T8191

Seeking a bit of help and advice, please. Our first ever trip to ZA is approaching, arriving at CPT on 5 Dec. We will be staying in CPT for 5 days, then moving on to Stellenbosch for 4 days and finally Franshhoek for another 4 days before returning home through CPT. We're 2 fairly well travelled Senior Citizens [although mainly USA and Caribbean], do NOT want to rent a car, and do not have fancy modern mobile phones ... so we will be relying on taxis and any shuttle buses that might be available.

So, the questions are:

1. How do we get safely from CPT airport to the hotel (The Cullinan, near the V&A Waterfront)? Should we pre-book transport, or alternatively what taxis should we use?
2. How do we get from Cape Town to Stellenbosch? Do we rely on the Concierge to book a taxi for us? And what sort of cost?
3. Same questions, S'bosch to Frankshhoek, and finally F'hoek back to the airport.

Grateful for any advice/tips/tricks ... this is a venture into the unknown, and we do like to be prepared as far as possible.

Roger

Hi, T. You pre-empted my first thought (use Uber) by saying you didn't want to use fancy mobile phones. so:

1. You have a choice: taxi or shuttle bus. No need to prebook. (Forget the public bus service. It doesn't provide the service travellers need.) So long as you are clear on your destination (you are), taxi should be fine. You'll probably be asked whether you have been to CT before. The default answer is Yes. I have had no experience of price gouging in CT.

The shuttle is OK, but you would probably travel with others. After an overnight flight, I think you won't want to be bothered. Also, for two it's not much cheaper than a taxi.

2/3. Yes, the hotel should be fine, though there's the risk that they'll book the hotel limo. I have no experience of the Cullinan, but the IC in Johannesburg and the Hyatt in Rosebank defaulted to the hotel limo.

Your CPT-hotel taxi driver will probably ask if they can help on a further journey. They'll give you their card. You could ask how much they would charge to take you from the Cullinan and use that estimate to compare with the concierge's price.

We normally rent a car, but take a cab/shuttle from CPT to our first hotel. Earlier this year, we had our first car-free trip to CT and area and found the taxis convenient - including using Uber on our phone.

Just in case you don't know, the word 'taxi' is also used for the minibuses providing an informal and efficient local service at a low fare. Use them by all means (we did on occasion) but not for the airport.

Another five months for us ...

Roger

Also, you say you're venturing into the unknown. I'm sure you have/will have lots of formal and informal advice. One joy for me is SA English, which resembles UK English. Examples:

Beware if somebody says they'll do something 'just now'. This means they'll do it when they find the time.

Also, don't be alarmed if somebody tells you to go to the 'robot', more likely if you're driving. They're referring to traffic lights.

T8191

My thanks for the above, Roger ^

In response:

Annoyingly, the Cullinan doesn't do an airport shuttle bus, just scheduled res to/from the V&A. So we will be relying on an airport taxi. ISTR reading somewhere in this Forum about 'approved' and 'unofficial' airport Taxis - obviously we will be hoping to get the former! Do they use meters, or do they just make a random charge? What sort of price should I be looking at from the airport to the Cullinan [near the V&A].

I like the idea of seeking a non-hotel taxi for other journeys, as I suspect the cost difference might be substantial. I will try to remember to ask our airport taxi driver.

Thanks also for the linguistic tips ... I speak reasonably fluent American as well as English, but that's not going to help in this case!


All help deeply appreciated

Jasper2009

The most important thing is to go to the official taxi line and ignore the drivers who try to pick you up on your way to the stand.

I've never had an issue taking a taxi from the official line.

Fare from CPT to the Waterfront has always been in the 220-250ZAR range for me, though fares may have slightly increased since my last visit.

T8191

Excellent detail ... thank you. ^

I guess I will be able to identify the 'official taxi line'. I always avoid people who try to grab me as I pass by

Roger

Yes, me too.

At the 'new' CPT (i.e. post-World Cup refurbishment), it's easier than before. Outside Arrivals there are/were some taxi/shuttle counters. Ignore these. Walk perhaps 400m indoors to the sign for taxis, then go outside in the direction of the taxis, perhaps another 50-100m, then there they are.

BTW when walking from Arrivals to Taxis and assuming you'll need some ZAR cash, you'll pass a number of ATMs. Some charge a fee, others don't, so it's worth checking before you select if you want to avoid an unnecessary fee. Sorry, I don't remember which fee-free machine we used.

T8191

We will be bringing ZAR with us, hopefully sufficient for our needs.

(Edit) Just found the website for Rikki's Taxis, which seems to be a major operator and has a price-finder for the various transfers - 510 ZAR from Cape Town to Stellenbosch. I have a point of reference!!

Ditto

They have a meter, but will also try to make a random price, just try to either negotiate a lower price you like or have them turn on the meter.

The random price is likely to be somewhere around 20-30% more than what the meter will say

floridagal23

We arranged to be picked up through our hotel (the Nellie, but had a free transfer through Amex) but took taxis and uber the rest of the time. Totally safe. Uber is extremely inexpensive so it is really worth considering.

T8191

Thanks for the latest inputs ^

Uber is cool for those with International cell-phones. These old folks don't have that, and likely never will

simons1

I always take a taxi from the taxi stand outside CPT airport. Costs about R220 to V&A Waterfront.

The hotels are good at arranging onward transport but as mentioned above it's worth asking the taxi driver for a cost to take you. I have always found the cabbies quite friendly and pleased to get the business.

Keep it simple is the name of the game.

T8191

Grateful for that, simons1 ... I'm feeling much happier now.

T8191

Rikki's worked brilliantly ... R290 to the hotel [and the driver stopped in a garage car park so we could have a cigarette!] and R520 from CT to Stellenbosch.

NewbieRunner

I’m resurrecting this thread as I’m setting off on my first trip to South Africa in a couple of weeks. I’ll be staying at the Victoria & Alfred Hotel at the Waterfront for two nights and a night near the airport before flying to Port Elizabeth to join a tour of the Garden Route back to Cape Town.

I have used Uber in a few countries including the US, UK, Malaysia (before it was taken over) and Colombia and plan to get a local SIM during a transit in JNB, but I don’t look forward to the hassle of finding a pickup point at an unfamiliar airport after a long flight. Is there a designated pickup point for Uber at CPT?

I’m happy to pay a little extra for a taxi if it’s more straightforward and assume both taxis and Uber are ok for a solo female traveller with common sense. Thanks for any advice.