Step 1: Find a week that suits you
Browse MangoGroove's resort catalogue by province, region, or amenity. Each resort page shows its current status — if a resort is "Accepting Waitlist", the resort is verified and real but owner weeks aren't live yet. Join the waitlist and you'll receive an email notification the moment verified weeks are listed.
When weeks are available, the listing will show the unit type (studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom), the specific week number, the check-in and check-out dates, and the total rental price.
Step 2: Submit a booking request
Once you've found a week you want, you submit a booking request through MangoGroove. This is not yet a confirmed booking — it's a request that the owner reviews. You'll be asked to create an account (if you haven't already) and provide basic identity information for verification.
Owners typically respond within 24 to 48 hours. Most accept the first qualified request that comes through.
Step 3: Payment into escrow
Once the owner accepts your request, you proceed to payment. MangoGroove holds the full rental amount in a secure escrow account — it does not go to the owner until after you've checked in. This is the core protection mechanism for renters: you are never paying into a private bank account with no safeguard.
Payment is processed through Peach Payments, South Africa's leading payment gateway, with standard card and EFT options.
Step 4: Receive your booking certificate
Once payment clears, MangoGroove issues a booking certificate — a formal document that confirms your name, the resort, the unit, and the dates. The resort receives notification of your arrival separately. The certificate is what you present at check-in; it serves the same function as a hotel confirmation but is more detailed, as it also records the legal basis of the booking.
Keep the certificate on your phone. Resort front desks are familiar with this document type.
Step 5: Check in like a normal guest
Arrive at the resort on your check-in date and present your certificate and identity document at reception. You're checked in as an authorised occupant of the owner's unit — no different, from the resort's perspective, than a guest the owner invited directly.
What you won't have: the owner's loyalty points, any credits tied to the owner's membership number, or access to owner-exclusive facilities at some resorts. What you will have: full access to all standard resort amenities — pools, restaurants, activities, and anything else listed on the resort's general guest programme.
What happens if something goes wrong
MangoGroove maintains an escrow hold through check-in. If a genuine fault lies with the listing — the unit isn't as described, the dates were misrepresented, or the resort denies entry due to an owner-side issue — the escrow allows for a structured refund process. You won't be left having paid with no recourse.
Most bookings are entirely routine. The process described above covers hundreds of SA resort stays every year. The escrow and certificate structure exists as a safety net, not because problems are common — but because they're worth protecting against when they do occur.
