Hello from back in the beautiful Mother City! I went to Joburg this weekend and yoh! That place is ugly, HAHAHA! Seriously though, I had an AMAZING time, but I was really blown away by how ugly it was. EVERYTHING was brown, EVERYTHING! And the litter on the roads! What the actual hell?! BUT, the weather was awesome – DRYYYYYY, but I like hot weather so I enjoyed it. I’ve lost my voice now, but it was worth it.
While there, I stayed at an awesome little spot called Mi Pi Chi in Melville. A really convenient location, close to so many awesome restaurants and bars, as well as the airport and central Johannesburg. My friend Dominique told me about it and it’s a hidden gem! It’s a motel, but is like a small bed n breakfast, with comfortable rooms and a basic breakfast in the morning, but it’s charming and it feels like attention and care has been put into each room.
I arrived on Friday evening to be warmly greeted by the staff. I must say that I’m always impressed by the service I get in Johannesburg. People are friendly and helpful, which I appreciate. The staff at Mi Pi Chi were no different, really helpful and even looked after my hat which I literally lost 3 times while there!
The reception is a small lounge in the center of the house, with bedrooms leading off down passageways. This means there is privacy, yet you’re still aware that you’re part of a bigger house/building.
The kitchen borders the lounge and offers a small dining area and simple breakfast options. I made myself a nice toasted sandwich on Sunday morning. It was the crunchiest and driest toast I’d ever had because of the weather! I loved it!
My room was at the front of the house and offered a clean, personable space with en suite bathroom. The hotel also offers wifi, which is really handy. The bed was super comfortable and there were extra blankets available in the room too. When I was resting in the afternoon, I kept hearing what sounded like a taxi driving past with bass playing, but I soon realised it was the sliding gates that everyone used to come in and out! I was dreading trying to fall asleep with that sound! But, later that night, they turned the gates off and the security guard would help you open it manually. MUCH better as I was really worried as how that wouldn’t wake all the guests up!
I LOVED the suite’s bathroom as it had glass walls! It was private (no one could see in at all), but the sunlight would shine through in the morning which meant I could have a sunny shower! With blue skies and vines growing on the walls, I loved the inside/outside feeling. Again, it offered clean towels, bath mat and hand soaps. They also included a little sachet of tissues, which were handy. Again, very, very clean (this is a big thing for me).
The room offered the standard touches such as hairdryer, TV (which I actually couldn’t get to play anything, but I didn’t have time to ask for help so it was no matter), and snack fridge. I love the fridge as they gave us the costings up front so we could indulge if we wanted to without being scared off by a massive bill. They also left us some sweeties (on the house), which I appreciated.
I slept there alone on Friday night and felt perfectly safe and happy. In fact, I liked that it was a house so that I could hear other voices and feel safe. In the morning, I got up and had some beautifully freshly squeezed orange juice made by the kitchen porter. Boiled eggs were on offer, which I thought was a clever idea – guests could have an egg, but the hotel could keep the breakfast service simple (and not cook up a storm in a small place).
On Saturday night Mr John arrived from Cape Town (he was flying up to play Grietfest, the reason why we were there). We then moved into a bigger house over the road. Same hotel, just different address (it’s the red building in the picture above with the letters, that’s literally where we stayed). This was also an awesome space as when our friends arrived then they came to visit us. We sat around the table and later Mr John had a nap on the couch. Same bathroom facilities, same comfortable and clean bed.
I really enjoyed my stay at Mi Pi Chi and would happily stay there again. As I mentioned, the staff were really lovely and that does make a big difference when you travel. Thanks to Dom for the idea and thanks to Mi Pi Chi for having me. They have a great rating on Booking.com and Trip Advisor and it’s easy to see why.
**I stayed at Mi Pi Chi as a guest of the hotel on Friday night, but had paid for accommodation on Saturday night.
