Oyster Box Hotel

I’d written a review in March 24 when we had 3 nights there following a safari. It was so good (see my review) so we had 10 nights there and everyone remembered us from a year ago! Such great staff there are 3 men all called Sandile and they are...

I’d written a review in March 24 when we had 3 nights there following a safari. It was so good (see my review) so we had 10 nights there and everyone remembered us from a year ago! Such great staff there are 3 men all called Sandile and they are all excellent! Richard who’s been there forever is the hub of the hotel and greets everyone every day. The welcome on arrival is so special and William and Lucas shine every day. The senior team are discreet but incredibly attentive with Wesley and Callum ensuring your food experiences are world class. I could go on and the theme is the same it’s like a home away from home. This is our new winter destination!

By Henry Bantjez If you wanted to once and for all claim that you have had the best meal of your life and when you’re looking for the crème-de-la-crème of high class restaurants where celebrities and other interesting people dine with white tablecloths, best-in-class chefs, and unforgettable experiences, then treat...

By Henry Bantjez If you wanted to once and for all claim that you have had the best meal of your life and when you’re looking for the crème-de-la-crème of high class restaurants where celebrities and other interesting people dine with white tablecloths, best-in-class chefs, and unforgettable experiences, then treat yourself to a breathtaking evening and a culinary explosion of tastes at the Grill Room in Umhlanga. The menu offers a combination of classic plates created by Bea Tollman, president and founder of The Red Carnation Hotel Collection, alongside signature dishes and contemporary creations. Adding a delicate flourish of culinary theatre to the experience, a signature of The Grill Room is the authentic Gueridon service that sees certain dishes prepared and plated tableside. It would be a palate sin not to start with their famous fresh oysters, or if that is not your thing, try the caviar and steak tartare which is a perfect blend of black Angus beef, roasted bone marrow, aioli and caviar topped off with capers, red onion, chives and radish. Every bit a culinary explosion.  For the main I tried the Caesar Salmon seared Norwegian Salmon, prepared with pepper ratatouille, crisp parmesan, cos lettuce, and garlic croutons. The side dish of rice was surprisingly cooked with mussels, apple and calamari. An unforgettable sensory experience. Visit The Grill Room for your next food adventure. Highly recommended. And for those of you who have a bit of extra budget, why not spoil yourselves with a stay at the Oyster Box hotel. You will have access  to the most majestic location on the Umhlanga beachfront and this 5 star venue  is  part of The Red Carnation Hotel Collection (other favourites of mine are their Twelve Apostles and Spa in Cape Town where I have spent some of the best times of my life with family and friends from Japan and the USA and their Chesterfield Mayfair in London. I lived around the corner from the Chesterfield and the hotel’s Butler’s restaurant became my go to location for fancy dates and roasted Orkney scallops and Devonshire chicken). Just a 15-minute drive from King Shaka International Airport, The Oyster Box offers an array of individually decorated rooms and suites, an award-winning spa set amid tropical gardens, and a mouth-watering selection of restaurants and bars. And guess what, your furry friends are welcome in one of their garden suites.   Opening hours Monday – Sunday, 6pm – 10pm Telephone: +27 31 514 5000 Email: restaurants@oysterbox.co.za

Wow, what a sterling experience we had at the oyster box restaurant today. From the moment we set foot into the hotel we were blessed with the most beautiful and hospital experience. From the beautiful scenery the exquisite atmosphere, the absolutely delicious food and drinks to the best waiter we...

Wow, what a sterling experience we had at the oyster box restaurant today. From the moment we set foot into the hotel we were blessed with the most beautiful and hospital experience. From the beautiful scenery the exquisite atmosphere, the absolutely delicious food and drinks to the best waiter we have ever had Charlie, what a gem this host is to the Oyster Box, his energy and personality was out of this world, his warmth and hospitality was remarkable and we wish that he gets a promotion real soon he deserves it. What an excellent and beautiful experience one that we will never forget.

This truly is a most beautiful hotel, the staff are absolutely wonderful a special mention must be made of Justin Botha who is a fabulous manager, going above and beyond to make sure everyone’s stay is so comfortable, the other staff members are always friendly and helpful too. Wonderful attention...

This truly is a most beautiful hotel, the staff are absolutely wonderful a special mention must be made of Justin Botha who is a fabulous manager, going above and beyond to make sure everyone’s stay is so comfortable, the other staff members are always friendly and helpful too. Wonderful attention to details is much appreciated, breakfast outstanding, grill room outstanding and in fact all I can say is food, beverage, staff is just amazing, cannot wait to return!

