After a year full of challenges, we all deserve a break. Although some of us like to be homebodies, for those wanting to book a well-deserved getaway, the booking calendars of popular holiday towns, especially close to the beach, are once again bursting at the seams, making a quick getaway or a last-minute booking a daunting task. So what if the holiday dream you’ve been longing for all year doesn’t seem like it will become a reality? LekkeSlaap has some tips that can help.
You still have options, maybe just in a different area
Langebaan and Hartenbos, Hermanus and Durban — South Africans have their fair share of popular summer holiday towns. But, it may be time to consider other locations. If you cast the net a little wider, accommodation is still available during the peak season, just in lesser-known areas. Instead of looking for a stay in a specific coastal town such as Langebaan, Hermanus or Umhlanga, give the rest of that coastal region a chance and start your search by exploring the West Coast, South Coast Whale Route or South Coast. So you can see which towns in the area still have availability. Or even better, break away to a different part of the coast, such as the quieter parts of the Wild Coast or the coastal villages of Namaqualand.
Look around your favourite holiday town
Suppose you can’t imagine going too far from your usual, beloved holiday town, you can manage your destinations by using LekkeSlaap’s map function and searching around your favourite holiday town. Simply enter your dates, the number of guests and the name of your preferred town. As soon as you land on the search page, you select the ‘Click to view map’ function, allowing you to check on the map which accommodation is still available around the town. All the available options will be displayed as red houses. You can also zoom out the map to see a larger radius around the town.
The sea is not the only place for water fun
Understandably, you think of the beach first when you hear the words ‘summer vacation’, but the ocean is not the only source of water that can provide summer entertainment. If you want to frolic in the water, why not consider a place to stay near a river or a dam? On LekkeSlaap you can search for accommodation near all of South Africa’s main dams by typing the dam’s name in the search box. You can also use the map function to search for a stay on a river bank where you can go boating, rowing or fishing, or you can simply turn on the swimming pool filter to make sure you book a place to stay with a swimming pool on site.
Visit a village that’s always been on your travel list
Be adventurous and break away from the ‘normal vacation’ this summer. If there is a village, monument, mountain pass or valley that you have always wanted to see, a place that you have heard or read about that has always sounded inviting to you, book your summer holiday there. That way you will escape the crowds on the beaches and have an authentic experience! From the Drakensberg to De Rust, Swellendam to Steytlerville and Parys to Prince Albert, South Africa is full of places with heartwarming people full of stories and things that you simply have to see and experience.
Try a different type of accommodation
Don’t default to self-catering accommodation, especially if you can only break away for a short time during the peak season. There is no need to give up just because you can’t find a self-catering house. B&Bs, resorts, lodges, hotels and guest houses can also work, besides, these types of accommodation often have a great location, offer facilities to entertain the youngsters, has staff to do the cleaning on your behalf, often offer meals on site (or included in the price) and can make good suggestions on how to explore the area.
Consider adjusting your dates a bit
You can escape the festival season’s worst traffic if you don’t go away over New Year’s time — move your dates a little onwards and search for accommodation later in January because by then there will be more options to choose from. If you are not travelling with children and are therefore not bound by the school holidays, this makes your dates even more flexible and you can put your leave in for just after schools start again.
Escape the city (for now)
The purpose of vacation is to take a breather, right? How about putting some of your big holiday plans on hold for the time being and instead planning a short breather just outside the city? That way, you can recharge your batteries but not spend your entire holiday budget on fuel. LekkeSlaap has a nifty ‘Escape from the City’ feature that allows guests to search for accommodation in a specified radius around South Africa’s largest cities, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. It makes a quick trip or mid-week break really easy and also tells you how far the accommodation is from the city! Once you feel refreshed after your quick getaway, you can plan your longer vacation properly.
Start planning for next year
That’s right! If your dream beach house slipped through your fingers this year, book it now for next summer. Also, think ahead and keep in mind the long weekends in March and April, a safari break in the middle of winter and a romantic getaway for you and your partner. The earlier you plan for next year’s holidays, the more places are available to you and the more enjoyable your year will be.
After all, a holiday is just too much fun to give up on too quickly! Even if your summer stay this year doesn’t look the way you thought at the beginning, there are still many possibilities for a proper break if you just click around a little more.
Main photo: Pier Plesier on LekkeSlaap
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