African Honeymoon planning

delujm0

I've read a few threads with people saying they've been to some of the places I'm looking at - so I'm hoping to get some feedback on my plans!

 

Honeymoon will be June 2014.  14 nights (in hotels, as well as two overnight flights).  My plan is to do 3 nights on Safari in South Africa, 3 nights in what is basically still a safari in Zambia (primary objective is to see Victoria Falls - planning to be there during the full moon so as to see the Moonbow), 4 nights in Cape Town, and 4 nights in Mauritius (as June is Winter in South Africa - and I need some beach time!)

 

First, does this sound doable?  I've done multiple European vacations that were 16 nights and included 5+ destinations, but obviously they were all a lot closer together, so only spending 2-3 nights in each place wasn't a big deal.  I have a good job, and travel is my passion, so my budget is on the high side.  I'm planning to cover flights and accomodations myself (as a thank you to FI for the beautiful engagement ring he spent so much money on).  We will be 32 when the wedding happens, and this will likely be our last international trip for a while, as we intend to start a family soon after the return. 

Does anyone have hotel recommendations?  I've linked the places I'm currently considering below - so especially if you have feedback on those locations it would be super helpful.

 

Also, when should I book?  I'm thinking the safari-type hotels should be booked far in advance, since they are small, but the others i can wait a bit...I actually was keeping up with the Mauritius hotel this year (as if i was traveling in June 2013) and they appeared to drop rates around March, so I may try to wait that one out.

 

Oh and if anyone did a wine tasting day trip in Cape Town that they'd recommend, I'll gladly take that information!

 

Thanks!

 

South African Safari: http://www.kapama.co.za/kapama-karula/

Zambia: http://www.tongabezi.com/index.php

Cape Town: http://www.capecadogan.co.za/location.asp

Mauritius: http://www.maradiva.com/

Jells2dot0

That sounds like an amazing trip! Your situation sounds very similar to mine, so I can relate. I was 32 when I got married and we love to travel, so we splurge on nice trips, but went a little above and beyond with the honeymoon. I, too, paid for the wedding and honeymoon myself. Travel is our passion, but more so mine, so I am usually the one to pick up the tab

Anyway, I am the one who has been to Mauritius (non HM trip). I went there as well as the Seychelles on our trip. Safaris didn't really appeal to us, so we made it an all beach trip. I would consider the Seychelles over Mauritius, but that is just my opinion. We enjoyed both and liked them each in their own way, but the Seychelles were just more romantic, secluded, and picturesque. We stayed at the Grand Mauritian in Mauritius, which is a larger resort, but stayed on Denis Private Island in the Seychelles, which is a smaller boutique property. I prefer boutique properties, so maybe that is part of it. The people on Mauritius are very nice and we stayed in the beach club section of our resort, so we got a lot included. We also found the exchange rate much more favorable in Mauritius. We didn't like that the water wasn't quite so crystal and we also didn't like the long drives everywhere. Let me know if you have any specific questions about the island and I'm more than happy to share what I can.

Swazzle

I went to South Africa for my honeymoon. We went to Cape Town for 4 nights and on a safari for 3 nights. I think what you have planned sounds fantastic! 

We actually stayed at Kapama but at the Kapama Buffalo Lodge (CLICK). The accommodations are "luxury" tents up on stilts. They were recently renovated and were really, really nice. I would stay there again in a heartbeat. The staff was amazing. Our tracker and guide were incredible. We saw all of the Big 5, including the leopard, which is really hard to find. Our guide wasn't afraid to do a bit of off-roading to get us to the animals which was really cool. There was a couple from South Africa with us and they had been on dozens of safaris before and said this was hands down the best experience they'd ever had. 

The hotel we stayed at in Cape Town was pretty basic. Nothing above and beyond. 

We didn't do a wine tour as my husband doesn't drink wine but we did a day trip of the Cape, we visited a Cheetah Outreach Program where we petted a grown cheetah, and we spent 1 day shark cage diving in Gansbaai. 

If you want more information or anything, feel free to PM me! 

ETA: I booked everything through South African Airways Vacations. They handled the flights, transfers, accommodations, and the tour of the Cape. They were really great to work with and tailored our trip to exactly what we wanted. I booked everything at the beginning of December and our HM was in May. 

sshoup14

That sounds like such a fantastic Honeymoon!  Enjoy!

I spend a lot of time in South Africa, as my fiancé is from there.  We are actually getting married in Feb of 2014 in Cape Town!

The schedule you have planned is totally doable.  I have never stayed at the hotel you have mentioned in Cape Town, however, the area is great and the hotel looks really cute online.  You are in a neighborhood area with lots of restaurants, bars and shops within walking distance and very close to Town.  Being that close to town, you are also pretty centrally located to most of the points of interest for day trips.

The Wine Farms are some of the best in the world in South Africa!  I personally prefer the Stellenbosch region, however, if it is too far for you to get there, Constantia is in the city and has some lovely selections as well.  Some of our favorites in Stellenbosch are Delheim, Muratie and Hartenburg.  I highly recommend dinner at Moya on the Spier Wine Farm on the way back to Cape Town from Stellenbosch.  They have a traditional African dinner buffet with entertainment.  They also have some animals on their vineyard for setting the scene upon arrival.

As for the Safari, it's hard to go wrong!  Again, I haven't done that one in particular but I have been on a couple in different areas.  Kruegar is amazing and there are so many options and so much wildlife to be seen, but can be difficult to find.  The Private Reserves along the East Coast that mostly operate in Addo Elephant Reserve are nice as well, and most are malaria free.  As long as you have a good guide and build a relationship with them, they are normally very keen to give you the best experience possible no matter what National Park you are in.  I travel around the world for work and stay in some pretty amazing hotels, but I have found the treatment and accommodation that these 5 star lodges provide are immaculate and hard to top!  It's a trip everyone should attempt to do in their lifetime.

Booking times are a little bit tricky... you are going in low season in Winter, so realistically you can put off your reservations for a bit b/c it's definitely a much cheaper time to travel down there.  However, if you book in the middle of their winter, Dec/Jan/Feb (school holidays for locals, high season for tourists, Christmas holidays) the rates may still be a bit high.  They will quote on the high end of their low season rates.  Ideally, if you can, book now... they will raise rates for next year in the next couple months before their high season starts and it's their low season right now so they aren't thinking about how much they can make from you during their next low season, they are only thinking about how much money they can make during high season.

If you would like any other specific information, I'd be happy to help.

delujm0

Thanks everyone, this is all very helpful!  I may get in touch with a few of yu as i continue my planning!