Originally Posted by
worldiswide
We were in Capetown about 18 months ago at the Hilton and used their concierge service. They were very accommodating. We emailed many many times prior to our visit and they were responsive and fair. They even advised when it was cheaper for us to buy a ticket on the Internet vs them booking for us. They did transfers to and from the airport and we're willing to customize whatever we wanted. I wouldn't want to do tours with groups they will eat up too much time. We did Stellenbosch cape of good hope boulders beach Chapman peak drive in a day. Wine Country is very nice. Robben island takes a lot of time and table mountain can be iffy due to weather.
Originally Posted by
windycityf
I stayed at the Hilton, the staff was very helpful and great! As for you excursions, I would suggest if you would like see Robbens Island, you should pre-book that one, as it tends to sell out fast.
I arranged all my excursions before I left with Rhino Africa. But I was traveling by myself and I wanted to research the company before I booked anything. But on my trips, several others mentioned they booked theirs the day before.
I agree with worldiswide, you can do a lot of stuff on your own, especially if you are renting a car.
Happy travels.
Thanks for both of your thoughts and recommendations.
I think the reason we're planning on doing more things with groups than we would normally is for safety considerations i.e. fear of wandering/driving into the wrong area. Sticking with a guide would minimize that possibility. My travel partner is anxious about safety on this trip, so I'm agreeing to her terms and conditions.
I haven't yet decided if I would rent a car for the entire trip or just part of it. We're driving the Garden Route after Cape Town so we have the option to either have the car for the entire time or split the time in Cape Town with and without a car. I was planning on going the first few days without a car and doing our more organized/group/planned activities first, and getting a car a few days before we plan to leave Cape Town so we can do any activities that would require a car last.
Glad to hear that concierge and other staff at the Hilton are generally reliable and helpful.