This hotel is in a historic building (just over 100 years old - historic for Johannesburg) near downtown Jo'burg.

It appears to be fairly secure (though the sliding window in my room had no lock to prevent it being slid open from the outside). It has a good size car park, a buffet restaurant that seems popular amongst locals and a British style pub (which does cheap but poor quality food).

There is a grand lounge with a nice open fire in winter, an outdoor pool and the grounds are well kept, but the part of the hotel I was in was starting to look tired.

There also isn't anything to do around there. I wouldn't walk around that part of town at night even if there was.

A customer booked this hotel for me because it was close to their office, saving an expensive taxi from Sandton; but once the Gautrain line from Sandton is complete I would be tempted to stay there and take the train (or even a taxi) since at least you have something to do in Sandton in the evenings.

if you are going to stay here make sure it is in the newer part of the hotel. it has air conditioning that actually works. the staff were very, very pleasant. however they would not admit that the air conditioning was non-functional. however, the general manager will admit this when you write a letter of complaint. teh grounds are lovely. there is free wifi which is a plus. the food is passable. the location is just ok. be aware that the grounds are gated and it is not really possible to walk anywhere from the hotel. this is probably not unusual for the city of johannesburg. overall this hotel is so-so. i would rate is as terrible if it were for the friendlly hotel staff

The Sunnyside Park Hotel certainly isn't lacking in character. What a pleasure to stay in a hotel that has an oak panelled cigar lounge with a picture of Churchill on the wall and doesn't lecture you in the bathroom about saving the planet.

Good:
The room was spacious with a nice balcony and the bed was superbly comfortable. The gardens are beautiful with a nice pool and there's a pub on site "The Pound and Penny" which seems to have an identity crisis with pictures of Ireland on the wall with Whiskey memorabilia. Food in the pub is average. Food in the restaurant is good. They have a pool and fitness room which is decent.

Bad:
The infrastructure of the place is lacking. Wifi access is a joke, slower than dial-up speeds. The one lift was old and creaky. The cards in the door worked when they wanted to. Be aware too that they will cancel your reservation if you don't pay up front within 3 days. Frankly though, the worst thing about this hotel was the service. Just getting coffee at breakfast was a major struggle! It wasn't just me either - other people were literally waving their arms trying to get some service.

All in all, not a bad place. Wouldn't recommend it for a romantic getaway and wouldn't recommend it for business either if internet access matters to you.

I spent a week at the Sunnyside while conducting meetings at U Wits Health Sciences center. The hotel was recommended by a U Wits faculty member and the location for business at the medical center was terrific. However if you are conducting business elsewhere, the location may not be suitable. Walking is not an option, especially at night. The closest safe ATM was in the medical center but one needs to get a guest pass to be admitted on campus since security is very tight. The staff was extremely attentive, efficient, and polite. There were a couple of staff members who were a bit cold but cordial but they were very few and far between. The food is good. Breakfast is very British with beans and sausages but there was a wonderful omelet station with lots of fruit pastries and other options. I only had dinner at the 'Pound and Penny', the onsite pub. The food was also good although I was a bit disappointed by the selection of beers on tap. Castle beer, a local South African brew is quite foamy on tap but otherwise the service was great and the food tasty. The rooms were immaculate, clean, and tastefully done. The grounds are quite nice and soothing and the exercise facility is adequate. WiFi is available free in the lobby and also reached my room. One only needs to ask for the daily password which is readily available at the front desk. When I checked out, I needed to have the two rooms that I reserved charged to separate credit cards. The front desk staff cheerfully and efficiently obliged my request and the charges went through as requested without a hitch. The only downside to the Sunnyside is the location and overall difficulty of finding a taxi. One needs to make several inquiries to locals to determine a suitable and safe taxi for a reasonable price however this seems to be a common issue throughout Jo'Burg and not particular to the Sunnyside. The onsite tourist/transportation desk was not very helpful and very expensive. My suggestion to the Sunnyside management is to reconsider their business relationship with them and perhaps expand tourism/transportation options for guests. The tourism company they have onsite is the sole blemish for an otherwise excellent hotel. Kudos to the Sunnyside staff and management. I would gladly stay there again.