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South Africa: Free accommodation with Marriott Bonvoy points

To the point South Africa is a destination that makes many travellers dream! Whether it's a destination in its own right or a stop on a mini-RTW, it's possible to save a lot of money with points to stay almost free on-site!

Travel Hacking: Free accommodation with Marriott Bonvoy points in South Africa

Travel hackers know this well: points can save a lot of money on accommodations. Whether in Marriott hotels, Best Western or even via Airbnb!

Let’s discover together how Marriott Bonvoy points can save you a lot of money for your trip to South Africa!

The Marriott Bonvoy credit card

One credit card in Canada earns 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points: the Marriott Bonvoyᵐᶜ American ExpressMD card. This card has an annual fee of $120, which is largely offset by the value of the points as you will see below.

If you are in a relationship, the best tip is to apply for each one of these cards to get the welcome bonus, and then transfer the points to the same account! A way to get more free nights on your trip to South Africa!

Marriott Bonvoy in South Africa

South Africa is a country in the world that contains many low-cost hotels in the Marriott Bonvoy program.

This means that at most South African Marriott Bonvoy hotels, you’ll only pay from 5,000 and 15,000 points per night to stay!

And if you’re staying longer at the same hotel, remember that the fifth night is free: you are thus saving 20% of your points.

  • 5 nights in some hotels in low season = 20 000 points instead of 25 000!

The list of Marriott Bonvoy hotels in South Africa

Here is a list of all Marriott Bonvoy hotels located in South Africa.

Region City Hotel From
Centre Bloemfontein 7,500
Centre Bloemfontein 7,500
Centre Kimberley 7,500
Northeast Hazyview 7,500
Northeast Johannesburg 7,500
Northeast Johannesburg 7,500
Northeast Johannesburg 7,500
Northeast Johannesburg 7,500
Northeast Johannesburg 7,500
Northeast Johannesburg 12,500
Northeast Johannesburg 12,500
Northeast Johannesburg 35,000
Northeast Klerksdorp 7,500
Northeast Magaliesburg 12,500
Northeast Mahikeng 7,500
Northeast Johannesburg 7,500
Northeast Nelspruit 7,500
Northeast Polokwane 7,500
Northeast Polokwane 7,500
Northeast Pretoria 7,500
Northeast Pretoria 7,500
Northeast Pretoria 7,500
Northeast Pretoria 12,500
Northeast Pretoria 12,500
Northeast Pretoria 12,500
Northeast Roodepoort 7,500
Northeast Rustenburg 7,500
Northeast Skukuza 12,500
Northwest Upington 7,500
South Port Elizabeth 7,500
Southeast Clarens 7,500
Southeast Durban 7,500
Southeast Durban 7,500
Southeast Durban 7,500
Southeast Empangeni 7,500
Southeast Harrismith 7,500
Southeast Karridene 7,500
Southeast Pietermaritzburg 7,500
Southeast Richards Bay 7,500
Southeast Richards Bay 7,500
Southwest Cape Town 7,500
Southwest Cape Town 7,500
Southwest Cape Town 7,500
Southwest Cape Town 12,500
Southwest Cape Town 12,500
Southwest Cape Town 12,500
Southwest Cape Town 12,500
Southwest Cape Town 17,500
Southwest Cape Town 17,500
Southwest Cape Town 17,500
Southwest Cape Town 25,000
Southwest Cape Town 25,000
Southwest Cape Town 25,000
Southwest Cape Town 35,000
Southwest George 7,500
Southwest George 7,500
Southwest Cape Town 17,500
Southwest Knysna 12,500
Southwest Mossel Bay 7,500
Southwest Oudtshoorn 7,500
Southwest Saldanha 7,500
Southwest Stellenbosch 12,500
Southwest Worcester 7,500

 

Don’t hesitate to check out the Marriott Bonvoy hotel map, created by milesopedia! I advise you to open it in a new window (clicking on the top right corner).

You can filter the map and search by country.

I advise you to zoom directly into a specific area to facilitate your search!

 

 

We drew on this article by Rachel of “Découverte Monde” to subdivide the country according to points of interest.

Thus, there are many hotels in all tourist regions of South Africa!

