Latecomers needn’t lose out
THE end of the year is
upon us and, as is
the case every year,
the ‘last-minute’ brigade
are frantically trying to
organise their holidays at
the 11th hour. Air and bed
capacity is at a premium
and prices are not the
most favourable. TNW has
sourced some possibilities
for those who’ve woken up a
little late. Bear in mind that
some of the packages are
best suited to travellers who
don’t require visas.
Beachcomber offers early December availability
Beachcomber Tours has
availability on seven-night
packages at Mauricia
Beachcomber and
Canonnier Beachcomber
on set departures on
December 10, 11, 12 and
13. Both resorts are fourstar
properties.
The Mauricia
Beachcomber package
is priced at R25 860pps
with accommodation in a
Standard room.
The Canonnier
Beachcomber package
sells for R27 900pps with
accommodation in the
Standard Sea category.
The rates include a late
booking discount of 10%,
as well as return airfare
ex-Johannesburg on Air
Mauritius, approximate
airport taxes, return
transfers, breakfast
and dinner daily and
complimentary land and
motorised water sports
as stipulated in the tour
operator’s brochure.
For connecting flights,
travellers from Cape Town
must add R3 250pp and
those from Durban add
R1 870pp.
Europe east and west with Trafalgar
The Trafalgar team have
three suggestions for travel
in Europe over the festive
season.
Exploring Eastern Europe
is a 10-day trip to Prague,
Vienna and Budapest,
with two departures over
the period. The first, on
December 27, sells from
R23 000pps, but for
those willing to wait until
after the festivities, the
departure on January 12
drops to a starting point of
R19 800pps. The leisurely
paced trip has three-night
stays in each of the cities.
The Spanish Wonder
package offers an in-depth
experience of Spain with
Madrid, Toledo, Cordoba,
Seville, Granada, Valencia
and Barcelona on its
route. The December 18
departure sells from
R20 900pps and the
December 28 trip from
R22 000pps.
The Wonderful France
nine-day itinerary travels
from Paris to Lyon to
the French Riviera and
Avignon. A departure on
December 20 starts at
R28 200pps.
In-depth discovery with Costsaver
Costsaver’s seven-day
Jewels of Italy trip starts
on December 27 in Rome.
It spends two nights in the
Italian capital before heading
for Pisa, Florence, Verona
and Venice. The price tag
is R14 000pps, which dips
on the next departure on
January 2 to R13 200pps.
The Britain and Ireland
Delight starts on December
30 and January 6. From
London the trip journeys
through Stratford-upon-Avon,
York and Bradford, to the
Lake District, Gretna Green
and Glasgow. Edinburgh,
Belfast, Dublin, Kilkenny,
Waterford, Cardiff, Bath and
Windsor are also on the
cards. Starting price is
R14 500pps.
The Wonders of Turkey
kicks off on December 27,
priced from R15 600 per
person sharing.
From Istanbul it visits
Ankara, Cappadocia, Konya,
Pamukkale, Ephesus, Izmir,
Pergamon, Troy, Canakkale
and Gallipoli. Prices start at
R15 600pps.
Zanzibar with AfricaStay
A week in Zanzibar is still
possible with AfricaStay
this December, with three
departures on offer:
December 9-16; 12-19 and
19-26.
In the first week, prices
for SA residents are still
most attractive and range
from R12 980-R23 485pps,
rising to a range of
R13 595-R32 235pps in
the third week, which will
see the passenger spend
Christmas Day on the
island.
Prices are subject to
currency fluctuation.
The operator is offering
a choice of three-star, fourstar
and five-star resorts.
Prices include return
flights ex-Johannesburg
on Mango, along with
approximate airport taxes,
return transfers and a
choice of meal plans. They
also include free nights
and early-bird deals where
relevant.
Thompsons Holidays’ festive offer in Mauritius
This seven-night offer for
R37 830 per person sharing
provides accommodation at
the five-star Intercontinental
Mauritius Resort and
is valid from December
21-January 9, letting
travellers spend Christmas
and New Year on the island.
It includes return flights
from Johannesburg on Air
Mauritius (incl. airline levy);
return seat-in-coach airportresort
transfers; a deluxe
ocean-facing room and
breakfast and dinner daily.
Bonuses include a
welcome cocktail and fruit
basket, the use of WiFi
throughout the resort,
including beach area; use
of Jacuzzi, sauna and steam
room @ YUJ Spa, and an
unlimited 20% spa discount.
Note, however, that the
package price excludes
festive season supplements
of about R1 210 per person
for Christmas Eve and
R1 501 per person for
New Year's Eve. Book and
pay 30 days in advance to
qualify for this offer.
River cruises from Austria Connection
Sandton accommodation special
For those travelling to Johannesburg
for some Christmas shopping, to
catch a show over the festive season,
to spend time with family or attend
a last-minute business meeting,
Signature Lux Hotel Sandton is
offering a rate of R750 a night for two
people from December 15-January
14. It excludes breakfast and is
subject to availability
Disney at Sea
Seven nights on the water on the Disney
Fantasy is a great option for families
with youngsters. This Very Merrytime
cruise, available from Travel Vision, has
a set departure on December 2
and sails from Port Canaveral to
Cozumel, George Town, Falmouth and
Disney Castaway Cay before terminating
back at Port Canaveral. The land-only
cost is R23 645pps for a standard
inside stateroom, all meals and
entertainment including Broadway-style
stage shows, taxes, fees, port expenses
and return transfers.
