As you draw nearer to the Protea Hotel Midrand, you’ll no doubt be musing upon what an odd location this appears to be for a hotel. Within sight of a major highway and tucked away in a nondescript suburb, it’s hardly going to win any awards for its surrounds, but what the hotel lacks in location, it quickly makes up for once you enter.

It’s a sizable but low-rise hotel set in leafy grounds. The lobby is spacious and welcoming, with comfy couches strewn around. The sofas continue through the stylish bar, a nice spot for a pre- or after-dinner drink. Dinner is served in the Palm Terrace Restaurant, whose eclectic menu offers decent if far from spectacular fodder.

The best thing about the restaurant – and the hotel in general – is the outdoor space. Birds tweet in the trees as diners eat lunch on the patio or sun worshippers take advantage of the comfy cushions provided on pool-side loungers.

Rooms are just what you’d expect from a business hotel – comfortable and well-equipped, with plush carpet, comfy chairs and a decent TV package. There’s fast, free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel.

Although tourists are welcomed – and families treated particularly well – this is essentially a business hotel. In case you were wondering, its reason for being is that Midrand sits about half way between Johannesburg and Pretoria, making it an ideal spot for meetings or conferences and the facilities for both are excellent. As an added bonus, there’s a free shuttle to destinations within a 10km radius of the hotel at specified times during the day. This hotel might sit in an unlikely location, but what lies within definitely makes it worth a stay.