Examples of Marriott Bonvoy hotels in the Southeast

The Southeast is the region of the city of Durban with these places of interest:

  • Durban
  • The Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve
  • Cape Vidal
  • Sodwana Bay
  • Greater Santa Lucia Reserve
  • Drakensberg Park
  • Le Lesotho

 

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Regarding Marriott hotels, our choice would be the Protea Hotel Durban Edward.

 

protea durban edward

 

This one is right in the heart of Durban and costs only from 5,000 to 10,000 points per night (instead of CA$159 plus taxes!).

 

durban marriott 1

 

You could use it as a base to visit the area! A 5-night stay at this hotel would only cost you 30,000 Marriott Bonvoy points(with the fifth night free) instead of more than CA$800!

 

Examples of Marriott Bonvoy hotels in the Southwest

The Southwest is the region of the city of Cape Town, which would deserve a good ten days of visit including:

  • The Cape of Good Hope
  • Table Mountain
  • Gansbaai/Shark Alley

 

cape town 2575437 1920

 

At Marriott hotels, there are more than fifteen in the area! Our choice would be the Protea Hotel Cape Town Mowbray, which looks quite “charming” and is very well-rated!

 

protea mowbray

 

This one is next to the Liesbeek Parkway in Cape Town and costs only from 5,000 to 10,000 points per night (up from CA$104 plus taxes!).

 

marriott cape town

 

You could use it as a base to visit the area! A 5-night stay at this hotel would cost you only 20,000 to 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy points(with the fifth night free) instead of more than CA$550!

Examples of Marriott Bonvoy hotels in the center

In the center of South Africa, we discover:

  • Kimberley
  • Karoo Park
  • Graaf-Reinet
  • The Valley of Desolation
  • The River Orange
  • The Kalahari Desert

 

little karoo 4019221 1920

 

As far as Marriott hotels are concerned, only one is available in the area: the Protea Hotel Kimberley.

 

protea kimberley

 

It costs only 5,000 to 10,000 points per night (up from CA$137 plus taxes!).

 

marriott kimberley

 

You could use it as a base to visit the area! A 5-night stay at this hotel would cost you only 20,000 to 40,000 Marriott Bonvoy points(with the fifth night free) instead of more than CA$750!

 

Examples of Marriott Bonvoy hotels in the Northeast

The Northeast is the region of the economic capital, Johannesburg. In this region we discover:

  • Johannesburg
  • Sun City
  • Pilanesberg Reserve
  • Blyde River Canyon
  • Le Kruger Park

At Marriott hotels, there are nearly twenty in the area!

Here are our two choices. In Johannesburg, we would go with the African Pride Melrose Arch, Autograph Collection.

 

african pride melrose arch autograph collection

It costs only 10,000 to 15,000 points per night (up from CA$277 plus taxes!).

 

african pride melrose arch 1

 

There are also many hotels. But if you want to have a “little splurge”, this hotel looks wonderful…

elephant 2668246 1920

 

Before your safari at Kruger Park, you could stay at the Protea Hotel Kruger Gate. It is located at the entrance to the park.

 

protea kruger

 

It costs only from 10,000 to 15,000 points per night (up from CA$212 plus taxes!).

 

Kruger Marriott 1

 

How to get Marriott Bonvoy points

In Canada, there are 2 Marriott Bonvoy credit cards issued by American Express that get you quickly and directly earn many Marriott Bonvoy points:

If you have already had one of these cards, we advise you to apply for the other to benefit from the welcome bonus!

And if you’re in a relationship, and you each subscribe to their cards, we’re talking about more than 200,000 points (you can transfer 100,000 points a year from one Marriott Bonvoy account to another!).

By transferring American Express membership rewards

You can also transfer American Express membership rewards to Marriott Bonvoy at a rate of 5:6.

A great way to add to a points balance with the Cobaltᵐᶜ American Express Card, for example!

Bottom line

The savvy travel hacker knows this: by “investing” $120-$150 in a credit card contribution, he can increase the value of this investment tenfold thanks to the power of points!

In South Africa, pay all your nights easily – up to 10 nights of free hotels with a single card– thanks to the points!

Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
4.3 Milesopedia Rating
Jean-Maximilien Voisine
Jean-Maximilien is an expert in Canada and France about Loyalty programs, Credit cards and Travel. He is the Founding President of Milesopedia.

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