FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - 9 days CPT or 8 days CPT plus 1 day JNB?

Feb 3, 2011 | 10:53 am

#1

SmilingBoy

Join Date: Sep 2005

Location: BRU

Programs: LH SEN, SN Gold, Eurostar Carte Blanche, BA, QF, AF

Posts: 6,854

9 days CPT or 8 days CPT plus 1 day JNB?

Hi guys,

I would like your opinion. After 5 years, I am travelling to South Africa for the first time again in 3 weeks (previously always business, now leisure with my wife). Unfortunately, we only have 9 days. Given the time constraint, we had planned to stay in and around Cape Town only.

However, due to lacking award availability on LH (and only booking today), we could only get a ticket going back from JNB. So the itinerary as booked is:

Arrive CPT with LH first on Saturday (26FEB) morning 11am.
Depart JNB on LH business on Sunday (6MAR) evening 8pm.

We still need to book our CPT-JNB tickets separately (probably on SAA to take advantage of our *G status).

As far as I see it, there are three options:

Simply transfer at JNB. Means taking a flight around 3pm from CPT for €210 p.p. (don't want to risk a misconnect on separate tickets)
Fly from CPT to JNB in the morning (around 10am). Flight price €125 p.p. Have 5 hours to spend to go somewhere around Johannesburg.
Fly from CPT to JNB on Saturday (evening?) already. Flight price €75 p.p.. Spend an evening and a day in Johannesburg.

I assume that with options 1 and 2, we could check through our luggage. (Correct?)

And I assume that with option 2, we could leave our carry-on luggage in a left-luggage facility at the airport. (Correct?)

As far as I remember from my business trips, I found Cape Town a lot nicer than Johannesburg from tourist perspective so I don't want to cut short the Cape Town part of the holiday just to have JNB on the list.

On the other hand, with option 1, one also loses part of the day in Cape Town and we probably wouldn't be able to use the time much anyway. There is still the risk of a misconnect, and if the flights are on time, quite some time spent in JNB waiting.

Option 2 seems most attractive to me at the moment if there is something we could do that is doable within 5.5 hours. Last time I was in Johannesburg, I visited a gold mine in Gold Reef City which I found interesting.

Option 3 has the disadvantage of having to deal with the luggage and stay in another hotel, but would give most time in Johannesburg.

What are you opinions? Any recommendations?

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