First of all, the information on this board is amazing. Thank you for everything I've learned so far!
OK, here's the deal. Fiance and I bid on a couple packages at a silent auction (great way to get a bargain- WOW) and are now trying to piece together the honeymoon using the two hotel stays as well as add in some time at a game reserve.
What I have so far:
-Round trip air from LAX to CPT (arr Oct 20)and returning from JNB (Nov1): free with United miles.
-3 nights at Le Quartier Francais in Franschhoek (Oct 20, 21, 22)
*Question #1: how do we get to the hotel from the airport, and is wine country close enough to Cape Town to do some of those must-do's while we are sleeping in Franschhoek?
-Game reserve- because I'm finding internal flights SO expensive, I thought we'd do a one-way to JNB from CPT on Kulula air for about $60pp, then rent a car (for another, what, $200?) for a couple days to drive to whatever game lodge we choose.
*big question: is this insane?
-The last leg of the journey is our other silent auction item: 4 nights at the Oberoi in Mauritius. The crazy thing I've figured out is RT fares from JNB to MRU are well over $1000pp unless you stay 5 nights, in which case they go down to about $650 (Air Mauritius) So we may have to find a way to stay one more night in Mauritius (and trust me we can't afford the Oberoi at regular rates!)
Thoughts? Ideas?
Thank you so very very much!
Anne
Affordable game lodges and transpo??
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ACvonH,
Will you please share with the board the website where you were able to pick up these winning bids?
As far as cheap game lodges go, I would suggest that you consider a place like Nkhoro Bush Lodge in the Sabi Sand Reserve. I am guessing that it is about $150 pp per night sharing, so hopefully 3 nights would be affordable, as it is a long drive from Joburg to the Sabi Sand for only 2 nights. 3 nights would be a much better experience, in my opinion.
Good luck.
Alas, it was not a website where I won the items. It was a large charity auction in Los Angeles called the California Winemasters- it benefits Cystic Fibrosis. Here's a press release. http://www.cff.org/news/index.cfm?ID=582
If anyone lives in Los Angeles, this is definitely an auction to hit every fall. The silent auction travel items are amazing.
Nkorho is one of the three I'm looking at- the other two are Gomo Gomo and Tshukudu Game Reserve. I do wish we could stay 3 nights, but our scheduling is pretty tight.
I thought we'd stay a night in Cape Town after 3 nights in Franschhoek (I know I know not enough in Cape Town)...that's really the only night we could steal from to use at a game reserve. On the other end we're hemmed in by a very expensive flight situation to Mauritius which is mentioned at the end of my OP.
It's all a bit tricky, but I'm thrilled to have the chance to take the trip at all!
Thanks-
Anne