TRAVEL: Lazy summer holidays

TRAVEL

Words: Sam Bradley / Photos: Various photographers

LAZY

SUMMER HOLIDAYS

“Palm trees, ocean breeze, salty air, sun kissed hair. That endless summer, take me there.” Unknown It seemed like the perfect plan: a relaxing weekend down the beautiful South Coast with my wife. We’d go for romantic strolls along the beach, watch the sunsets and go for swims in the warm KZN waters.

We’d get our eating plan back on track and work on some fitness with a few early morning jogs on the beach. Scrolling through the various websites, I decided Pumula Beach Hotel would be the perfect location as it was situated right on the beach and only 100 km from Durban. The hotel even had its own gym - it seemed like destiny.

#42 | DO IT NOW Magazine • 1

2 • DO IT NOW Magazine | #42

www.doitnow.co.za • 3

4 • DO IT NOW Magazine | #42

www.doitnow.co.za • 5

6 • DO IT NOW Magazine | #42

Our exercise regime got off to a pretty-good start. Deciding the gym was for amateurs, we made plans for a jog along the beach. To get ourselves mentally prepared, we warmed up with a game of putt-putt on the hotel course. We then decided it would be foolish to start exercising without first seeing what the swimming pool was like – a quick dip in the pool and a nap under the umbrellas and we’d be ready for some serious exercise.

In hindsight, it was those delicious fruit cocktails – delivered right to our deckchairs - that were our downfall.

A few strawberry daiquiris later and it became clear that the weekend was going to be relaxing in the true sense of the word. Abandoning all pretences, we spent a gloriously lazy morning not moving from the pool.

It’s just as well the diet plan didn’t get started because the buffet meals would easily break even James Bond’s resistance, never mind us mere mortals.

Breakfasts at Pumula include a selection of fruits salads, cereals, bacon and eggs, omelettes and many other offerings fit for royalty.

Don’t indulge too much though, as the beach (and a *Blue Flag beach at that!) is a mere stone’s throw away.

Spend the morning on the beach or by the pool and you’ll soon have built up an appetite for the buffet lunches served on the hotel porch.

Afternoons can be spent taking in the local attractions or just lazing on the deckchairs keeping an eye out for the whales and dolphins.

It’s not just the amazing food that stood out for us but also the relaxing atmosphere that keeps customers coming back year after year. 

www.doitnow.co.za • 7

8 • DO IT NOW Magazine | #42

www.doitnow.co.za • 9

10 • DO IT NOW Magazine | #42

www.doitnow.co.za • 11

Pumula clearly understands that if the children are happy, the parents can kick back and truly relax. With this in mind, the hotel runs an all-day entertainment programme for the kids, with activities such as beach games, outdoor sports like volleyball and putt-putt, and an evening programme with events like bingo and videos. If that doesn’t work, then the pool, table tennis and air-hockey facilities in the games room should do the trick. There are also babysitting facilities.

The accommodation itself is fantastic and the hotel’s sea theme (lots of blues and whites) put me straight into the holiday mindset. Evenings are quiet and peaceful (families with youngsters are situated on the other side of the hotel to the rest) and with most of the rooms facing the ocean, it’s the perfect place to open a bottle of wine and enjoy a spectacular sunset.

12 • DO IT NOW Magazine | #42

So next time the family needs a holiday, Pumula could be the perfect destination. You probably won’t get your fitness or diet back on track (if our example is anything to go by), but those sort of plans can always be postponed for another month. Time away with sea, sun and loved ones will be remembered with way more fondness in any case. •

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Rates

Rates are R950 per person sharing per night (all meals included).

Children’s prices range from R240 to R505 per night depending on age. Like the Facebook page (Pumula Beach Hotel – South Coast) to find out about any specials and competitions. (Rates current at the time of publication)

Nearby attractions

A wide range of golf courses, Aliwal Shoal dive site, Oribi Gorge Game Reserve, the Riverbend Crocodile Farm and Weza-Ngele Forest are all close by.

Contact details

For more information, visit www.pumulabeachhotel.co.za and to book, either email reservations@pumulabeachhotel.co.za or call 039 684 6717 *The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach or marina meets its stringent standards.

www.doitnow.co.za • 13