This hotel has old world charm, and generally excellent service, but it is not as comfortable as one might expect from a 5-star property. Our ocean facing room was well appointed, but on the small side, and overloaded with furniture that did not offer comfortable seating when the weather was...

This hotel has old world charm, and generally excellent service, but it is not as comfortable as one might expect from a 5-star property. Our ocean facing room was well appointed, but on the small side, and overloaded with furniture that did not offer comfortable seating when the weather was rainy. Nor were there any other inviting areas to sit in the hotel, particularly when our party included two couples. The chairs in the downstairs bar were generally acceptable, but the stools and benches in the third floor bar were awful to sit on, and did not invite lingering for a drink or two. These issues, along with the hazardous placement of light fixtures in hallways and scatter rugs in the bedrooms, could be easily addressed with some redecoration to take the guest’s comfort and safety into consideration. Food in the restaurants is very good, and the Grill Room offers a classic dining experience with attentive service.

Wonderful stay here, please do not hesitate if you are contemplating booking this stay. I thought it might be too much, if that’s a thing but it absolutely was the most wonderful stay I have ever experienced. Restaurants and food was amazing, pool and staff were amazing, and close proximate...

Wonderful stay here, please do not hesitate if you are contemplating booking this stay. I thought it might be too much, if that’s a thing but it absolutely was the most wonderful stay I have ever experienced. Restaurants and food was amazing, pool and staff were amazing, and close proximate to shopping and restaurants. I wish we could stay longer. The high tea, curry buffet, and spa were fantastic as well.

I actually shed a tear on leaving this hotel 🥹, and am still sad that I left 😩. This hotel just reeks of charm and the staff are just wonderful. Breakfast is exceptional as is all of the food. Cinema room is brilliant, Gym functional, the Ocean view is stunning...

I actually shed a tear on leaving this hotel 🥹, and am still sad that I left 😩. This hotel just reeks of charm and the staff are just wonderful. Breakfast is exceptional as is all of the food. Cinema room is brilliant, Gym functional, the Ocean view is stunning (but very noisy) and the resort area has absolutely everything you could want on vacation. Loved the bar and Edison is a top, top man, thank you for looking after us guys, you truly are different class and worthy of your 5 Star rating.

Steps from a beautiful beachside path that winds past a lighthouse and gardens to a nature ark, The Oyster Box is beautifully situated in Umhlanga Rocks with amazing views from rooms and restaurants. The rooms are cozy with everything you need for a luxurious stay, including in our case celebratory...

Steps from a beautiful beachside path that winds past a lighthouse and gardens to a nature ark, The Oyster Box is beautifully situated in Umhlanga Rocks with amazing views from rooms and restaurants. The rooms are cozy with everything you need for a luxurious stay, including in our case celebratory welcome balloons, cake and other snacks. We had one with a deep shady deck - perfect for whiling away the day watching the water. The whole building is charming - and has a beautiful secret courtyard with a pool, a wall of orchids and many little nooks for quiet contemplation. There is a lovely library and a top floor bar. There is a second pool tucked below the restaurant on the beach side so both have views. Speaking of the restaurant - we enjoyed spectacular meals there - breakfasts were amazing - the buffet supplemented by a pancake station with every imaginable topping (my favourite were the Italian cherries); lunches and dinners featured fresh seafood, impeccably presented. Throughout our stay, all the personnel made us feel like we were staying with old friends. I want to single out the art in the hotel - there are beautiful tile mosaics throughout the buildings and grounds, but also an outstanding collection of contemporary South African art. Even if you don’t go up there for a drink, it is well worth exploring the top floor and indeed all the public gallery spaces.

Veron was an amazing host and super friendly. He was so patient with me and my fiancé during our proposal and treated us with the utmost care and attention to detail making conversation along the way. We are extremely thankful we had him as our private attendant throughout the evening....

Veron was an amazing host and super friendly. He was so patient with me and my fiancé during our proposal and treated us with the utmost care and attention to detail making conversation along the way. We are extremely thankful we had him as our private attendant throughout the evening. Thank you.

Partner and I spent 3 nights here from Christmas Eve Eve to Boxing Day and we were mighty impressed with not only the festive feel and grandeur of the hotel but the absolutely impeccable service that came with it! Upon arrival the Durban weather was not playing ball but our...

