- What is SAVG?
- SAVG — the South African Vacation Guide, or Suid-Afrikaanse Vakansie Gids — is a South African holiday-letting marketplace. Owners list their houses, cottages, flats and lodges; guests search by town and dates and book directly. The initials read the same in English and Afrikaans, which is why we chose them.
- How do I book?
- Find a place, choose your dates and number of guests, and you will see the full price before you commit — nightly rate, cleaning fee and any extra-guest charge, with no fees added at the last step. Pay the deposit through PayFast and your dates are held immediately.
- Do I pay the whole amount up front?
- Usually not. Most listings take a deposit (commonly 50%) to secure the dates, with the balance due closer to check-in — normally 30 days before. We email you a payment link when the balance falls due. If you book inside that window, the full amount is charged at once.
- Is the calendar accurate?
- Yes. The availability you see is the owner's live calendar, and dates are held the moment you start paying so nobody else can take them while you are at the payment page. Many owners also link their Airbnb or Booking.com calendars so everything stays in step.
- What if I need to cancel?
- Each listing shows its cancellation policy — flexible, standard or strict — on the listing page and again before you pay. Refunds follow that policy. If something has gone wrong with a stay, email bookings@savg.co.za and a person will read it.
- Are the listings checked?
- Every listing is read by someone at SAVG before it goes live: photos, description, address and rates. We are not able to inspect every property in person, so if anything is not as described please tell us — it affects whether that listing stays on the site.
- How much does it cost to list my place?
- Nothing. Listing is free and stays free. SAVG earns a commission on the accommodation portion of a confirmed booking, which is deducted from your payout — so we only earn when you do. The cleaning fee is yours in full; we do not take a share of it.
- When do owners get paid?
- A booking becomes payable a couple of days after the guest checks out, once the stay has actually happened. Payouts are made by EFT to the account on your owner profile, and every payout comes with a statement showing each booking, the commission and the net amount.
- Which parts of South Africa are covered?
- All nine provinces. The site knows about 4,000-odd South African towns, from Cape Town to Kosi Bay — and if yours is somehow missing, you can add it while creating your listing.
Still stuck?
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