Nestled in a leafy avenue in the quiet suburb of Craighall Park, Rutland House delivers genteel English country-style charm within easy striking distance of many of Joburg's most popular dining and shopping hubs such as Parkhurst, Hyde Park, Rosebank and Sandton Central.

There's a choice of three suites and two cottages equipped with kitchenettes (ideal for longer stays), each discretely tucked away among Rutland House's immaculate gardens. The peaceful and spacious gardens are filled with beautiful irises and violets, mature trees, birdlife, fragrant herbs and abundant pot plants, as well as quirky little sculptures picked up from the owner's travels across South Africa. Look out for the story-telling mermaids from the Eastern Cape village Nieu-Bethesda, clay chickens from the Mpumalanga farming town Hazyview and a beaded warthog family that welcomes you to the sunny breakfast room.

Rutland House is owned and run by the vivacious Delia Ferguson, who first began working in the hospitality industry in 1972. Her long and adventurous hospitality career has seen her pulling pints in a Cotswolds pub, running a chalet in the Swiss Alps and even catering on a Majorcan yacht.

In 1994 she opened the Rutland House guesthouse, bringing a myriad of skills and experiences with her, including an innate sense of how to anticipate her guests's needs and make them feel at home. As Delia quips “All my strange and wonderful jobs and the people I met and learned from and the places I travelled were the perfect training ground.”

Included in your stay is a filling full English breakfast and fresh fruits served by the guesthouse pool and host Delia's wealth of knowledge on how to get the best out of a Joburg stay.

Delia will happily help organise tours and transfers for guests and if you are a keen cyclist make sure to join Delia and her friends the 'cyclopaths' for a 16km afternoon ride every Tuesday and Thursday.

Rutland House is a member of the Johannesburg Guesthouses network, which offers an excellent range of more than 20 owner-run guesthouses all based in and around the beautiful northern suburbs of Rosebank and The Parks. See the booking website johannesburg-guesthouses.co.za for the full range of options.