Partner and I spent 3 nights here from Christmas Eve Eve to Boxing Day and we were mighty impressed with not only the festive feel and grandeur of the hotel but the absolutely impeccable service that came with it! Upon arrival the Durban weather was not playing ball but our dampened spirits (and clothes) were completely left at the door of the hotel! Concierge grabbed our bags and offered us some bubbles, friendly chat and a seamless check-in while a real-life Santa Claus was keeping kids happy as they waited for a present. We were even greeted by the hotel’s 19 year old cat Skabanga who is a bit of a legend around the place and exceptionally cute! Christmas songs played in the lobby and decorations including a huge homemade gingerbread house complete pic’n’mix sweet station meant we immediately felt the festive vibe despite being 1000s of miles away from our families back in the UK. Hotel has a colonial style with an impressive restaurant terrace overlooking a decent size pool and beach complete with a lighthouse. uMlangha beachfront is beautiful with waves a plenty… good for body boarding! There’s a spa area and second swimming pool which both look equally inviting. We didn’t have time to squeeze in a massage as they were fully booked at times we were available, but heard rave reviews about them from other guests. Top floor bar in the hotel has an extensive cocktail menu which we took advantage of for sundowners every night before dinner. Also comes with a complementary tri-dish of snacks - nuts, Bombay mix and roasted corn - always a nice touch. We also stayed up here playing virtual board games on Christmas Day since a board game is much of our Xmas tradition. We also enjoyed drinks in the ground floor bar which is feels a bit more formal but suited us as a place to enjoy a drink (although saw people eating what looked like a delicious array of sushi in here) before Christmas Eve Dinner at the Grill. The Grill was lovely, ample food (6 course menu), highly recommend the lamb dish (lamb 2 ways of which one was in a sausage roll). George the wine sommelier looked after us well - chatted to us about his journey with wine over the years and even took us down into the wine cellar. He recommended a good bottle of red to accompany our meal. But it was the buffet restaurant that stole the show for us! We had Christmas lunch here on Christmas Day! The menu was extensive and the food was exceptional especially the roast beef! We had ALL the trimmings and several trips back up the buffet to try what we couldn’t fit on our plate the first time around meant we were suitably stuffed as one should be on Christmas Day! But then came the trip to the cheese and dessert section! It was stunning! Everything from Christmas Pudding and Mince pies to trifles, pastries, cakes, macarooons, soft serve ice cream with a plethora of toppings and a chocolate fountain! We also paid a visit to the buffet on Xmas Eve Eve but didn’t eat because we had a restaurant booked and it looked and smelt equally as good with various different curries! I really want to come back just to try it. Breakfasts were also served in the buffet which included everything from oysters, pastries, waffles to a full cooked breakfast. You could also order from the hot menu! Again service everywhere from restaurant and bar areas to poolside was nothing short of top notch! We even paid a visit to the hotels cinema to watch a Christmas movie where there was sweets and popcorn! Our entire experience was fabulous! Thank you to all who make the Oyster Box such a phenomenal place to spend a special occasion! Even the weather picked up in time for Christmas! We’ll be back with family on our travels to SA again! Tip: Looking to eat externally from the hotel one night! Highly recommend Lord Prawn for an opulent seafood platter!

We had an unforgettable stay, thanks to the excellent food, stunning sea views, and beautiful rooms. The staff were incredibly friendly and went above and beyond to make us feel welcome from the moment we arrived until our departure. A special shout-out to Callum from the Ocean Terrace – your...

We had an unforgettable stay, thanks to the excellent food, stunning sea views, and beautiful rooms. The staff were incredibly friendly and went above and beyond to make us feel welcome from the moment we arrived until our departure. A special shout-out to Callum from the Ocean Terrace – your exceptional skills, world-class standards, and gracious demeanor truly set you apart. You are a one-in-a-million gem! Thank you for making our experience so memorable!

What a wonderful hotel. Thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. Magnificent views. Superb service. Especially from Zodwa Shandu who looked after us immaculately as well as Robert at the pool. Amenities are excellent. Towels, pool drinks, decor, etc etc I do appreciate quality hotels and this one ranks as...

What a wonderful hotel. Thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. Magnificent views. Superb service. Especially from Zodwa Shandu who looked after us immaculately as well as Robert at the pool. Amenities are excellent. Towels, pool drinks, decor, etc etc I do appreciate quality hotels and this one ranks as the best SA has to offer. Well done.