MarkToday’s deal of the day is the biggest deal I have put together. Flights from Dublin to Cape Town, South Africa with car hire and 13 nights accommodation for €1132 per person based on 2 people sharing.
The Garden Route is considered one of the best coastal routes in the world. This trip starts in Cape Town, then to the wine region area of Stellenbosch, with further stops in Oudtshoorn, Wilderness, Plettenburg Bay and then just outside Addo Elephant Park for a chance to see the Big 5!
There is a link below to give you an idea of the distance between each place.
Google Maps Garden Route Itinerary
The flights are with Turkish Airlines, leaving Dublin to Cape Town on Friday the 31st of January and leaving Port Elizabeth (at the end of the Garden Route) on Friday the 14th of February (arriving back into Dublin on Saturday the 15th of February). The flights are via Istanbul on the outbound and Johannesburg and Istanbul on the return. A checked bag of 30kg is included. There is a link below to the flights, click on this to be brought to the Skyscanner website.
Dublin to Cape Town 31st of Jan // Port Elizabeth to Dublin 14th of Feb €564 return
** Please note that the accommodation is booked individually so there is a lot of freedom to change the number of nights or places you wish to stay. The properties that I have suggested may sell out but there are plenty of alternatives. There are links to each property (highlighted in green) below along with the date and price.
The first hotel is in Cape Town and is the 3* Holiday Inn Express Cape Town, which is rated 8.4 out of 10 with guests from Booking.com. This modern hotel offers views of Table Moutain and is 600 metres from Long Street.
Holiday Inn Express Cape Town 1st Feb – 5th Feb €160.50 pp for a 4 night stay with breakfast
Please note the car hire is set for a downtown pick up in Cape Town on the 5th of February, as the location of the hotel is so central there is no need for a car in Cape Town. The Holiday Inn Express Cape Town is less than a 15 minute walk from the Avis car pick up point in Cape Town, so pick up the car at the downtown location then drop it off at Port Elizabeth Airport. The car hire price is based on the details in the screenshot below and includes Collision Damage Waiver.
Avis Car Hire 5th Feb – 14th Feb €95.82 pp
The next stop is the wine region of Stellenbosch! The hotel is the 4* Devonvale Golf & Wine Lodge, which is rated a fabulous 8.7 out of 10 with guests from Booking.com. This property is a 5 minute drive from Stellenbosch and offers beautiful views of the Simonsberg Mountains.
Devonvale Golf & Wine Lodge 5th Feb – 7th Feb €60.50 pp for a 2 night stay with breakfast
The next stop is Oudtshoorn, which is known for the Cango Caves and Ostrich farms! The property I recommend is De Oude Meul Game Farm, which is a lodge rated a fabulous 8.9 out of 10 with guests from Booking.com. This property is a 10 minute drive to Oudtshoorn and en route to Congo Caves.
De Oude Meul Game Farm 7th Feb – 9th Feb €48 pp for a 2 night stay with breakfast
After Oudtshoorn comes Wilderness, where you will officially enter the Garden Route! Pearl Moon Boutique Suites is a guest house rated an exceptional 9.7 out of 10 with guests from Booking.com. This property is 800 metres from the village of Wilderness.
Pearl Moon Boutique Suites 9th Feb – 10th Feb €36 for a one night stay
The next stop I recommend is Plettenburg Bay, which is a seaside town on the Garden Route. The property I suggest staying at is Dolphins’ Playground Beachfront B&B and is rated an exceptional 9.5 out of 10 with guests from Booking.com. This B&B is just 75 metres from Robberg Beach.
Dolphins’ Playground Beachfront B&B 10th Feb – 12th Feb €69.50 pp for a 2 night stay with breakfast
The final stop is just 3km from Addo Elephant Park in Colchester. Elephants Footprint Lodge is rated a superb 9.1 out of 10 with guests from Booking.com. The staff at the lodge can customise a Big 5 safari for you. Please note this is at an additional cost.
Elephants Footprint Lodge 12th Feb – 14th Feb €97 pp for a 2 night stay with breakfast
The final step of the trip is driving from Elephants Footprint Lodge to Port Elizabeth Airport on Friday the 14th of February, where you will drop off the car and then fly via Johannesburg and Istanbul before arriving into Dublin on Saturday the 15th of February.
The total price for flights, car hire and 13 nights accommodation with 12 breakfasts is €1132 per person based on 2 people sharing.
Please note prices are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.