My wife and I recently came back from a trip to South Africa in March 2015. This bucket-list trip was made possible by points and miles and very little out-of-pocket costs. I hope this trip report will inspire you to visit and create your own South Africa experience.
Searching for Award Space:
I started searching for award space around July 2014, 8 months before our trip. I could not find any business class award space  with Star Alliance partners. I checked oneworld partners and was surprised to see 4 business class awards daily out of JFK and PHL on Qatar airlines.
I could find award space from JFK-CPT, but no award space from CPT-JFK. After plugging different routings, I was able to find business class award space from JNB-JFK. I booked the awards, and I could either purchase CPT-JNB For $110 each or use  15,000 British Airways Avios +$88 for two at a later date, when I finalized my itinerary. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it allowed us the time to book a one day safari to Pilanesberg from JNB.
In our case, we used 110,000 US Airways miles and 7,500 Avios each for the itinerary.
The Routing:
JFK-DOH Â (8+ hour layover), then DOH-CPT
CPT-JNB (stop 1 day), then JNB-DOH(8+ hour layover again) before continuing on to JFK
We decided to spend our layover in the world class Al Mourjan lounge at DOHÂ because we were tired from the long flight. The lounge is very comfortable, modern, and the food is good. We had a grilled octopus and smoked salmon salad that was very tasty.
Dad tip: There is also a free layover tour available.
I do not believe a visa is required for this tour, but please check with airline to be safe. As we know, rules are always subject to change.
Airport Transportation in Cape Town:
Uber is available in Cape Town, or you can also take a taxi. Because we travel light, we took public transportation to the Park Inn Foreshore hotel. The fare was $3.89, and is similar to a metro card in NYC. You simply load a debit card, and you are charged based on distance.
To get to the Park Inn Foreshore, take the airport bus to Civic Center (A1). At Civic Center, switch to Bus T1 and take for one stop. The hotel is around the corner, and the journey takes 25 minutes.
Hotel Award Strategies:
In Cape Town, we stayed at the Park Inn Foreshore and Radisson Blu Waterfront using Club Carlson points and the beloved [and soon-expiring] BOGO award nights. Then for our last night, we used a free night certificate for the Johannesburg Hyatt Regency.
One Sentence Hotel Reviews:
- Park Inn Foreshore: Decent business hotel that’s close to many tourist spots and the free walking tour. Roof top bar offers great views of table mountain. The area is a little sketchy a night, mostly in the form of people begging for money.
- Radisson Waterfront: Beautiful hotel facing the water. The breakfast is great (paid), and they offer a free shuttle to VA waterfront.
- Hyatt Regency Johannesburg: 5-star business class hotel. We were upgraded to the lounge floor. The hotel is ½ block from train to JNB airport, and the airport trains are completely safe (20 minute ride).
Tours and Experiences:Â
Cape Town free walking tour (make sure you tip the guide at the end).
The Grand Cape Peninsula tour: In Cape Town, they drive on the “wrong side†of road, like England. This tour is a great way to see all of the highlights such as Cape of good hope reserve, the penguins at Boulders, Chapman Peak winery, etc. I highly recommend this tour.
Dad tip: I had the tour pick us up at Park Inn, and drop us off at our new hotel, the Radisson Waterfront.
Pilanesberg Day Safari: We traveled all the way to South Africa, so we absolutely needed to do a safari. Based on the positive reviews, we chose David to lead us on the safari experience.
You can do this on your own if you have the time, and are comfortable driving on the “wrong sideâ€. With our limited time, this was the best way to experience a safari. David picked us up at JNB airport, and we drove about 2 hours to reach Pilanesberg. We toured the safari area for 6 hours, and then he drove us to the Hyatt Regency. David has a passion for photography, and he will lend you high-end cameras for your pictures. I highly recommend David.
Hope my trip report inspires you to take a similar trip. Feel free to leave any questions in the comments and I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction.
Have fun,
The Dad
One of these days, we’re going to head to S.A. Until then, keep ’em coming Dad.
