Last February in the month of love, we found a little slice of heaven on our doorstep. This tranquil haven is nestled on a bustling Hyde Park corner of Jan Smuts Avenue.
It is like a piece of a little castle such as the one I saw as a child on biscuit tins of days gone by.
No, I am not a dinosaur, although I am prone to complain a lot more about aches and pains than is normal for someone early in the feisty forties.
That is why Le Châtelat Boutique Guest House, in Sandhurst, which they say is the Beverly Hills of suburbia just north of Johannesburg, seemed so dreamy. Behind the huge white walls is a palatial home that has been turned into a sleeping boutique.
We had to park the vehicle outside on the day of arrival because they were paving the driveway. Given that the crime in Johannesburg is as legendary as Jacob Zuma's singing and dancing, I was hesitant to leave the car outside.
But our welcoming hosts insisted the place was the safest in Johannesburg. Why? Well, up the road lives a wealthy Egyptian who has bodyguards strewn all over the street.
Here, the neighbours have a security system that works. After making tracks through the sumptuous garden - it could easily be a dreamy wedding venue - the inside of Le Châtelat Boutique Guest House seemed like some magical French home one sees in the movies.
The rooms here are to die for and represent the stylish tastes of a woman with class and perhaps her husband with oodles of boodle.
Often money does not equate to taste - that is something that cannot be bought. Ask Sol Kerzner to verify.
Anyway, I know the room inside was sumptuously decorated with a double poster bed made for Cleopatra.
The little touches, naturally, a woman's touch, came via the side tables, with a single flower on each pedestal in an unusually different vase, while the dressing table and private lounge area in a bedroom is a nice touch.
The bathroom has a lovely Victorian tub, fit for Posh Spice. There was also the option of a shower in a cubicle that was larger than the average for hotels - a good few folk could fit in that shower. But there was no denying the beauty of this place.
It was peaceful. Even the birds behaved themselves. The residents in the koi pond also decided to stay away. The pond is outside the window of the library which also doubles as a dining area.
Usually, residents are high-powered executives who eat out and use this haven as a sleeping boutique. Dinner is prepared on request. Ariane Bechard, the general manager, is chatty and interesting. She also helps train staff to prepare wonderful designer meals.
I loved her salmon dish. Unlike chefs who fiddle with pained expressions on their faces as if they are turning up masterpieces, Mauritian-born Bechard cooks with a smile.
She also proved an interesting dinner companion, regaling us with stories of how being the only rose in a family of boys, made her such a toughie. I was blown away when she told me she loves music. She used to be in a trio called Egyptian Nursery.
I remembered their song, God's Window. Their album, New Anthem, was a hit in South Africa, topping the 5FM charts and selling modestly overseas.
Ten years ago, they were the rage on the music circuit. How time flies, and now Bechard is staring at the sun from the window of a new haven she has found tucked away in Hyde Park.
With the credit crunch putting the squeeze on boutique hotels, Bechard says she and the team, which includes a wonderfully pregnant Prenella, have been pulling out all the stops to make sure they do not run empty.
When the times are tough, the creative juices get flowing. When they receive returning guests, they never say welcome back, they say welcome home.
It is close to Sandton where there is no shortage of things to do. Guests also have easy access to Johannesburg and Pretoria, as well as either Lanseria or the OR Tambo International Airport.
I found it unfortunate that most guests are the sleepover type who do not really take the time to enjoy the property. It is truly magnificent in its setting - unabashedly grand.
The décor, gardens and ambience combine to make Le Châtelat a home from home. The best part of the deal is that the Internet connection never works when you're on the bed.
Ironically, the guest house began as home for a South African businessman and his wife 12 years ago when they purchased a property to develop in an upmarket suburb. The property was spacious, the address desirable and the price right.
The accommodation, though, was a converted barn and needed work, patience and some serious resources to create a habitat suitable for a family with children. The family pictures are still around the house.
The determined couple decided to take it one step at a time to make the barn comfortable, and finally it was razed to develop a graceful manor, in the style that would complement the spacious property.
And, when the children flew the coop, the most obvious solution was to turn the residence into a five-star boutique guest-house.
Owners Sharon and Fraser Carey decided that French châteaux-style decor would complement the residence and exude a timeless ambience. And that it certainly does, this classic French châteaux, fitting for the most discerning guest.
The sumptuous bedrooms have proved inviting to honeymoon guests, wishing to recline in a suite fit for a lord and lady of the manor.
The large free-standing baths make for that always romantic soak for two by candlelight, accompanied by a bottle of wine or Champagne, available from the well-stocked in-house cellar.
Most of the baths were custom-made by Fraser, who is the originator of Palazzo Baths (Palazzo Tubs, as it's known in the US), which now take pride of place in international award-winning hotels, lodges and resorts worldwide.
Le Châtelat has a penchant for attracting the business traveller and, ever pro-active, a management decision has been made to create a conference facility that will seat up to 50 delegates comfortably.
The wine cellar is a further extension of this service, spilling into the gardens and offering a wondeful setting for that special event or wedding.
Le Châtelat is no sleeping boutique; it is a wonderful haven where you can celebrate something special or just sit in the library.
- For reservations, contact: 60 Cleveland Road, Sandhurst, Sandton, 2196. Phone 011 884 9428. Fax 011 883 1676. Email:
Website: Le Chatelat