Seaside luxury and timeless charm at The Oyster Box Hotel

The Oyster Field Resort Assessment

Perched on the sun-kissed golden shores of Umhlanga, below the gaze of the enduring red-and-white lighthouse, The Oyster Field exudes timeless appeal and laid-back luxurious. A hotspot for the elite for the reason that Fifties, this legendary resort has developed right into a paragon of recent indulgence whereas preserving the magic of yesteryear.

Over the a long time, the resort has hosted numerous celebrities, dignitaries, and travellers from world wide. Earlier notable company embody Princess Charlene and Prince Albert II of Monaco (who held their wedding ceremony reception there), Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Invoice Gates, Justin Bieber, and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan.

I’d usually walked previous the resort on the seashore promenade beneath and puzzled what it could be like to remain there. I acquired to fulfil this want on my latest go to to the KwaZulu-Natal coast.

A quick historical past

The story of The Oyster Field Resort started in 1863 when the unique cottage, referred to as The Oyster Lodge, was constructed on the Umhlanga shoreline, serving as a navigational beacon for passing ships. Nearly a century later, it was reworked right into a tea backyard and restaurant by the brand new homeowners. In 1954, it formally opened as The Oyster Field Resort, shortly gaining a fame for its distinctive hospitality and prime location beside the Umhlanga Lighthouse, which was additionally accomplished in the identical 12 months.

In 2006, the resort was bought to the family-run Purple Carnation Resort Assortment in a run-down situation. The homeowners, Bea and the late Stanley Tollman had been on their first dinner date on the resort in 1952, when Stanley had instructed Bea that he would buy the resort sometime. Greater than 50 years later, this dream got here true.

Following intensive refurbishments, the five-star resort reopened in 2009, cementing its fame as certainly one of South Africa’s finest resorts. Cautious consideration was given to preserving a lot of its unique options, just like the black and white checkered terrazzo flooring, the classic revolving door on the entrance, the sweeping spiral staircase and the inlaid hand-painted tiles.

View from the resort

Staying at The Oyster Field Resort

We stepped onto the purple carpet and have been warmly welcomed by doormen attired in colonial-style livery, into the elegant entrance halls, which in flip led to the pool deck with its beautiful Indian Ocean vistas. Just a little woman wandered previous us in search of Skabenga, the resort’s beloved resident cat, and a social media celeb in his personal proper. In contrast to many different posh resorts, it felt heat and welcoming. After a calming drink, a pleasant porter confirmed us to our room.

En route, we took in our beautiful environment the place the luxurious indoor greenery added a refreshing ambiance. Globally curated collectors’ items transported us world wide whereas vibrant work by native artists reminded us that we have been in South Africa.

Sea Going through Suite

The resort has 86 luxurious, individually embellished rooms, suites and villas, together with a powerful Presidential Suite. Our household stayed in two interleading marine-themed sea-facing rooms, which opened onto balconies. Falling asleep to the sound of the waves and waking as much as the ocean views was pure bliss, and I liked sitting on the balcony whereas sipping my espresso from the in-room espresso machine. Dolphins and whales are sometimes noticed from there!

The rooms featured beautiful linens, Nespresso machines, minibars and heated towel rails. Each summer season and winter bathrobes in addition to cozy slippers have been offered. Decadent chocolate desserts topped with gold leaf awaited us upon arrival, to my son’s delight, and he wasted no time in sampling them. Within the evenings, hotel-branded nougats and candies have been left on our pillows at turndown.

Meals at The Oyster Field

Breakfast Buffet at The Oyster Field

Meals at The Oyster Field is a feast for the senses and the physique, and al-fresco meals at The Ocean Terrace are served with a facet of ocean views. The lavish breakfast unfold features a cold and hot buffet, a pancake and waffle station with myriad toppings, beetroot-cured salmon and freshly harvested oysters from the resort’s personal oyster beds.

Excessive tea on the resort is an establishment with locals pouring in each day, dressed of their most interesting. It’s served within the Palm Courtroom to the tunes of the Grand Piano, below crystal chandeliers which as soon as hung within the Savoy Resort in England. The beneficiant unfold consists of candy and savoury delicacies, together with sushi and native favourites like samoosas and chilli bites.

Excessive Tea on the Palm Courtroom

On the subject of eating choices, the Ocean Terrace is famend for its contemporary seafood and curry buffets that are immensely well-liked with each resort company and locals. We loved sushi starters with grilled prawns, salmon and kingklip, and ended with Bea’s Well-known Baked Cheesecake, Viennese Sacher Torte and Triple Chocolate Mousse. The Grill Room presents a fantastic eating expertise. Particular dietary necessities might be catered for by prior request.

Kids and fur-babies at The Oyster Field

Skabenga

Kids are welcome at The Oyster Field with varied room configurations accessible, and they’re given reward packs and complimentary treats throughout their keep, like milkshakes, ice cream, and toffee apples. Little one-friendly menu choices can be found within the eating places, and youngsters are additionally given entry to the supervised Vacation Membership. 

Company can convey well-behaved pets, who’re accommodated in appropriate rooms with pet beds and pet menus. We loved Skabenga’s firm as a substitute.

Actions at The Oyster Field

The Clock Library

Regardless that the pool deck with its cheerful purple and white candy-striped theme complementing the lighthouse is so inviting, there’s a lot extra to do on the resort.

The resort’s award-winning spa is ready in sub-tropical gardens with koi ponds and boasts a conventional Center Japanese hammam and sensation bathe. The well-equipped health centre and well being bar may also be discovered there.

The Clock Library is a pleasant spot to immerse your self in an excellent ebook, providing picturesque views of the lighthouse and the ocean alongside a formidable assortment of uncommon vintage clocks and first version books. We remorse not spending extra time there.

The personal 24-seater cinema has day by day screenings and comes with complimentary popcorn and a sweet trolley. We had the cinema all to ourselves, so we acquired to decide on our personal film too.

The personal cinema

The resort’s direct entry to the Umhlanga beachfront with its placing Whalebone Pier, lends itself to ample seashore time.  Nature reserves and buying centres might be discovered inside strolling distance and different Durban points of interest are additionally simply accessible.

There are a lot of methods to expertise The Oyster Field resort with out staying in a single day, however then one wouldn’t be capable of uncover the hidden pearls on this oyster.

As I used to be leaving with my laptop computer bag in hand, an obliging workers member took it from me, commenting that I shouldn’t carry something as a result of I deserved to be handled like a queen. And that summed up how The Oyster Field made us really feel – like royalty.

For extra info, go to The Oyster Field or ebook right here. 

See a recap of our keep:

Sara Essop is a journey blogger and author based mostly in South Africa. She writes about household journey and experiences world wide. Though she has been to 50 international locations so far, she particularly loves showcasing her lovely nation and is a licensed South Africa Specialist.