There is no one way to choose accommodation online. Obviously your needs are going to influence your search โ if you’re single and on a budget then you’re after backpackers, and if you’re a family you’re probably after space and self-catering.
But the internet has raised the bar to such an extent that even if you’re trying to find a B&B in the remoteness of Pofadder, South Africa your anticipated hosts will have pulled out all the stops and at the very least advertised in an online guide like SA-Venues.com, where there are pictures, a detailed description and some idea of activities available in the area.
Here are a few pointers I use when searching for accommodation on the internet
BE SPECIFIC
Refining your search terms on Google will allow you to drill down and find what you’re looking for really fast. Typing something as vague as ‘accommodation South Africa’ is going to disappoint you. Accommodation is big business. As a result those companies who can afford it will have paid Google to appear at the top of page one for the search terms ‘accommodation’ and ‘South Africa’.
Others who feature will probably be hotel chains or accommodation portals, some of which you’ll want to look at. But the little guys (those in Pofadder), who may have a website but haven’t the time or the inclination to look into Google Adwords’ campaigns are not going to feature unless you go looking for them.
Room with a View at Bateleur Theresa in Camps Bay, Cape Town
START WITH THE BIG GUYS
Have a look at the bigger travel guide websites first. Venues have paid to feature on their websites, and they are more likely to have what you’re looking for. They’re also really easy to search โ usually by map or by area.
SKIM THE URLS
If you’ve exhausted the bigger accommodation portals and still haven’t found what you’re after, then do a finer search, for instance: ‘family friendly self-catering, Pofadder, Northern Cape‘. One can spend hours opening different sites only to find that they’re anything but accommodation (there are a lot of websites simply after ‘hits’ to their pages, and they set up bogus pages with town names only to refer you to the weather in Kakamas, rather than anywhere to stay in Pofadder). Skimming the URLs will give you a good idea as to a site’s authenticity.
Dining at the Entabeni Safari Conservancy in the Waterberg, Limpopo
SCAN THE PICTURES
Photographs are the most compelling way to assess if a place is right for you or not. It never fails to amaze me that some venues either don’t use more than one picture or they opt for the view. When looking at a venue, at the very least you want to be able to see a picture of each of the main bedrooms, to gauge the size of the beds, the comfort of the rooms and the style of the venue.
You also want to be able to see if there is a veranda or a swimming pool, see the lounge and kitchen and the garden, if there is one. Venues worth their salt will have added extra touches that will be fairly obvious from the photos.
ASK QUESTIONS
If you think that the double bed advertised looks a little small, the ask the venue how wide it actually is. If you are anxious about driving on dirt roads then find out what conditions the farmer’s roads are in before staying on a farm. Be logical and make sure you understand what your rate per night includes (things like wood or linen is sometimes not available or is charged out at extra).
Luxury Retreat at Emily Moon Country Lodge in Plettenberg Bay, Garden Route
LOOK FOR RECOMMENDATIONS
This is another good reason to use the internet to do a search for accommodation. The bigger hotel chains and even smaller venues will have been stayed in before by someone only too eager to share their opinions. Websites like tripadvisor are filled with reports and recommendations.
If that yields little, then do a search with a term like ‘name of establishment review recommendation’ to help you scour something up. You won’t always find something. Often you will need to trust your instincts.
Popular Pages to get you started:
- Hotels South Africa
- Accommodation in South Africa
- Accommodation in Cape Town
- Accommodation in Durban
- Accommodation in Johannesburg
- Accommodation in Drakensberg
WRITE A REVIEW
To help others make decisions online, write a review of the venue after the holiday.