Killarney, Johannesburg

Lying in the heart of Johannesburg's affluent, leafy northern suburbs, Killarney is set in amongst the similarly quiet suburbs of Saxonwold, Houghton, Norwood and Oaklands. This part of the city is without doubt the more sedate side of Johannesburg and large properties have been popular with consulates, particularly given the quick access from here to Sandton and the fact that it lies just on the fringes of the city centre.

Its reputation as a mainly Jewish suburb has undergone something of an overhaul recently, particularly as it became fairly popular with young urban professionals of all races who like the proximity to Parktown, Braamfontein, Rosebank and Sandton. If anything, these days it has more of a cosmopolitan feel to it, in line with the original 'vision' for Killarney and the neighbouring suburb of Riviera as a 'mini-Manhattan. Today Killarney is quite the 'inner-city' trendy suburb and many of the large apartment-style buildings here boast incredible art deco details that have been well maintained and lend credibility to this 'vision'.

Killarney's main draw card is thus apartment-style living, aside from the Killarney Mall - recently revamped with access to a myriad shops. Of course, the newest addition to the suburb is something of a controversy if you speak to residents, who regard the seven-storey building that is at once an apartment block and a luxury hotel, known as The Splice, with mixed response. Again, it is a fall back on the concept of Manhattan-style living (not always well received by South Africans who might have preferred an African rendition of the concept).

Close by are the the Johannesburg Zoo, Zoo Lake, the Wilds Nature Reserve and an incredible view of Sandton from Munro Drive in Houghton.