# Living near Melrose Arch or Sandton



## BJ100 (Jun 6, 2011)

Hi all, 

I am looking to rent an apartment near Melrose Arch or in Sandton, but I am not very familiar with these neighbourhoods. I will be commuting on weekdays to Melrose Arch and do not have a car. I’ve been using the Gautrain buses/train, city of JHB buses and public taxis to get around and will need to continue to do so for the next 3-6 months so access to public transport is key. Does anyone have suggestions on areas near Melrose Arch or Sandton to live that would be close (10 -15 mins walk) to public transport and shopping and within 30 mins commute of Melrose Arch? In addition any suggestions of neighborhoods to live between Sandton and Melrose Arch would be much appreciated.

Thanks!


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## martinaloeb (May 12, 2011)

Pull up a map of Joburg on Google, locate Melrose Arch and have a look around it. There does not seem to be many "bad" areas in that part of town, but perhaps if you start looking online at properties, and then come back and ask advice about certain areas you will get more tailored, helpful advice

My personal opinion is that if you don't have transport you should try and live as close to work as possible, and Melrose Arch, Illovo etc are all great and have a good range of accommodation options to suit a wide range of budgets.


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## UKFlier (Jan 18, 2012)

How do you find the public transport for commuting to work in the Sandton area? It is something i may have for a few months.


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## BJ100 (Jun 6, 2011)

martinaloeb said:


> Pull up a map of Joburg on Google, locate Melrose Arch and have a look around it. There does not seem to be many "bad" areas in that part of town, but perhaps if you start looking online at properties, and then come back and ask advice about certain areas you will get more tailored, helpful advice
> 
> My personal opinion is that if you don't have transport you should try and live as close to work as possible, and Melrose Arch, Illovo etc are all great and have a good range of accommodation options to suit a wide range of budgets.


Martina- 
I hadn't spent any time in the areas surrounding Melrose Arch and had no idea what to expect but ended up doing as you'd suggested and explored the neighboring areas with a map and atlas. It was a fun experience! I'm considering Craighall which is farther away from Melrose Arch but has lots of charm. If that doesn't work out, Illovo and Athol are reasonably priced alternatives. Thanks a lot for the great advice!


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## BJ100 (Jun 6, 2011)

UKFlier- 

Depending on where you live and your commute, you might be able to get around using the Gautrain and/or the Gautrain buses. I used the Gautrain buses exclusively during my first couple of months in JHB. 

Now that I've been here a few months, I feel comfortable with travelling via Metrobus which is the city of JHB's bus system. Although many people seem to think that the public bus system is riddled with potential criminals, my experience over the past month has been positive. The drivers are courteous and helpful and helped me work out the most efficient way to commute to Melrose Arch, likewise with the passengers (but perhaps this is because I take a bus to and from Melrose Arch, an upscale area, and most passengers on the bus are office workers commuting to and from Melrose Arch). I would not advise using the Metrobus until you've spent at least a few months in JHB and are familiar with the neighborhoods the bus will travel through (especially if you have to transfer buses) and are sure those neighborhoods are safe. 

Gautrain website (includes route maps which helped me get around during my first few weeks in JHB) - Gautrain ? For People on the Move

Metrobus (no route maps) but if you call Metrobus's customer service line (011 375 5555), you can tell them your starting point and destination and they will give you an itinerary - Metrobus | Transport, road and rail


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## martinaloeb (May 12, 2011)

No worries. Craighall is great - I love all of the areas surrounding it. It is fun having a look and seeing all the different kinds of places too! I hope that you find the perfect spot for you 



BJ100 said:


> Martina-
> I hadn't spent any time in the areas surrounding Melrose Arch and had no idea what to expect but ended up doing as you'd suggested and explored the neighboring areas with a map and atlas. It was a fun experience! I'm considering Craighall which is farther away from Melrose Arch but has lots of charm. If that doesn't work out, Illovo and Athol are reasonably priced alternatives. Thanks a lot for the great advice!


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## murraybiscuit (Nov 15, 2011)

craighall/melrose are great areas. surrounding suburbs are great too... whether they are on bus routes i'm not sure, but there's lots of really nice small apartment blocks with large rooms in dunkeld, melrose and birdhaven. there are some stunning large houses and possibly longer term bead & breakfast accommodation in illovo, hyde park, inanda and craighall park. hyde park and saxonwold are certainly at the top end of the budget range, but you get space and luxury with the added price. 

living close to corlett drive is a bit noisy and can get clogged with traffic, but you don't have to go too far to find quieter leafy suburbs with a shopping centre close by. i don't think any of the areas you've mentioned are traditionally high-crime areas, and if you're in an apartment block it'll generally be safer than in a standalone house.

if you go east of the m1 highway, things start getting a little more run-down (going towards kew/alex/loius botha ave), so i'd try finding something west of the m1. if you're working in sandton, you could also take a look in the grayston area. and don't be too worried about learning to drive with a right hand drive stick shift - it's part of the adventure


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## BJ100 (Jun 6, 2011)

murraybiscuit said:


> craighall/melrose are great areas. surrounding suburbs are great too... whether they are on bus routes i'm not sure, but there's lots of really nice small apartment blocks with large rooms in dunkeld, melrose and birdhaven. there are some stunning large houses and possibly longer term bead & breakfast accommodation in illovo, hyde park, inanda and craighall park. hyde park and saxonwold are certainly at the top end of the budget range, but you get space and luxury with the added price.
> 
> living close to corlett drive is a bit noisy and can get clogged with traffic, but you don't have to go too far to find quieter leafy suburbs with a shopping centre close by. i don't think any of the areas you've mentioned are traditionally high-crime areas, and if you're in an apartment block it'll generally be safer than in a standalone house.
> 
> if you go east of the m1 highway, things start getting a little more run-down (going towards kew/alex/loius botha ave), so i'd try finding something west of the m1. if you're working in sandton, you could also take a look in the grayston area. and don't be too worried about learning to drive with a right hand drive stick shift - it's part of the adventure


Murray, thanks for the comprehensive overview! I agree with you RE:Corlette drive - it would be a convenient location but it's noisy and I don't think there's much to do there. I'm focusing on Craighall at the moment as there are quite a lot of apartment complexes there but will broaden my search to include surrounding neighborhoods if I don't find something I like in Craighall.


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