Self Catering Holidays And Rental Cars In South Africa For The Perfect Holiday.
A self-catering holiday in South Africa is a lot of fun. When the Northern hemisphere is shivering under a blanket of snow, South African holidaymakers are busy tanning on white sandy beaches. South Africa is also an extremely affordable tourist destination and maybe the only one where you can get first world conveniences at prices more comparable to that of third world countries.
A self-catering holiday is one of the most enjoyable and affordable alternatives in this country. South Africa has lots of top quality resorts where you can rent fully equipped chalets at prices unheard of in the developed world. The chalet which our family recently rented near Hermanus in the Southern Cape even had a state of the art delonghi oven in the kitchen!
There’s a couple of car hire firms at Cape Town International Airport. The vast majority of them require credit card before you can rent a car. Make sure to check the car in the presence of the company representative before driving off - you don’t want to end up paying for somebody else’s scratches and dents.
If you should by any chance be traveling with your baby, try to reserve a car that’s fitted with a britax car seat. This will not only provide he baby with a comfortable trip, but could well save his life in an emergency. The few South African rands it will cost extra is well worth it.
Then head out with the N2 over Sir Lowry’s Pass to the Overberg region. From the top of the pass you will have lovely views of False Bay and the Cape Peninsula lying at your feet. Once you have crossed the mountain, you will be entering the rolling hills of the Overberg - a corn and fruit producing region with a number of small towns like Grabouw and Caledon.
After more or less an hour’s drive you will enter the lovely seaside town of Hermanus. There’s a couple of good quality self-catering resorts in and around town. Once you’ve found a nice place to stay, it’s time to start exploring the vicinity. In and around the town center are a large number of restaurants, many with beautiful sea views. There’s a flea market as well, where you can purchase all kinds of local crafts and arts. Watch out for the hawkers selling watches - my son bought a men’s sport watch there last time and it only lasted three days!
It’s easy to have fun in Hermanus. You can spend your days on the beach, or you can drive around visiting the interesting towns in the area. Or you can go on a boat trip and watch sharks or whales. Or you can just let the one meal flow into the other…..
