DRAKENSBERG GARDENS GOLF & SPA RESORT – SOUTHERN DRAKENSBERG
Nestled in the heart of the Southern Drakensberg, on a scenic 350-hectare World Heritage Site, is the magnificent Drakensberg Gardens Golf & Spa Resort, one of KwaZulu-Natal’s premier destinations.
With breathtaking views of the mountains, the resort is a retreat for guests to relax and unwind. It is also an ideal location to host conferences and golf events and a fantastic holiday destination for the family.
Accommodation throughout the resort includes spacious and comfortable standard hotel rooms and superior suites.
Each room has a private bathroom, television, telephone, tea and coffee-making facilities and heaters. The superior suites also include underfloor heating.
Another option is the four-, five- and six-sleeper self-catering units. These fully equipped units are ideal for guests who wish to cater for their meals while also having the option to dine at any of the resort restaurants.
Drakensberg Gardens offers a long list of sport and recreational facilities, including the only 18-hole golf course in the southern Berg as well as tennis, bowls, squash, volleyball, badminton, fly-fishing, hiking, horse riding, canoeing, adventure golf, a kids’ entertainment room, a mini-zoo, snooker and table tennis. You can hire tennis racquets, board games, fishing rods and golfing apparel.
Drakensberg Gardens has a three-star rating by the Tourism Grading Council.
DUMAZULU LODGE & TRADITIONAL VILLAGE – HLUHLUWE
“Thundering Zulu”, the direct translation of DumaZulu, is an appropriate label for a place rich in African culture. Situated near Hluhluwe, DumaZulu offers an authentic African cultural experience, which includes Zulu, Swazi, North Sotho, Xhosa, Venda, Tsonga and Ndebele culture.
DumaZulu offers a natural and therapeutic outdoors environment for guests to reconnect with nature and replenish their senses.
The units all have en-suite bathrooms, air conditioning, telephones and tea and coffee-making facilities. Another option is self-catering, with a kitchenette neatly built within the unit allowing guests to choose between home cooking and dining at the lodge restaurant. There is also a swimming pool.
Discover the Zulu way of life at the cultural village and watch traditional dancing, taste traditional beer and listen to the drumbeat. Not only is DumaZulu an enriching experiencing for guests, but it also allows the local community to continue practising their traditional ways of living and earn money from selling curios.
An added attraction is the on-site reptile park, which offers the largest selection of snakes in northern Zululand, crocodiles and numerous other reptiles.
DumaZulu Lodge & Traditional Village holds a three-star rating by the Tourism Grading Council.
NATAL SPA HOT SPRINGS & LEISURE RESORT – PAULPIETERSBURG
Escape to a rejuvenating oasis at Natal Spa Hot Springs & Leisure Resort, situated on the road between Vryheid and Paulpietersburg on the Battlefields Route. Set on 800ha of KwaZulu-Natal bushveld, the resort has access to about 4km of the Bivane River flowing through the property. Discovered in 1880, the hot pools – at a source temperature of 37°C – provide a constant supply of beneficial waters for guests and are well known for their antioxidant properties.
Claims made by Alkaline Springs, in Europe, are that South African medicinal springs are superior in mineral content, temperature and other essential elements.
Although the main attraction at the resort is the hot pools, other attractions include the 110m-long super tube, quad bike trails, squash, tennis, hiking, birding trails, mountain bike trails and fishing.
All rooms include tea and coffee-making facilities and TV offering 11 Hotel Bouquet DStv channels.
Set among giant Cambrian granite boulders that are millions of years old, the resort is also an idyllic setting for wedding receptions and conferences. Three well-equipped conference rooms, which can accommodate between 10 and 120 delegates, are available.
The Wellness Centre & Beauty Spa are also popular and offer guests revitalising and pampering massages and treatments.
Natal Spa Hot Springs & Leisure Resort has a three-star rating by the Tourism Grading Council.
BUSHLANDS GAME LODGE – HLUHLUWE
For an unforgettable African bush experience and to see zebra, warthog, giraffe, nyala and impala and enjoy abundant birdlife, unwind at Bushlands.
The lodge, designed to blend into the environment, is set in 122ha of bush and game area, and is the ideal base from which to seek out the big five and explore Umfolozi, Hluhluwe, Mkuze, Ndumo, Sodwana Bay and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
The accommodation is in air-conditioned wooden chalets built on stilts and connected by raised wooden walkways to the main dining room, bar, swimming pool and boma. All rooms have private bathrooms with showers, fans, telephones, tea and coffee-making facilities etc. Self-catering units are also available and include braai facilities.
The boma provides the perfect meeting place for guests to enjoy drinks around the fire before dinner or to simply unwind at the end of a day. The resident chef specialises in mouth-watering game dishes. Meals can be enjoyed in the main dining room or, weather permitting, at the boma or on the swimming pool deck.
l To find out more about these resorts, visit www.gooderson.co.za or call 031 368 5353 - Sunday Tribune