As well as being damn sexy, Ilali also has an off-the-radar location that makes it the stay of choice for real insiders. Secreted away behind a rather beguiling wall that stands like a shroud on a busy road cutting through a residential neighbourhood, Ilali doesn’t have loads of hotel-style frivolities like a pool, spa, or restaurant. Instead, you’re encouraged to get out there and explore. It’s owned by a passionate artist and art collector (who turns out to be a skilful designer) whose love of the city is infectious and celebrated in her décor choices and the wealth of low-down Jo’burg knowledge she has at her fingertips-if you want to know where to shop for art, this place is heaven-sent, but she’ll point you towards good theatre, myriad local eateries, even the perfect yoga studio. It’s a typical large Johannesburg house from the Fifties, with a big homey garden and loads of shade and lawn beneath old, chunky trees. The five bedrooms are individually decorated with good South African art and chic, playful pairings between antiques and clever contemporary elements that give a feel for what’s happening, creatively, in the country right now-some of it’s pure tongue-in-cheek (witness the flock of sheep in the garden), but there are reverential, statement-making bits too. And while the spaces are visually striking, owner Hannia Weber’s first priority was the personal vetting of mattresses, and blissful linens-A good night’s sleep is what you’ve really paid for