We just arrived home from Dubai yesterday and officially completed our honeymoon and WOW!
There are absolutely not enough words to describe how incredible it was and that it would not have been possible without your help. Thank you for your continuous help these last 3 years of planning and re-planning, dedication, and patience with us. You far exceeded our wildest dreams of an African Safari honeymoon!! You made it easy for us to relax and feel well taken care of – every single detail was planned and executed flawlessly from the transfers, to the tours, to the hotel selections, to everyone knowing our next moves without us thinking. Thank you for all the small treats along the way in each hotel as well! It was all luxuriousand perfect! I truthfully can’t stop talking about coming back to South Africa already :)!!
We will absolutely be writing a review for you on XXX but please let us know if there is anywhere else you’d like us to post as well (google, etc!) You were amazing to work withand we appreciate you! If there is anything else please don’t hesitateto let us know!
As for your request about each individual experience I’ve noted below (if you want more details let me know I’m sure I’ve missed something):
– Covid Regulations – everything you said was true about any regulations – we had no issues at the airport everything went smoothly with our covid cards. We wore masks inside as requested and there were no problems – everything felt 99% normal and the entire experience was fine – I hope everyone gets back to traveling!
– Camissa House – was STUNNING, the perfect boutique hotel. The location overlooking the city was perfect. While it was far from “downtown” and the tourist things it didn’t really matter since Uber was cheap and the car service to and from dinner was easy! The breakfast was delicious – it was a full service sit down which we didn’t expect – and the afternoon tea was enjoyable! They had a bar in the lobby and the drinks were fun (I even tried Gin for the first time and was surprised I really liked African Gin!) The service was top notch – everyone was extremely detailed and welcoming. Would highly recommend and would stay there again if we were able to make our way back to Capetown! (If you were recommending to others, the only downside is there is no elevator so just make sure that no guests are handicapped).
– Le Quartier Francais Hotel– really adorable boutique hotel right in the heart of the wine country. Our room was perfect and the service was great! We enjoyed the wine tasting from the hotel which was really nice. We also used the Spa at the main house just outside of the downtown which was INCREDIBLE!
– Excursions– our guide was Dominic and he was great – really knowledgeable and fun to spend the few days with. We actually met him at the airport for our first transfer and were surprised to learn he would be with us for all the day trips and transfers which is a great experience. The first excursion was the cape tour which was beautiful. We enjoyed the drive and the coast a lot – we did the tiny hike at cape point ourselves. We also got to visit the garden which was beautiful – we don’t know much about plants so it was just relaxing to walk around. The second excursion was the wine day which was a lot of fun. We got to experience 3 different and very unique wineries in the 3 regions – one boutique, one medium sized, and one a bit larger. We enjoyed the medium sized one most called Avondale wines and really hope we can find it here in the US!!
– On our arrival day we started strong by heading to Table Mountain first. We through the cable car was very cool it spun on the way up for some incredible views. We also loved getting to walk around and see the views
– On our second day we went to Robben Island which we really enjoyed – I dont think we realized it was a fully guided tour which was great – the ride was easy and the tour was fantastic with a former prisoner. After that we ate lunch nearby at the market and then walked (I know that we should have taken an Uber so no judgement ha) to the Jewish museum.
– On our final day that we had by ourselves we visited the MOCAA Zeist museum near the waterfront which was a unique experience. The building is very cool – but maybe we didn’t understand the art :). After that we took an Uber to the District 6 museum and learned a lot about the history – we did the guided tour with a former resident which was really fascinating to hear.
– Restaurants in Cape Town – the list that you provided was excellent we ate pretty well (possibly more than we should have eaten). Kloof street and Pot Club were great choices. Fyn was exceptional fine dining – highly recommend to your future travelers as it was a full experience. The one we went to that was not on your list – Belly of the Beast – was probably some of the best food we’ve ever eaten and fully suggest you add to your list (and try yourself if you get the chance!) It was a 1 seating, 24 chair, set menu and trust me it did not disappoint. I ate things I never expected to try in my life and I am not adventurous but the food was accessible and anyone would enjoy!
– Airlink– some how you booked us a ticket that allowed us to be first on the list to upgrade to business class on our flight from Cape Town to Hoedspruit. Sure it was a tiny plane but it was still fun :). No issues with Airlink on either flight both went pretty smoothly (even if we were scared of smaller planes). The airport in Skakuza is nicer than the airports we have in NYC :).
– Ngala &Beyond-I have no words to describe the experience here – I think it spoiled us as our first Safari experience. The lodge was adorable and the service is unparalleled. Everyone from the security to the assigned butler was professional approachable and made our experience magical. The highlight however was our Ranger and Tracker – they were AMAZING and I cant stop talking about them (Dkye and Thomas). They found us every sighting and continued to surprise us – impressive knowledge and experience and I can’t wait to visit them again they made the entire experience incredible. Ngala should be a recommend for every traveler to South Africa!! The food was fine there was plenty of it so you were never hungry. I even looked forward to being woken up at 5:15 AM! The unique thing about Ngala is that they have 2 of the 3 white lions that exist IN THE WORLD and we got to see 2 of them… TWICE. Truthfully a once in a life time experience.
– Savanna – I think we were spoiled by Ngala’s safari experience but Savanna had it’s own unique experiences that we loved. Our Ranger was a bit newer so it was not the same experience as above – but our Tracker was great and helped us finish our spotting of the big 5! However, Savanna stands out when it comes to the dinner experiences and the uniqueness. Our first night was absolutely incredible – they decorated our private patio with pool with lights and set up the most romantic dinner we’ve ever had – we felt so special. The food was great and the service also incredible. The second night we were surprised with a group dinner outside on an old train under candle light – it was such a fun experience! Our third night we were also surprised with a Boma outdoor cook which was super fun – they even had a local chorus come to perform which was excellent!!
Hopefully all of the above is helpful, I am happy to answer any follow up questions should they arise!
Thank you again SO MUCH for everything
(Travelled May 2022)
