OSL - LHR - JNB on British Airways

This trip was booked on BA's Economy Extra (World Traveller Plus) travel class.

Flights:

• BA767 OSL-LHR


• BA57 LHR-JNB


• BA56 JNB-LHR


• BA762 LHR-JNB

As BA does not operate their Economy Extra concept on smaller aircrafts, this was in the regular cattle class cabin. OK A320 plane. Seat at emergency exit OK, staff seemed a bit over-worked in a less-than-full aircraft. BA still serves a sandwich and a drink even in economy class, something I appreciate. We were more than an hour delayed due to weather - not the airline's fault.

LHR-JNB leg was a red-eye on a 747-400. The extra in economy extra is mostly about space. A slightly bigger seat makes it possible to sleep even for me. Decent food, and good and friendly service. The IFE is really good, even if the screen is a bit on the small side. A regular mini-jack makes it possible to use your favourte ear phones. The in-seat power requires an additional £69 box to use. This seems unnecessary.

Being in the World Traveller Plus section means getting out of the plane first. This meant no queue in immigration, which is always a relief. The new terminal at JNB is a massive improvement over the old one.

On the return trip I learnt that there is a second way through immigration at JNB... just at the top of the stairs. There was NO queue... which is a massive improvement over the hour it usually takes.

Return trip was as expected, no major issues. I really can't understand why T5 gets so much bad press, compared to the rest of LHR it's fantastic.

Protea Hotel Balalaika

This is my regular hotel in Johannesburg, I've stayed there several times over the last three years.

The hotel is located in Sandton, the financial district of Jo'burg, right across from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. It has 330 rooms in two sections, each with wings circling a garden with a pool. The rooms are a decent size with a desk, double bed and spacious bathrooms.

Wi-fi connection is not included, but it's not too expensive. 1 GB traffic for ZAR195 is an OK deal. 15 TV-channels including international news channels. There is a gym, but in my opinion it is not good enough for a proper work-out. The staff is friendly, sometimes overly so.

The breakfast buffet is good. Some rates have breakfast included, this is usually good value. The hotel bar is a nice place for a beer or five. The hotel is connected to the Village Walk mall, and is within walking distance to Sandton City and Nelson Mandela Square. For dinner, the Bull Run next door is a good choice, allthough not quite on par with the Nelson Mandela Square restaurants.

The hotel is listed as 4-star, which is fair.

Pros: Location, price, quality

Cons: Fitness centre, Internet connection not included

Will I stay there again? Probably.

Price paid; approx. ZAR 950/night incl. breakfast through booking.com.

Hotel homepage

This blog

Like a lot of people who travel a lot, I like to be well prepared and spend quite a lot of time investigating flights, hotels, restaurants and other places I will spend my own or the company's money. However, it's not always easy to find good reviews, as people tend to write reviews only when they're very happy or very unhappy with places they've been.

Hopefully, this blog will provide higher quality reviews, allthough the scope will be limited.