the Bamboo Centre in Melville. 

But still to open are:

Candice Breitz’s Extra! at the Standard Bank Gallery which runs from 8th February to 5th April.  

And it seems Goodman’s 2012 programme only opens on 2nd February with a Group Show Advance/…. Notice with a stellar line-up including works by Candice Breitz, Mounir Fatmi, Robert Hodgins, Sam Nhlengethwa, Sigalit Landau, Walter Oltmann, Willem Boshoff ,William Kentridge, Langa Moshekwa, Mikhael Subotzky, Kudzanai Chiurai ,David Goldblatt, Frances Goodman, Gerhard Marx, Hank Willis, Thomas Hasan & Husain Essop,Jodi Bieber, Kagiso Pat Mautloa, Kendell Geers, Kentridge and Gerhard Marx – many of the who’s who of contemporary South African art.  Closes 25th February.

Ghandi's statue in Ghandi Square Central Joburg

Ghandi’s philosphy of Satyagraha (non-violent non-cooperation) was born in South Africa and more specifically in what was then the Transvaal, in the first decade of the 20th Century.  Ghandi arrived in Johannebsurg in 1893 and stayed at various places during the 12 years he was in Johannesburg. For more on this see Eric Itzkin’s excellent book Ghandi’s Johannesburg.  One of the places where Ghandi lived in Johannesburg has been restored by a French Travel Company as a guest house and heritage resource – a really wonderful example of adaptive re-use and sustainable heritage.   The Kraal at 15 Pine Road in Orchards was built by the famous architect Hermann Kallenbach who was a great freind of Ghandi’s. C ompleted in 1908 Gandhi and Kallenbach lived there until the end of 1909.  

Free tours of the house are available, with or without lunch. It is open from 8am to 5pm, Mondays to Sundays. Book a 45-minute tour on 011 485 5928. 

Read more: http://www.joburg.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7418&catid=88&Itemid=266

Or take a drive out to the Magaliesberg.   Hollybrooke Farm is situated in the Skeerpoort valley, on the banks of the Magalies River, at the foot of the Magaliesberg Mountains. Enjoy the peace and tranquility of a working farm and have a meall at the Coffee Shop. They might even prepare a picnic for you to enjoy on the river bank. For more information call 082 552 1285.

Or pack you own picnic for the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens. Entrance is just R25 and with short hikes and manicured gardens it is the perfect spot for a relaxed picnic with family and friends.   Simply pack your picnic basket with all your favourite treats and enjoy a peaceful afternoon in the sunshine.  For more information visit www.sanbi.org.za or call 086 100 1278