Recently, Afristay.com invited us to try out their service and tell them what we thought. Since I had a workshop I was giving over the long weekend, we decided we would use that weekend to also have a family weekend away and it was perfectly timed because I really needed some R&R!
Booking
Before we could get away, we needed to book where we wanted to stay. Off we went to https://www.afristay.com. My husband and I both liked the site and found it easy to search in different areas. It is, generally, very easy to make a booking enquiry on Afristay.com and the response time from most if not all places we enquired with was quick and clear. There is a messaging area where you can discuss arrangements and/or requirements before final booking.
One thing that you do need to take into account is that, even though some places may say they are available, they may not be because they are also linked to a few other booking portals or have their own website. Apart from that it was pretty easy to book the place we wanted to stay and the payment process is painless.
After we had booked our desired destination, we were sent a really helpful booking confirmation with all the information that we needed. We were also sent reminders leading up to our time away.
Our Weekend Away
We arrived at the Berg and Dal and we were greeted by Marlene. She was an absolute star, so helpful and genuinely friendly. She ensured we had a wonderful breakfast each morning and really went the extra mile in accommodating my daughters allergies.
She mentioned places in the area we could eat and visit. The linen and towels were clean and fresh. It was lovely to stay there and we all were sad to leave but life must go on!
At least we have the wonderful memories we made as a family
An Important Note
Seeing the Dam was a bit overwhelming. There were sand storms because it was so dry and desert-like. Luckily, or should I say it was a blessing, that night it rained quite a bit. We really do need to look at our use of water differently. Slowly, we can start to make changes in the way we use water!
About Afristay.com
Founded in 2006 (before the Airbnb craze!), by local entrepreneurs Oliver Bryant and Ric Meulemans, Afristay quickly grew to become one of South Africa’s largest accommodation portals with over 10,000 listings across Africa and 100,000 visitors per month, by 2011.
Feeling it was time for a new direction, Rupert Bryant was recruited as CEO and re-launched Afristay, along with its new website in 2014.
At the same time as re-launch, Afristay also moved away from its previous enquiry-only roots, and began offering bookings directly via the website.
Our Experience
Overall – using Afristay.com was easy, secure and a wonderful experience. Afristay.com makes it easy to book your dream holiday and automates where suitable but still offers you the opportunity to talk with real people (which helps when you have unique circumstances or different booking requests). We would definitely use them again to book our next holiday!
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