@ Dan–are you enjoying being a grandpa? Make it a point to go to SA. The beautiful scenery reminds me of the “great ocean road” in Melbourne, Australia. This trip completed my goal to travel around the world I created in Sept 2001 when my WTC building fell. It took 14 years, ,,and I enjoyed every minute of it. I have a new smaller bucket list. Would love to visit Israel,Jordan, Egypt Russia and Portugal. I can probably complete in two trips. Enjoy your family and good travels.
I’m heading to JNB in october and would like to visit Pilanesberg. What animals did you see on the safari? Did you see the big 5?
@TD- Thanks for your comment. To be honest with you, I wish we had an overnight stay at Pilanesberg. We would have had a chance to see the “big 5”. During our six hour tour we saw a lot of animals. Elephants,giraffes, zebras,lions,hippo, Deere, antelopes,a lot of different types of unique birds. I was actually surprised we saw that many animals. Enjoy Pilanesberg and South Africa
Stayed at the Park Inn Foreshore in August. It’s a short walk from the CapeTown myCiti bus to/from the airport for the budget minded. In J’burg friends stayed at the Hyatt (we were next door at the HI Rosebank) and we joined them one evening in the lounge…very pleasant and relaxing. Glad you got to Pilansburg. It’s a rather unique wildlife reserve, having been reclaimed from a huge meteor crater and populated by animals from all over South Africa. For those interested, the first episode of my wildlife doc series (Inside Noah’s Ark, Tales from the Grasslands) recounts some of the work being done there with the animals. Available through Amazon in the US. Couldn’t resist the plug, but going behind the scenes at a wildlife reserve is not something most people get to see.
@DavidB-Thanks for your comment. Enjoyed the Reserve. I bet you probably know the reserve as well as anyone. I will check the Amazon site. From talking to the “locals” a big challenge to solve is the poaching of Elephants. Was also surprised to learn that the hippo horns are worth $500,000 and could lead to extinction of the hippo. Happy travels.
Just my two cents…. I too stayed at the Park Inn foreshore and at the Radisson blu Waterfront but in January. Recommend them both. I though the staff couldn’t be nicer at either hotel. The Park Inn and the Radisson Blu both have courtesy cars that will take you locally for free. I rented a car and found it expensive but worth it.
-Joe
@ Joseph M. Thanks for taking the time to comment. My take on the foreshore. Roof bar,facing table mountain drinks at a reasonable price. The waiters were some of the best I ever experienced. The guys were friendly,personable,and service was always with a smile. The Radisson Blu was facing the ocean and service was also good. happy travels.
We were just there in August and as my South African daughter-in-law would say, they don’t drive on the “wrong side of the road” but rather the opposite side of the road.
We too stayed at the Park Inn and really enjoyed the location. We walked around quite a bit, more so in the daytime but we did walk to Long Street for dinner and back at night. There was a fantastic buffet a the Park Inn Foreshore and it was only about 15,000 points per night when we booked it. We got two rooms and upgraded one for $30 per night. The hospitality gift in the room was South African wine, dried nuts, fruit and jellybeans. A great experience.
With a car rental we were able to stop at Boulders Beach on our way to Cape Point and see the penguins up close and personal; recommend the Old Biscuit Mill, surfing area of Muzienburg with the iconic row of brightly colored changing rooms; lunch at Kalk Bay at a creperie, Simons Town, and eating a Snoekies Fresh Fish Market on the rocks at Hout Bay. There is so much to see and do in CT and having a car allows you to go at your own pace.
@Jane-Thanks for taking the time to comment. I agree that the foreshore Park Inn was a good value. As a Carlson card holder I booked one night and got one free. We were also fortunate to be upgraded to top floor at no extra cost. I believe our hospitality gift was fruit and jelly beans. I agree with your rental car comment. In our case, we felt it was better if we did not rent a car. It was our first trip to Capetown, they drive on the opposite side, I do not drive a stick shift, and did not want to deal with parking, etc. Our tour visited the top Capetown sites plus a winery At times it felt a little rushed, most of the tour we had plenty of time to experience the sites. Happy travels.