Review: Luxury Africa Honeymoon Safari, South Africa, Mauritius, Cape Town, Franschhoek Winery Tours, Makanyi Lodge

I don't have enough great things to say about this Africa safari tour operator!  I used them to plan our dream honeymoon to South Africa and couldn't have done it without them.  I actually had gone with another travel agency recommended by Zicasso due to the higher number of reviews, but after I had a negative experience with the original agency, I decided to give this company a shot and I am so happy that I did.  A few highlights:

• PERSONAL TOUCH: The owner scheduled a time that was convenient for us to talk over the phone as soon as I reached out to them about my inquiry.  Even though they were based in Cape Town (more on that later), they were always accommodating to my schedule even though I live in the States.  He personally went over what we were looking for, gave me some great advice, and assigned a rock star agent to handle the details.
• FLEXIBILITY: I like to be hands-on with trip planning and loved that the company was so flexible with all my requests.  They let me use my miles/points to purchase some of the plane tickets and also book hotels on my own when I found a better price online.  I always felt like they cared more about making me happy than making money.
• LOCAL PRESENCE: Being based in Cape Town was actually a huge advantage.  Having that local knowledge and relationships came through on more than one occasion.  One example is when we landed in Cape Town late in the evening, I didn't realize that the rental car was a manual.  I can drive manual, but since we were driving in a new country and on the other side of the road of what I was used to, I really preferred an automatic.  I called the travel company office number not expecting anyone to pickup the phone so late in the evening, but not only did the owner answer, he also arranged for me to swap out the rental car the next day.  They even covered the additional cost and called to make sure everything worked out.
• Our agent!!!: I felt like I had to dedicate a whole section to our personal agent/concierge/go-to for everything.  Since this was our first time traveling to Africa and going on a safari, we had A LOT of questions.  I think I sent 50 emails to her before the trip and another 20 during the trip.  She replied to all my emails quickly and positively each time.  She even met us while we were in Cape Town, bought us a drink, gave us a thoughtful gift basket of local treats, and provided personal recommendations for activities and restaurants.  All of her recommendations were spot on and it was great to get advice from someone that had personally experienced everything she recommended (ex. the vineyard that we stayed in Franschhoek was not only her favorite, it was also where she got married).  She has followed up with me since then to make sure that we got back okay and didn't just move on to the next client like most companies would.

Our Africa safari travel company has gained a client for life and my wife and I will be recommending them to all of our family and friends.  Don't let the limited number of reviews dissuade you, they are a small, boutique company that provides a personal touch, but have the resources and experience to handle the most complex itineraries and requests.