The Peech

A funky boutique hotel in the leafy suburb of Melrose with every conceivable mod-con, eye-catching contemporary design and its own bistro and champagne bar

In a quiet backstreet of Melrose, wrapped around by a mature, high-walled garden, this small boutique hotel offers guests a safe, comfortable and immensely stylish haven well away from the cut and thrust of the city centre. James Peech completely gutted, then refurbished this 1950s house and built 2 additional garden annexes to create one of the city’s coolest retreats, which happily marries the best of contemporary design with a big splash of afro-ethnic attitude.

A predominantly beige and white colour scheme provides a quiet backdrop for immensely colourful furnishings and fabrics. Suede sofas and pouffes in cool blue and tangerine, pinky-orange table cloths and shiny cérise bar stools sit alongside more ethnic elements like carved ebony tables, besbok and antelope skin rugs and kuba cloth wall hangings. The Peech’s 16 stylish and airy bedrooms have every mod-con, the bistro restaurant is the talk of the town, there’s a rotating exhibition of paintings and photography, and the hotel is imbued by the easy, open nature of its young owners.

Highs

• Fabulous light-filled bedrooms with stacks of designer attitude
• A quiet garden, dripping in greenery, with a small swimming pool and lots of shadey spots and loungers
• The Bistro restaurant is amongst the city’s best: there’s no need to leave the hotel if you’re looking for top-notch cuisine
• Melrose is one of Johannesburg's most attractive suburbs with a great choice of bars and restaurants, and it's close to both Rosebank and Sandton

Lows

• The Peech is a good 20-minute taxi ride away from the city centre and you’ll need transport to get to other restaurants, museums, markets etc