External Review's Review of Umngazi Hotel And Spa

TRIPADVISOR - Davidbignose - 25 Jan 2020 - - - A great property opposite what I believe is the cleanest beach I have ever found....I was looking for a few days away before a working trip along the garden route. Having flown from the the UK to Durban I was recommended the Umngazi by the owner of Rissington Inn in Hazyview. Being a retired small hotel owner, I am demanding but this place delivered and met my expectations. The place has a non corporate feel and offers a great level of accommodation, service and style which many corporate places could learn from. I hired one of the adults only villas and the place was clean, quiet and spacious. Even the monkey who stole a pear from my room liked it! Overall the three meals a day package of food was good, but they need to learn to make a decent tempura batter as what I was served seemed like the fish batter from lunch. That aside the standard of food and diversity was good and the staff attentive to ones needs. I walked along the beach opposite the hotel several times for a few hours accompanied by a wee stray dog who was a talker. A delightful little fellow who I hope the hotel has now adopted? The beach was simply so clean (I only picked up 3 stray bottles in four days) and there was no litter and I mean no litter. Even in the Galapagos I found litter......The hotel also offers a free drink for a bucket of collected litter. Joyously I could not achieve this as there was so little! It was lovely to stay in a place that has been around for decades, that a corporate hotel failed to make a go of (Protea) and then in 1997 a local bought the place and has been remodelling since then. So if you want a family vacation stay in the river facing lower units and if you want an adults only stay stay higher. The views higher are better and you are near the great spa who gave me an excellent massage. - - - (http://bit.ly/30UEbXM)