Travelmag@sundaytimes.co.za
STAYING IN SAN FRAN
My wife and I will be in San Francisco for a few days and are wondering where we should base ourselves. We can’t find any accommodation that is even remotely affordable via the Internet.
San Francisco is a very expensive city and it will be difficult to find hotel accommodation for less than R3 000 a night and it can easily cost R5 000 to R10 000 and more a night. You should stick to hotels — there may be cheaper rooms to rent but self-catering takes time and effort on a brief holiday.
Searching on websites such as Tripadvisor, you should find better offers. For example, The Travelodge at the Presidio (chelseamotorinn.com), also on Lombard Street, has rooms from R2 285 per person per night.
Castle Inn (castleinnsf.com) at 1565 Broadway will cost R1 753 per person per night and, as it is more central, you can walk to most attractions. All three of these establishments have had good reviews online.
FEAR OF SHADY OPERATORS
My wife and I are contemplating going on a cruise ship around Europe. We hear that there are nice trips between Spain, France and Italy. Would you recommend any particular cruise and destinations for a
When booking holidays, you should always look for travel operators who are members of Asata, are well established or have links to larger travel organisations.
MSC (msccruises.com), which is familiar to South Africans as they also operate in local waters, runs a Western Mediterranean cruise with the MSC Poesia, a ship that has not braved local waters. It sails from Barcelona to Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Messina, Valletta, Palma de Mallorca, and back to Barcelona, with weekly departures next year from April 17 until November 13.
Prices start at R7 049 per person sharing for the cheapest inside cabin in low season, rising to R29 489 per person sharing for a suite in high season.
Imagine Cruising (imaginecruising.co.za) also offers a range of European cruises, from ocean travel to river cruising.
They offer cruises that visit all three countries you mention.
For example, Celebrity Cruises has a trip on the Celebrity Equinox departing June 24 2016 for eight nights. This cruise starts in Civitavecchia (Rome) and calls at Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Nice, Villefranche (Nice), Corsica, Palma, Majorca and ends in Barcelona. Imagine can also look into similar cruises with other cruise lines and various departure dates.
Finally, Princess Cruises (princess.com), represented in South Africa by Discover The World (phone 011 463 5251), offers a seven-night cruise on the Royal Princess between Barcelona and Rome, visiting Cartagena, Gibraltar, Marseilles, Genoa, Florence and Rome, for R23 999 per person sharing, including flights.
That sails on May 7. Alternative dates available at applicable rates until September 3.