Titan Travel
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Contrasts of the Cape
We had a few ups and downs with Titan Travel when booking this holiday, although this is our 3rd trip with them. Our original dates were cancelled so we were offered refund or another holiday, so we booked this Cape Town holiday. We then had problems with internal flights to Heathrow so I was forced to take to Trust Pilot before it was resolved, not a great idea to have to complain in such a public forum, but it was the only way to get traction. The tour itself was full on, and the tour guide, Jill, was absolutely fantastic and very organised and knowledgeable about the tour. Nothing phased her. Indeed, she went above and beyond, especially making sure restaurants were prepared to deal with my gluten intolerance. Our driver, Nolan, was also brilliant but just a shame that his company reassigned him with only one day to go, which was bad form in my opinion. We had a small tour group (24) which was a perfect size, as we all got on well together, which was so important when there were so many meals together that were included on this trip. There was much hilarity and general banter. Most of the hotels were absolutely brilliant, but the one in Oudsthoorn (Queens Hotel) was shockingly bad. Fortunately it was only for one night. I could have cried when we got to our room and I just had to get out as (in my opinion) it was very grubby, with shelves at odd angles that were unusable, no toilet paper, the wardrobe was minging, windows didn’t open properly, stains on the ceiling, grubby carpet - do I need to go on, but ours was mild compared to a fellow traveller who had stains and black mould on the ceiling. However, the highlight of the trip was definitely the safari at Kariega Game Reserve. Max, our guide, went out of his way to ensure we got maximum benefit on the 4 game drives. It being May it was chilly, but we had gloves, scarves and hats, which were a godsend. Not all our fellow travellers found it easy to climb in and out of the safari vehicles so make sure you know what to expect. Brendan, the restaurant manager, was incredibly helpful with my gluten intolerance, even arranging for the chef to make gluten free bread and muffins. The holiday was full on, and there was quite a bit of time travelling on the coach, but this gave us time to relax and catch up with sleep after some early starts. I know we have probably heard all the stories of safety in South Africa, but I was not quite prepared for how bad. We were constantly told not to wear jewellery or carry bags and beggars were very aggressive. I never really felt safe out and about, except in Kariega Game Reserve and Franschoekk. Franschoekk was a beautiful little town and very safe. You have to ask If one town can get it so right, why can’t the rest of S Africa; it’s a basket case in my opinion and I won’t be back, but that’s not Titans fault.