Todd

I am planning a trip towrd the end of Dec through mid-January to SA. I have read that the price of lodging, food and activities are more expensive during this time. Does anyone know if this is the case, and if so is the increase significant. My exchange will be from USD.

Patricia

Just came back from S. Africa. Can't tell you about the hotels, but we found food to be scandalously cheap! We didn't go out to any special restaurants, but at the V & A Waterfront mall we had huge sandwiches for $2 or less. In our hotel restaurant (St. George Holiday Inn) had just soup one tired not-so-hungry evening for $1 and had fresh grilled salmon (generous size) for lunch in Fish Hoek, south of Cape Town, for about $3.50. The prices I saw in the V & A restaurant menus posted outside showed fish around $5. I'm sure if you go out to a nice restaurant you'll pay much more. But these were all perfectly respectable places to eat.<BR><BR>By the way, stay away from St. George's Hotel for one reason--it's in the business district and after 5 o'clock there's no one in the area that you'd want to be out on the street with. Gets real dicey in the evening. Although you can get a cab or something to take you to the V & A area.

tim

You are in a win win situation going with US$. I can only speak for food as I always stay with family. Dec is the height of the summer season so the relative increase in price of lodgings would be the same as anywhere in the world.

Lisa

the short answer is "yes". If you stay away from the hotels that are geared towards Americans and charge according to American dollar prices you can get some decent accommodation.<BR>The safari lodges also charge more at this time.<BR><BR>Patricia and Tim are right about the food prices. when you convert into dollars, it is very reasonable..

Saleem

Todd,<BR><BR>Trust me.....everything will be cheap. The current exchange rate is more than R10 to $1. Food is the same price all year round. Shop around for accomodation. Someone else on fodors quoted Holiday Inn Waterfront (Cape Town)for $56 per night during that time. Check out their website. <BR><BR>Have fun.