Smart Way to Do April: Build Your Holiday Around Your Leave

You have exactly 96 hours between clocking out on Thursday, 2 April, and your alarm going off on Tuesday, 7 April. How you spend them is the difference between merely surviving the next quarter and actually enjoying it.

By the time April rolls around, the “New Year, New Me” energy has well and truly worn off. We’re tired. We need a break. But the reality is that the traditional April Easter long weekend often means needing a holiday just to recover from your holiday.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Here is the smart, stress-free way to hack your April leave with BON Hotels.

The “Zero-Travel” Nightcation

Best for: The exhausted family who just needs a breather (without the packing anxiety).

If the thought of packing the boot to the roof fills you with dread, then don’t do it. For many of us, the smartest travel hack right now is the “Nightcation,” a holiday that starts less than a few minutes from your front door.

For example, swap your living room for the Majorca Apartments by BON Hotels in Century City, Cape Town. You get the privacy and convenience of a self-catering apartment (a lifesaver for families), but the spoils of a resort. While the kids burn off energy in the indoor  pool , you can decompress on a balcony overlooking the picturesque waterways.

Grab 5 nights at Majorca Apartments by BON Hotels and only pay for 4! Available until 7 April 2026

For our KwaZulu-Natal locals wanting that holiday feeling without the N3 traffic, the Riverside Hotel in Durban is the ultimate staycation hack. Set high on the banks of the Umgeni River, it feels like a secluded resort, yet you are just minutes from the city’s best attractions.

Make the most of the Riverside Hotel’s March Staycation deal – book before 31 March 2026 to lock in your room from just R1200 per night, or throw in breakfast from just R1400 per night. Direct bookings via reservations@bonhotels.com  

Then there’s the Royal Palm Hotel in Umhlanga. Ditch the daily routine for a luxury apartment suite (or treat yourself to a penthouse!) right on Palm Boulevard. With the Gateway Theatre of Shopping directly across the road and the Umhlanga beachfront just minutes away, you get high-end retail therapy and ocean breezes without leaving the city limits.

Remember, you don’t need a passport to escape your life; you just need 24 hours in a different postcode.

The “One-Tank Wonder” Long Weekend

Best for: A step up for budget-conscious travellers who want maximum destination time and minimum transit time.

Want to feel a million miles away without watching your fuel gauge plummet? The secret is the 90-minute rule – find somewhere spectacular that only requires one tank of petrol.

BON Hotel Rustenburg is the ultimate hack for those in Gauteng. Set in peaceful gardens just an hour and a half from Johannesburg, you bypass the exhausting multi-hour treks to the Lowveld. You still get the “bush feel” with wildlife like zebra and antelope roaming right outside your window, but you get to keep Monday entirely for yourself instead of spending hours on the highway.

Grab 3 nights at BON Hotel Rustenburg and only pay for 2! Available from 3 – 6 April 2026

• BON’s top tip: Because you aren’t spending thousands on cross-country fuel, you can redirect that budget into the hotel restaurant or a local experience.  A long, lazy buffet dinner feels like a massive luxury when you haven’t spent the day fighting for your life in traffic!

The Stitched-Together Road Trip

Best for: The explorer who is driving to the coast but refuses to do it in one exhausting go.

Are you doing the great South African trek this April? Stop treating the N1 like a marathon. The smartest travellers stitch their journey together, turning the drive itself into the holiday.

Break the back of the journey with a night at BON Hotel Bloemfontein Central. Conveniently located, you can pull in, grab a plate at their famous buffet dinner, get a brilliant night’s sleep in a spacious room, and hit the road the next morning feeling fresh.

Grab 3 nights at BON Hotel Bloemfontein Central and only pay for 2! Available until 3 May 2026

Then, instead of rushing straight to the crowded coastline, take a detour into the Klein Karoo and spend your weekend at the historic Queen’s Hotel by BON Hotels in Oudtshoorn. It’s an oasis of old-world elegance as South Africa’s third-oldest hotel. You trade coastal crowds for ostrich-capital quirks and a genuinely special family adventure.

• BON’s top tip: If you’re flying into Bloemfontein to start a road trip, use the complimentary shuttle service at BON Hotel Bloemfontein Central to get from the airport to the hotel. It’s one less logistical headache to worry about!

Heading across the border to Eswatini or Mozambique this April? Don’t let “border fatigue” ruin day one of your holiday. Instead of a gruelling 8-to-10-hour drive, use BON Hotel Empangeni as your strategic stopover.

Located perfectly halfway between Durban and Eswatini, it’s the ideal basecamp. Spend a day exploring the Zululand surroundings (like the nearby Dlinza Forest Aerial Boardwalk or the beaches of Richards Bay), enjoy a tasty dinner at the in-house restaurant, and hit the border post early the next morning feeling completely refreshed.

Grab your early-bird rate – book your stay at BON Hotel Empangeni before 31 March 2026!

Lock in your leave!

Make your leave work for you – rather than spend it, invest it. April 3rd is closer than you think, and the smart travellers are already booking. Which traveller will you be this April?