How to make the most of your staycation
You don’t need to travel far to enjoy the benefits of a vacation. Here is why a stacation is a great option.
It’s been a tough year for South Africans, with the underperforming economy giving both businesses and consumers plenty to think about – and leaving people in dire need of a break.
The light at the end of the tunnel is a vacation, but with the Rand struggling against major currencies, going overseas is becoming increasingly challenging. You still need a break, though – so why not consider a ‘staycation’ instead and make the most of the amazing opportunities which keep international visitors coming back to South Africa?
Explore your city
When your focus is on getting to work and keeping your life running, there’s often very little opportunity to stop and take in your surroundings. Your city is where you choose to live and make a life for yourself – and a staycation can help remind you exactly why!
When was the last time you visited an art gallery, tried one of those amazing new restaurants you’ve heard everyone talking about or stopped to consider the history of the place you call home? A staycation can help you explore your city with fresh eyes – playing ‘tourist’ could just reinvigorate you.
Slash holiday travel time
Tucked away on the southern tip of Africa, South Africa is pretty far from a lot of the places you’d normally put on your wanderlust bucket list. The idea of overnight flights, rushed airport connections, and figuring out how to get around can easily take the gloss off a trip and leave you feeling more run down than when you started travelling in the first place.
Taking a staycation in your town – but with the small splurge of staying somewhere new – cuts out all the travel drama and maximises the limited time you have to explore and relax. Staying somewhere near the Waterfront is the ideal base to explore the kind of attractions you’d never visit if you lived in or around Cape Town. Slip away to a state-of-the-art new hotel experience and try stand-up paddle boarding in the Waterfront’s pristine network of canals, learn first-hand history on a guided tour of Robben Island or take that hike up Table Mountain you’ve never done…
International travel – and even some local or regional travel – can be eye-wateringly expensive. A staycation cuts out the cost of visas and flights – and also removes the double-digit mental multiplication required before committing to something as simple as buying a cup of coffee in a different hemisphere.
Rather spend the money on experiences – shake up your surroundings with a hotel stay and commit your cash to expanding your local surroundings. Signature Lux Hotel by ONOMO Sandton is right in the heart of Africa’s richest square mile. Steps from Sandton City and Nelson Mandela Square, it’s also within easy walking distance of the Sandton Gautrain station, opening up the chance to explore the Johannesburg CBD or venture into Pretoria in minutes. Catch the City Sightseeing Red Bus from Rosebank Gautrain station and immerse yourself in the history of the reinvigorated Johannesburg CBD – or take a sho’t left to Soweto.
Support local brands
It’s easy to get hung up on designer brands and the ancient architecture of European destinations – but South Africa is also home to some of the continent’s biggest brands and incredible artisans.
ONOMO Hotel Durban is a flagship example of the brand’s ‘Africa’s Finest’ philosophy which celebrates the arts and culture of Durban. The hotel supports many local arts centres, which provide unemployed artists and craftsmen with economic upliftment opportunities through supporting their creative efforts. ONOMO Hotel Durban supports these art centres, sourcing many of the property’s décor elements from them. Explore the property and access these centres – there’s plenty of quality local art that can stand proudly alongside work from the rest of the world.
Connect with local history
The Cape Town CBD is home to some of the hottest restaurants, galleries, clubs, and experiences on the continent – but the historical significance of the Mother City shouldn’t be neglected either.
At over 260 million years old, Table Mountain is older than the Andes, the Alps, the Rocky Mountains, and the Himalayas. A network of canals dating back to the days of the Dutch East India Company runs below the streets of the city, directing fresh water down from the rivers and streams flowing from the mountain. The city is also home to the oldest churches and mosques in the country.
So go on, take some time to explore your surroundings. You will be all the more richer for it.
Article source: urban espresso.