A few weeks ago I was really spoilt by the parentals. After a hectic week of exams my mom and I flew to KZN for a 5 day stay at The Oyster Box Hotel. Our stay can be summarised in one word - LUXURIOUS.
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| Welcome to The Oyster Box Hotel |
The hotel is situated on the Umhlanga beach front that overlooks the iconic light house and Indian ocean. It has a colonial feel and the décor is amazing. Every morning before breakfast we went for an awesome run on the Umhlanga promenade. We were joined by numerous families, furry friends and fitness fanatics. The weather was amazing. A little mini summer holiday from the cold Cape Town.
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| Tranquil corner |
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| Walkway to the spa and pool |
So let me tell you what The Oyster Box Hotel offers you...
The Oyster Box has 86 luxurious rooms that range from the presidential suite to garden facing rooms. If the budget allows it splurge on a sea view room. The view is mesmerising. Every room however has its own character and is decorated beautifully. The following special touches will be available to you everyday:
Complimentary mineral water, tea and coffee making facilities
Fresh fruit and flowers in all rooms, plus a selection of current magazines
Flat Screen Satellite TV with over 25 channels to choose from
In-room CD/DVD players
Deluxe Bath amenities, luxurious bathrobes and slippers
Housekeeping service twice daily
Soap and Pillow menus
Two direct dial telephone lines with voice mail
Complimentary high speed Wi-Fi
Heated towel rails
Well stocked mini-bar
Let me show you our room...
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| Loved the pastel colours |
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| Reading corner |
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| Enjoying the sea view |
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| Welcome macaroons |
The Oyster Box has a lot to offer. I can honestly say that during the five days we were there we rarely needed to venture outside.
There are two pools where you can work on your tan, sip cocktails and enjoy a swim. If you want to head to the beach they will arrange towels, beach chairs and sunblock for you. Head over to the beautiful spa for a massage and manicure. A 24 hour gym is available with a power plate, yoga area and state of the art exercising machines but I preferred a run on the promenade.
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| The main pool area |
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| One of the tanning spots |
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| There is a direct path from the hotel that gives you access to the promenade |
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| The lovely Umhlanga Promenade |
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| The beach was full every day |
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| The iconic lighthouse |
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| Enjoying our daily walk on the promenade |
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| Sipping mojitos while admiring the beautiful view |
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| Heaven! |
Visit the in house cinema that has 5 screenings per day. The movie schedule is delivered to your room every morning. Here you can indulge in popcorn, sweets and hot chocolate. You will be treated to every genre from old time classics to cartoons.
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| 24 seater cinema |
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| Waiting for the movie to start |
There's also a beautiful library where you can come and find some solace and as everywhere the lighthouse will look over you.
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| Quite reading corner |
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| Loved this record player |
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| Hello Mr Lighthouse! |
Oh and did I mention they are a pet friendly establishment. This definitely is a 10/10 for me. You will also on a regular basis run into a few monkeys that have made The Oyster Box their home. Also be on the look out for the in house cat. You will usually find him in the foyer.
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| Monkey busy with monkey business :) |
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| I won't mind being a cat at The Oyster Box :) |
One thing you WILL do at They Oyster Box is eat. There are three dining areas...
The Grill Room
This is your fine dining option. We had dinner there the first evening. It's a beautiful restaurant decorated in hews of blue and white. Service is impeccable. You are treated like royalty from the moment you enter the restaurant. Well actually you are treated like royalty your entire stay at The Oyster Box.
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| Beautiful dining area |
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| Look at that chandelier |
Something that really stood out was the portion sizes. Often with fine dining you expect excellent food but in small portions. At The Grill Room you will be served delicious food in generous portions. One of the staff noted that it's a "Cape Town thing" this small portions. In KZN the people want to go big and dine well :) Well we certainly did. I enjoyed the truffle ravioli served with olives, blue cheese, roasted chickpeas, grilled pears, sage butter and Chardonnay cream. It was rich yet refreshing. No ingredient was masked by the other yet they paired perfectly with each other.
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| The ravioli |
My mother who is known by her friends as the "Porkas Queen" enjoyed the apple poached pork served with pork and sage croquettes, pearl barley, porcini cognac sauce, citrus and sesame oil.. The pork was succulent and the apple flavour really was the star of the dish. Mom gave it a 10/10.
They have an extensive wine list and I enjoyed a glass of Waterford Pecan stream Sauvignon Blanc and mom had the Bouchard Finyalson Rosé.
A very original aspect at The Grill Room that I have never seen before is their Hors D'oeuvres Trolley which is a beautiful vintage carousel with numerous different 'tapas' which you can select of the trolley. You can enjoy this as a starter or a main.
Prices for starters range between R120-R195, mains R160-R320 and for those with the big bucks can enjoy the R1400 seafood platter!
The Palm Court
The Palm Court lives up to the colonial feel of The Oyster Box. It's here where you will indulge every morning in a breakfast spread like no other. You can indulge with oysters, salmon, pastries, fresh fruit, cooked breakfast, pancakes, waffles and much more. Their breakfast spread is like no other.
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| Cheese, cheese and more cheese |
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| Unlimited oysters! |
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| So much to choose from... |
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| My favourite sweet and savoury combination! |
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| Fresh fruit! |
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| What I started with every morning... |
The legendary afternoon tea is also served here. A classical piano players sets the mood. I am usually mostly into the sweet stuff but the savoury selection at their afternoon tea really impressed me. I indulged in about six chicken mayo sandwiches which was crusted with toasted almonds. Their macaroons are also to die for. Every table receives a hand written note that welcomes you to the afternoon tea. It's these personal touches that really separates The Oyster Box from all the others.
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| No afternoon tea is completed without freshly baked scones |
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| The macaroons are a must! |
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| The savoury treats really impressed me! |
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| Cheers! |
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| Loved the sugar cubes! |
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| Hand written note welcoming us to a very special afternoon |
Something that I LOVED at The Oyster Box is that they serve MCC with almost everything. Lovit!
At The Palm Court you can also order a la carte meals but something that you should not miss is the curry buffet. People flock from all over to come and indulge in this Indian feast. The variety was amazing. We indulged in over 9 different curries with the butter chicken being my favourite. You can also enjoy all the delicious accompaniments such as naan bread, sambals and a variety of rice dishes. This is a must do even if you don't stay at The Oyster Box. This feast warrants my return!
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| Not a pretty picture but the food was delish! |
The Ocean Terrace
This is just the outside venue where you can also sit and enjoy the breakfast spread, ala carte menu and curry buffet. Here you will be able to enjoy the beautiful view but watch out for the monkeys :) They love visiting during breakfast time!
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| Mom enjoying breakfast outside |
For drinks there are three bars to visit. The Oyster bar is situated near the Ocean Terrace. Here you can sip on a cocktail and enjoy life music every Monday to Friday from 18:30-21:30. A cool feature here is the glass floor that looks onto the chef's table and wine cellar.
The Chukka bar is the one I did not visit. It's more of a gentleman's space with a range of cigars and whiskeys to enjoy.
My favourite bar was The Lighthouse Bar. The view is magnificent and the famous lighthouse is visible from every angle. Here you can unwind while enjoying a cocktail and bar snacks. I had a delicious gin cocktail here one evening and the classic mojito is also a winner.
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| Cheers! |
So as you can see The Oyster Box has a lot to offer. Service and attention to detail is impeccable. If you can't come for an overnight visit do pop in for a drink, the afternoon tea or the legendary curry buffet. You won't be disappointed.
For more information visit their website and check out this current special where you stay for four nights and only pay for three.
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