The Dolphin Coast of Umhlanga Rocks & Ballito lies north of Durban - away from the city bustle and yet easily within reach of its attractions such as the Indian spice markets, botanical gardens or uShaka Waterfront.
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The Dolphin Coast hotels are situated in the resort towns of Umhlanga Rocks, Ballito & Salt Rock to north of Durban. So they are away from the city bustle. Yet easily within reach of its attractions such as the Indian spice markets, Botanical Gardens or uShaka Waterfront. So the Dolphin Coast makes for the perfect springboard to explore the rest of KwaZulu Natal. Or as a place to come back to, to relax at the end of your holiday.
Durban is a vibrant city and major harbour overlooking a sublime stretch of the Indian Ocean. An exotic mix of people from Africa, India and Europe has shaped the history and culture of Durban and the surrounding beach resorts. This results in its distinctive cuisine and cultural diversity. Visit the lush botanical gardens and enticing Indian spice markets. Or enjoy the BAT centre or the Natal shark centre. Whilst families can enjoy the uShaka Waterfront which offers a world class oceanarium, water park, restaurants and boutiques.
But most of our clients choose to stay in one of the Dolphin Coast hotels or resorts north of Durban. The Dolphin coast stretches some 70km and includes the attractive seaside resort towns of Ballito, Salt Rock and Umhlanga Rocks. Here you can swim, relax on the beach and dine on seafood at beachfront restaurants. Plus the waters of the Indian Ocean are warm all year round.
Everywhere, the traditional arts and crafts of the Zulu people are available to buy, especially their stunning beadwork. Zulu beadwork has its own unique language with every colour having a specific meaning.
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What a fantastic property Fordoun is! I have to confess that before my visit I had assumed that Fordoun was just a lovely relaxing country house hotel with a great spa. Nothing wrong with that, and these places are wonderful at the start or end of a holiday. But in fact there is so much more to do there...
Fordoun Hotel & Spa is a family-owned and run property in the heart of a dairy farm so you get a good slice of rural life in South Africa. However they have taken the whole Spa concept one step further by introducing African healing concepts. Fordoun works very closely with Dr Elliot Ndlovu, a herbalist and ethno-botanist, who is a traditional African Healer. You can visit Elliot’s garden where there are over 120 different species of healing plants. Fordoun Spa also has two African therapy rooms and Elliot’s consulting room, all built and designed in Zulu style. Under his guidance, a signature range of products has been created from indigenous traditional healing plants and apparently they really work for conditions like eczema and asthma etc.
Outside you can be as active or as chilled as you like. As well as their wellness centre, you can enjoy gentle walks around the farm, ambles around the herb garden of Dr Ndlovu, or mountain biking through the estate. Fordoun Hotel has set up a Crane Foundation to protect the endangered African Blue Crane and this makes for a fascinating visit. They are also happy to take you to the local school which they support which is an authentic and positive experience. If you are keen on fishing, they offer fly-fishing on their lakes complete with tackle provided.
Fordoun Hotel has three types of rooms ranging from supremely comfortable to positively decadent. The newest suites have stunning vistas over the nearby Drakensberg mountains. Though the hotel is not in the mountains, it is an easy hour’s drive to Giants Castle from Fordoun so this can be your base for exploring.
Overall I think Fordoun would be perfect at the beginning or end of your holiday as it is supremely relaxing (with things to do for the chronic over-achievers amongst us). I also think that the fascinating mix of African and western wellness influences & healing is so interesting.
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