Charlene Smith
Winter is here, time to escape, and there are a number of excellent travel deals available whether you want to stay in South Africa or travel abroad.
Seekers Travel says Nationwide Sabena is offering fares from Johannesburg to Cape Town almost half those of its competitors, at R906 return, while to Durban and George its fares are R518 return.
However, on occasion British Airways Comair cuts price to Cape Town to as low as R844 compared to its usual R1 573. It usually links this to accommodation at the Cape Sun Inter- Continental from R150 a night instead of the usual R780 a night.
If you have a little extra time for a week-long break, it’s hard to beat the special Protea Hotels/South African Airways (SAA)package to Cape Town for couples travelling between now and the end of August.
For R1 857 (per person sharing), you get return airfare to Cape Town plus five days Budget car hire, five nights accommodation at one of Protea’s three premier (four-star) hotels in Cape Town -the fabulous Victoria Junction, President or Capetonian – with five free breakfasts and 500 Voyager miles. There is a slightly higher rate for people who travel on their own. Inquire at your travel agent or at SAA or Protea.
Southern Sun has also teamed up with British Airways Comair to provide a two-night weekend package, which includes return airfare from Johannesburg, transfers, bed and breakfast and 36 holes of golf for R1 140 per person, at the Selborne Sun Inter-Continental Lodge in KwaZulu- Natal. A two-night midweek package is available for R1 071 per person.
If you want to escape to summer, there are a number of competitive rates to help you travel to the warmer climes of the northern hemisphere.
If you’d like to eat croissants on the Left Bank of Paris or have mash and peas in the shadow of Big Ben, Alitalia is offering return rates to Europe of R2 400, while Virgin Atlantic is close behind at R2 700 and SAA at R2 890. Sabena is looking ahead to December with a rate of R3 100.
It’s worth going for pastrami and rye in the Whitney Museum’s wonderful restaurant with an airfare of only R3 200 return with British Airways to New York. Flying Lufthansa will cost a R1 000 more at R4 200.
Rennies Travel offers a three-night package to Miami with three nights in the Days Inn Art Deco at R4 971. Brian Andrews of Rennies says extensions to your stay can be accommodated as long as you fly out of Miami back to South Africa. They have another offer of three naights at the Beacon hotel in New York, and a Circle Cruise around Manhattan, plus return airfare of R5 239.
Fares to South-East Asia will set you back R3 660 for an SAA flight to Bangkok, R4 300 to Hong Kong by SAA or R4 600 with Air Malaysia. Our tip: fly to Bangkok and get an inter-Asian connection to Hong Kong. It’s the busiest airport in the world so you will have competitively priced choices.
Once you have chosen your destination, work out how you will pay -travellers’ cheques, credit card or cash – and how to get the best exchange rate. Debit cards are increasingly used and may be the best option.
Mastercard points out that payment cards provide services to help locate lost luggage, identify local medical services and provide roadside assistance.
If you want to leave the furrowed brows to others and like package tours, Rennies is offering two nights in Singapore and three nights in Penang, with breakfasts and transfers for R4 259, or two nights in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and four nights in Pangkor Laut with bed and breakfast and a return flight for R5 537 per person.
A trip down under remains pricey with a Qantas flight to Perth costing R3 591 return or R3 640 with Air Malaysia. The extra leg to Sydney will cost R1 000 more, adding up to R4 150 with Air Malaysia, or R4 320 with Qantas through Seekers.
Rennies offers a return Qantas flight to Sydney with five nights accommodation in Cairns, near an Australian rain forest, for R5 602.
For bargains in Africa, Rennies is offering return airfare and five nights in a hotel on the Mombasa coast, dinner, bed and breakfast, with transfers, at R3 123 per person sharing.
It has two packages in Zimbabwe, either at the Matetsi hotel, 40km upstream from Victoria Falls, a two- night package with three meals a day and two game-viewing excursions, for R1 980 return with British Airways Comair; or R1 194 per person sharing to the beautiful Elephants Hills hotel, until June 30.
Or take a 10-night Nile cruise from Cairo to Aswan, leaving here on July 21 with three nights in Cairo in five-star accommodation. The R10 018 fee includes all sight seeing, full board and return airfares.
Or for those who like to shop in desert splendour, they have a three-night package to Dubai, including accommodation, at R3 625 per person.
Other good news is that the Airports Company is looking at a dramatic revamp of its duty free stores at international airports in South Africa and by October there will be considerably more wares on offer at far more competitive duty free prices.
They are aiming to boost retail-sales volume from its present level of R400- million a year to R1,1-billion within four years. One of the innovations they will introduce will be duty free shopping once you land in South Africa, instead of a shopping mall for departures only.
Bon Voyage!