There can be few better mind-eye pictures of heavenly relaxation than the thought of stepping out of a chalet directly on to a golden beach and strolling for just a few metres towards rolling waves.
And that’s exactly what you can expect at the popular Happy Wanderers resort which, celebrating its 50th anniversary next year, rests on 500m of unspoiled private beach in Kelso, an easy 65km drive south of Durban.
Established in 1964, primarily as a caravan park which by the ’70s had introduced 22 modest chalets, the resort has undergone extensive refurbishment in recent years and, having introduced four two-level accommodation blocks between 2005 and 2007, now offers 44 beach-facing, self-catering chalets, in addition to 100 caravan/camping sites.
Richard and Jenny Osborne, who also own White Mountain Lodge in the Drakensberg, bought Happy Wanderers from Richard’s family in 2000, after he had first started managing it in the late ’70s.
It hasn’t been an easy ride for Happy Wanderers, however, as Jenny explained during a recent weekend stayover with family.
The resort was badly hit by the devastating flooding of the South Coast from June to August in 2007, Jenny recalls, pointing out that the 25m pool on the property broke into three pieces.
A huge crack snapped through the campsite ablution block, while the resort manager’s house was washed away and the sea clawed 2m under the foundations of the four sea-facing chalet blocks, the last of which had been completed and refurbished a mere two-and-a-half weeks before the waves came crashing in.
In addition, the resort lost much of its restaurant and deck, its games room, some vegetation and large areas of concreted space, and almost lost the first of two blocks of chalets.
Rebuilding took place from September 2007, starting with 720 porous bags of sand, each five tons in weight, being stacked in parallel formation in front of the chalets and also alongside the rebuilt restaurant, pub and games room.
“They were extremely expensive and difficult to lay, but it was the only way we were able to save our buildings,” says Jenny, adding that by the time the resort reopened on December 7, 2007, it had also acquired four new, smaller pools and trampolines. In the last two years new, modern ablution blocks were introduced.
Noted for its expanse of unspoilt beach and its regular beach bonfires on Saturday nights, Happy Wanderers has made a name for itself for boasting one of the most novel and fun bars on the East Coast.
It features a 10m wooden boat, The Heron, which, built in 1957 in Knysna, sat moored at Durban’s Bluff Yacht Club before its blue paint was stripped to reveal 5.7 tons of rare Burmese teak, a copper keel, brass and copper nails and bolts, and a phosferro bronze rudder and propeller.
The Osbornes bought the barnacle-covered vessel, originally an SAR & H ferry boat carrying workers to and from a coal terminal, as a restaurant/pub showpiece.
Restored to former glory, she was placed at the front of the restaurant, facing the sea, and the venue was named The Wrecked Heron Ladies’ Bar and Restaurant.
As a result of the 2007 floods the vessel’s roof caved in and its bow was projected high above the sand. The foundations in the pub were no more but The Heron, which had been firmly entrenched in concrete, was saved.
Excavators lifted her and the boat, now a pub counter, facing slightly inward at the restaurant, has been rechristened The Resu-Wrecked Heron Ladies’ Bar and Restaurant. It’s a very popular draw on Saturday nights, when there is live music on offer at no charge.
Happy Wanderers’ chalets offer bachelor, one-bedroom, three-bedroom and four-bedroom accommodation. No television sets are in the rooms, although TV points are available should one wish to take a telly.
The largest of the comfy family units – the four-bedroom units – offer TV points, deep freeze, two private balconies (one covered, one open), braai facilities, fridge and stove and microwave. Linen is supplied (except for swimming towels and dishcloths) .
For pricing structures, booking procedures or any further information contact the resort at039 975 1104, fax 039 975 1467 or send an e-mail to [email protected] - The Independent on Saturday