Robindale, Randburg

Pretty Robindale - the Jo'burg land of Robin Hood, or as close as you can get in the northern suburbs where one of the streets is named after the famous man who robbed from the poor to give to the rich, and still others are named after his merry man and Maid Marion - lies next to the other leafy suburbs of Linden, Fontainebleau and Blairgowrie.

Homes in the suburb are pretty, with gardens filled with bird song because of the high density of trees, and any stay here is ideal if you need to be in the heart of Randburg or Sandton as each is equally easy to reach from Robindale. The suburb also lies just above Bright Water Commons shopping mall (it used to be Randburg's waterfront but much of the water has been 'filled in' and now doubles as a picnic area, apparently) where there is a Woolworths and a Pick n Pay, as well as movies and a host of shops and restaurants.

Over weekends Linden and Emmarentia Dam are nearby for picnics and lazy lakeside lunches, or for walking the dog if you have brought him along. Whilst lovely Greenside, which way back when was a farm, now has a host of trendy restaurants - including the city's first, but I stand to be corrected, vegan restaurant - and is one of the city's most popular neighbourhoods.

That and Parkhurst, which is also just 'up the road', figuratively speaking as in Johannesburg you tend to travel whenever you venture forth. You can blend the Botanical Gardens at Emmarentia Dam, together with lunch in Parkhurst or Greenside, and have a day that leaves you feeling more than a little good about yourself and the world.