South Africa: taxi from airport to hotel?
 

I´ll be travelling to South Africa soon and was wondering what the situation is with regards to taxis from the airport to the hotel:

a) CPT - V&A Waterfront
b) DUR - Fairmont Zimbali Resort

1) Is it safe to just pick any taxi waiting in front of the terminal or are "private"/scam taxis a big problem?
2) How much should I expect to pay for each of the above journeys (paying in South African Rand)?
3) I guess a 10% tip on the fare is appropiate, isn´t it?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Not what you are asking but I always prebook my transfers in CPT with

http://www.way2gotransfers.co.za/pricing.html

They have always been reliable (used 6 times) and are competitive with taxi fare ( I know a taxi was ZAR200 quite a few years ago and imagine it would be somewhat higher now)

10+ Years Ago, on my first trip into SA (JNB) everyone (and I mean about a dozen ex-pats and SA folks) told me to SKIP the taxis (e.g. metered car taxi's not the minibuses). I've followed that advice ever since.

Minibuses . . . just don't. Don't ask.

Both hotels should be able to arrange a car to pick you up. 3544quebec's advice also works.

Tax Rates (Cape Town) - http://www.taxiprices.com/taxi-fares...th-africa.html

We took a taxi from the Cape Town airport to our hotel last year. We just waited in line with everyone else. I can't remember how much it cost but it was pretty cheap.

May I ask why your friends discouraged you from taking a taxi? Unsafe or just dirty/not comfortable?

I´ve heard about the mini buses and will avoid them at all costs.

Anyway, I usually find waiting for/meeting a driver is just a lot of hassle, so I tend to use taxis whenever possible, but of course if it´s really not recommendable I´ll reconsider that.

It's been a long time. But, the general consensus was unsafe, uncomfortable. A distant second was, well you're a NYer and have traveled quite a bit, so you're probably pretty experienced with taxi scams, but there's more opportunity for them here (JNB 10 years ago). Just avoid them was the general advice. Was that overstating it (e.g. ALL taxis are bad, ALL drivers are crooks)? Of course. But, I've never been impressed with the taxi scene in SA (CPT in particular). The hack lines at CPT always seemed to be just there, never organized, self-regulating, etc. Not hassling you like the old days in LGA and JFK (though I understand it has returned) but still just less than appealing.

I suppose the reverse - to wit having the hotel call you a cab to take you somewhere might be more reliable than just getting in the hack line at CPT upon arrival. Indeed, I did that many times FROM a number of Waterfront hotels without issue.

I've never had that problem in CPT Domestic or International arrivals finding a driver with my name on it. There's a lot of them there with signs plus tour group coordinators looking for their clients. But, as long as you keep your eyes open . . .. I've walked right past friends and family waiting for me but never a guy holding a sign with my name on it.