Fancy a trip to South Africa?

Two of our clients recently travelled to South Africa (during their trip they saved over €925 compared to best available internet prices) and they kindly put pen to paper to document their trip as follows:

Neasa & George O’Hara

Notes on our S African holiday

"General : The arrangements made all turned out as scheduled. Each hotel and other accommodation were expecting us on the day appointed and the rates charged were as quoted. We were happy with the accommodation overall and with the attention that we received at each place. We found that the feeling towards Irish people generally is favourable because of the help that they and their government are giving to S Africa and because we carry no negative historical baggage. One other positive factor from the visitor’s point of view was the fall in the Rand against the Euro. Last year the rate was about 1E = 7.50R. This year it fell to 1E = 12R by the time we left for home. On the negative side there were frequent and unannounced power cuts because of generation capacity shortage. Also, increasing levels of violent crime are causing anxiety among politicians and the general population, although the top politicians try to play down the statistics.

Accommodation

The following are our comments on the hotels etc in which we stayed :

Port Elizabeth - La Provence . A large country house situated outside Port E. About 20 minutes to town. Set in parkland area. Has swimming pool and tennis court. Staff very helpful, if a little formal, particularly the lady part-owner who could not do enough for us. The rooms were very luxurious and tastefully furnished. Coffee/ tea making facilities and a cruet of sherry in bedrooms and a decanter of port in the reading room for self help. Breakfast was bountiful and choice varied. Dinner however was disappointing on both the nights we had it. Overall, however, we would strongly recommend La Provence. Incidentally, Port Elizabeth is not noted for good weather. There was quite a lot of rain over the weekend that we spent there. La Provence is very accessible from airport . Do not accept children under 10 years of age.

Plattenberg Bay: Hogs Hollow is situated 10km east of Plattenberg Bay. Guests are allocated their own chalet which is somewhat reminiscent of the native Japanese Ryocan hotels- all wood. The chalet veranda looked out on pristine forest . All guests had dinner together in a common dining room – which was interesting and the dinner was good. An excellent buffet breakfast was taken at separate tables on the balcony overlooking the bush. One had to watch handbags and food as the monkeys who roamed around the place were apt to suddenly pounce. A good experience but pricey!

Knysna: accommodation was in a self-catering flat in a large block overlooking a lagoon fed by the sea, with yatchs moored along the quays. Accommodation was comfortable . It had a large sunny balcony with canopied table and chairs and 2 sun recliners. It had a washing machine which we were very grateful to use. Within stroll of harbour where there were several good restaurants. There was secure car parking on the ground floor which could be accessed by remote control. We enjoyed our 2 nights there .

George : The Far Hills Hotel : A very pleasant hotel overlooking spectacular mountains. Staff very pleasant but somewhat vague when it came to knowledge about local areas. Hotel caters mostly for tour groups and conferences. We somehow got mixed in with an aged English group and shared their Bar-B-Q dinner without them knowing – by direction , of course, of the hotel. A different lady played the piano in the lounge on both nights- repertoire limited to about 6 tunes , all played to a tango beat. Main courses for dinner were not memorable. Bills were confused and needed sorting out. Rooms small but comfortable. Air conditioning v noisy. Plenty of restaurants in George and would advise going out to dinner. We enjoyed our stay there and would recommend it for value , it’s informal atmosphere and its location.

Capetown : The Westin Hotel : Hotel belongs to the Sheraton group and has all the features associated with a large international brand. Having said that, we found that the room was a bit shoddy and worn. The dining room was large and comfortable and the breakfast ( buffet) was excellent and v varied. The staff were attentive and we had unrestricted use of the common areas on the day we were leaving, which we appreciated as we had an evening flight to London. We arranged for the hotel to pick us up on our incoming flight from George. They sent a chauffeur driven car which was plush but expensive. On leaving we got the hotel to arrange a taxi which was about two thirds the cost. The hotel runs a free shuttle on the hour to the waterfront area, which has many restaurants, shops and a large shopping mall. Best place to eat lunch or dinner (unless you are on business expenses when u could try the hotel, which charges European prices). We would recommend the Westin, particularly as a last stop on your way home."

Thank you for that great report George and Neasa.

The savings George and Neasa made are detailed in their itinerary below:

George & Nesa O’Hara - Itinerary Port Elizabeth to Cape Town 2008

Nights	Hotel	Town	Saving ZAR
3	La Provence	Port Elizabeth	2,490
1	Hog Hollow	Plettenburg	600
2	Knynsa Aprtment	Knynsa Waterfront	0
4	Far Hills Hotel	George	2,910
1	Westin Arabella Quays	Capetown	3,200
		TOTAL SAVINGS ZAR 9,200
		TOTAL SAVINGS EURO (approx.) 928

Savings are calculated by comparing the Hotel Express rates whcih George and Neas paid to the best available internet prices for the same room in the same hotel on the same night. Note that the Knynsa Apartments is not a Hotel Express contracted property (hence we could not do better than the internet - even we can't save you money all the time!).

If you would like to save money and time like George and Neasa why not give us a call on Ireland + 353 1 272 4184 or drop us an e mail. We charge an annual fee for access to our services, but with savings like these that investment could be the best you have ever made.