Black Brick hotel is the cool, unpretentious new spot to stay in Sandton

A hotel in Sandton that is not blingy or tacky or some kind of strange pastiche of grandeur is an uncommon and pleasing thing. Black Brick is one such exceedingly rare bird: low-key in a hipster-eqsue, cool way. If you’ve ever stayed at an Ace Hotel abroad, you’ll know the vibe.

This new outfit is, in truth, part hotel suites (all with kitchenettes), part residential space — the clever reinvention of one of the old South African Breweries office blocks on Fredman Drive. A black-painted brick exterior (geddit?), and some heavy interior remodelling later and what was once a space of corporate cubicles, and presumably lots of talk about hops, is now a really nice place to stay if you’ve got to work in Sandton — especially for an extended period.

The rooms are simple, spacious and functional, there’s a delightful little rooftop bar and a Soul Souvlaki and Sésame Deli in the foyer to keep you fed and watered. Oh, and in non-Covid times, there’s a library and shared workspaces to set up camp in. In short, this is an unpretentious and friendly spot to stay in. More like this please.

• From the February edition of Wanted, 2021.