Johannesburg - meeting up with Jen & Lance and Joy

I slept really well in our luxury penthouse here in the Houghton Hotel in Johannesburg, and it was a very pleasant change not having to set the alarm to get up at an unearthly hour of the morning.

Breakfast

Today is a relaxing day, and we saunter down to breakfast at our leisure. The buffet is impressive, and there is a menu for hot food.

Cold meats and cheese

Yogurts, smoothies, fruit salads, and smoked salmon

They even have Marmite!

With such a great choice, and plenty of time to enjoy it, I do rather overindulge.

Smoked salmon and crackers

Cheese and crackers

My hot breakfast: Saucy salsa (poached egg, avocado, salsa, and jalapenos on toast). It has quite a kick. I love the plate too.

David's full English breakfast

Cappuccino and biscotti to finish

We get the first load of laundry in the machine and take a walk around the hotel grounds.

The outside seating area of the café

One of several ornamental ponds

The grounds are on two levels, with a walkway on top and the pool area below

The grounds provide plenty of shade for those hot summer days

More ornamental ponds

Our penthouse

Another pool overlooking the golf course

Reunion

Apart from catching up on laundry, the other reason for spending a couple of nights in Johannesburg is to meet up with some friends we have not seen for around ten years or more.

It is the first time Jen has left the house after having an operation on both her knees, and she is very concerned about getting from the car park to our room. We have a word with the concierge, who arranges for Jen and Lance to park directly outside the door, along with the Bentley, Rolls Royce, and Mercedes.

From there, a porter collects her in a wheelchair and brings her up to our penthouse. It works very well.

The reunion is a huge success, and it is as if it was only last week we saw each other. Since relocating to South Africa after living in London for 15 years, Jen and Lance have adopted two adorable boys, and this is the first time we have met them.

Jen and Lance with their two boys Noah and Jonah, Joy, me, and David

Joy has brought some wine, we order in burgers from room service and the afternoon flies by! Having ordered seven burgers and chips, we are surprised when the porter only brings four sets of knives and forks. Despite being a self-catering apartment with a fabulous-looking kitchen, the penthouse has no cutlery whatsoever. Being burgers, however, it is easy to eat with just hands.

Soon it is time to say our goodbyes again, and we promise each other not to leave it another ten years before meeting up again.