EXPATRIATE LONG-STAY ACCOMMODATION IN RIVONIA, SANDTON

Posted on Tue February 21, 2023.

We recently received an enquiry for a long-stay (6 months) accommodation from the local office of a German corporate based in Sandton. This was for one of their executives. Their monthly budget for this enquiry was between R6,000 and R7,000 (currently between 300-360 Euros).

 

Though we are suited for such long-stays and can offer a significant discount on our daily room rates, we unfortunately had nothing on offer within that budget. It however got us thinking – what facilities does an expatriate require and reasonably expect from a suitable long-stay accommodation?

 

 

 

Housekeeping Chores

 

Firstly, the stated budget works out to between R200 – R233 per day, an amount that is insufficient for a day wage for a housekeeper. We do not expect that an expatriate coming for business in South Africa will want to spend time with mundane house chores, so employing a housekeeper will be essential. It stands to reason that the budget stated in the enquiry will be insufficient to pay for the daily service of a housekeeper.

 

Furnished Rental Accommodation Option

 

There is an option of furnished rentals. The average cost of renting a furnished 1-Bedroom apartment in Sandton is about R7,000 and this excludes water and electricity bills. These often come with minimum rental periods and deposit requirements.

 

 

 

Must-have Amenities

 

An expatriate looking for long-term accommodation in Sandton, Johannesburg will require a furnished apartment with unlimited WiFi. As loadshedding is becoming a new normal in South Africa, backup electricity will be a desired essential amenity.

 

 

 

Unrealistic Budget

 

From the above, one can easily see that a budget that is barely sufficient for the rental of a furnished 1-bedroom apartment will not cover amenities essential for a long-stay accommodation. Not too sure what a 360 Euro per month apartment would look like in Germany but we doubt if it will come with all the home essentials, inclusive of water and electricity.

 

 

 

The Haystack on Homestead Offering

 

The Haystack on Homestead offers fully furnished studio and 1-bedroom self-catering apartments with en-suite bathrooms, set in an acre of beautiful gardens, with an outdoor swimming pool. Each apartment is fully equipped with modern conveniences like hotel-bouquet cable TV entertainment, free WiFi Internet, electronic laptop-size safe for securing those valuables and air-conditioning for heating and cooling, required for winter and summer months. 

 

 

 

Guests are offered complimentary tea and coffee beverages on arrival, which includes a pod of Nespresso coffee to be used in the apartment’s Nespresso coffee machine.

 

 

 

Daily housekeeping is carried out with a linen/towel change twice a week. White bed linen is a minimum of 200TC, which is complemented by white bath sheets and hand towels. Guests may use the property’s laundry facilities – washing machine and dryer for personal laundry. An iron and ironing board are provided in each apartment. Housekeepers may on request and arrangement carry out laundry services on behalf of guests.

 

 

 

Loadshedding Essentials and Backup Power Facilities

 

The property has a 50KVA backup generator with a supplementary battery/inverter system which acts as an Uninterrupted Power System (UPS), guaranteeing 24/7 WiFi Internet service. Other services on the 24/7 UPS system include televisions, cable decoders, lights and fridges – giving guests the peace of mind to stock up with perishables.

 

 

 

Outdoor Living

 

The large swimming pool is in the centre of the garden, which has a pool deck suitable for lounging. A kettle braai stand with braai tools is available on request. The large mature garden trees are a home to many bird species including the noisy hadadas. You’ll get used to birdsong from sunrise to sunset.

 

 

 

Apartment Sizes

 

Apartment sizes range from 26m2 for the ensuite self-catering studios to 55m2 for the self-contained 1-bedroom cottage/garden villa with its own private patio.

 

 

 

Location

 

The Haystack on Homestead is located a walking distance from the Rivonia commercial district where you can find restaurants from the more popular countries – Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indian, Greek, Vietnamese, Nigerian, Persian and Syrian. Guests from China and India particularly, are spoilt by the choice of grocery shops in the neighbourhood.

 

 

 

Long-stay Rates

 

Monthly rates are the most competitive and range from R660/night to R940/night and are only offered by direct enquiries. A monthly stay is defined as consecutive nights amounting to the number of days of the month that the stay commences. These reflect a discount of about 35% on the daily rack rate.

 

 

 

The Haystack on Homestead aspires to be a ‘home-away-from-home’ with staff trained to be friendly, they almost feel like family - something that every visiting expatriate could do with being such a long way from home. Over the years, our long-stay guests have been the backbone of our hospitality business and it remains a pleasure to know more about other parts of our world through them.

 

 

 

Contact details: bookings@thehaystack.co.za and +27 (0) 82 706 4014 (WhatsApp).

Our Locations

 

The Haystack on Cowley

52 Cowley Rd

Bryanston, Johannesburg

2191

Gauteng

South Africa

 

The Haystack on Homestead

13 Homestead Road, off 7th Avenue, off Rivonia Road

Edenburg, Sandton

2128

Gauteng

South Africa