Tsogo Sun: Suncoast Sunsquare Hotel

When I want to go for a holiday, the last place I'd think to go is in my own city. I mean going for a holiday means stepping away from your everyday life and we generally take that as go somewhere out of town but is it really necessary? 

A few weeks back I was given the opportunity to spend a few nights at the Suncoast Sunsquare Hotel, it forms part of Suncoast Entertainment World & Casino. It's a unique hotel seeing that it sits adjacent to the Suncoast Towers Hotel and shares the same amenities with its 5 star neighbor. That alone is a major plus for the guests, I mean staying at a 4 star hotel but everything else is 5 star rated and you don't have to cough an extra cent at all for it. 

Lets start of with the location, it's practically the best spot on the Durban Promenade, with it being smack, bang in the middle of it. You have Durban's world renowned beachfront at your door step with the warm, soothing waters of the Indian Ocean greeting you every morning and evening, it doesn't get any better than that. Keen for a run? The hotel's deck steps out onto the promenade which extends from the Point till the Blue Lagoon with further expansion for it planned. The stadium precinct is just behind the hotel, with Kings Park Stadium for the rugby fans,  Kings Park Swimming Pool and the iconic Moses Mabhida just next door. 

Moving on to the hotel, as stated before it shares a lot with the Towers hotel, including the reception and triple volume atrium in which a magnificent chandelier hangs. Apon arrival there were smiling faces waiting to help me with my luggage and make my check in, quick and efficient. After a welcome drink being handed my room card,  I was escorted to the room on the second floor, a breath taking sea view welcomed me to my room. Stylish and modern, equipped with everything one with need, including a damn comfortable double bed for a good nights rest. 

The room design is very ergonomical and makes use of the space very well and has everything you need in the right places. Adequate cupboards and draws, as well as a safe to keep your valuables, easy accessible plug points to charge your devices, a good hair dryer! (yes this matters to me, my do doesn't just form itself). The bathroom is integrated into the room with the shower and toilet blocked off by means of glass cubicles, this  leaves space for the basin to double as a dressing/ vanity room with its huge mirror. There is also a solid desk for one to do work on if the reason for visit is business related, the hotel provides all guests with free Wi-Fi which is a major plus for many, whether it be for work of personal use. 

I don't know about most people but my life revolves around food and this place does not disappoint! The extensive breakfast buffet every morning is astonishing and leave you at guesses on what to try. I know I wanted to try everything on offer but needed a bigger plate, I had to settle to getting up a few times though. In the evening the breakfast restaurant doubles up as Suncoasts signature Jeera restaurant, one of the few Indian restaurants in Durban that offer a world class buffet of curries. From lamb, chicken or seafood, it has everything to suit the most technical taste buds. Speaking to the head chef Sandren Govender, he says he prides himself on only using the freshest ingredients for his dishes, every item is made on and prepared in the kitchen included the wide variety of condiments, some of which include, sauces, pickles and atchars. Asking him which is his favourite curry from the menu, with out a doubt the Millionaires Curry he replied. It's a luxurious curry using the finest seafood all brought together in a creamy spicy gravy, just hearing about it makes ones mouth water. Tip, if you're going for the curry buffet, be sure to leave space for dessert or you might get carried away like I did!

While on the topic of food, the room service menu is quite extensive and serves a variety of meals all through the day. After binge eating, you going to want to work those extra calories off, if the hotel gym isn't enough, as said before you have kilometers of promenade to run on, not forgetting the beach to swim in. If that's not enough, theres morning exercise and yoga classes offered on the Suncoast beach. Bicycles can be hired from the near by bike and bean shop or from the Moses Mabhida Stadium. 

After the hectic work out, why don't treat yourself to a Spa treatment on the 9th floor of the Towers. Getting a massage with the endless views of the beachfront is an experience you will not regret! Offering a variety of treatments and massages, the Spa caters for it all. There's a host of rooms available including couples rooms so you and your partner can enjoy it together. 

Overall my stay at Suncoast Hotel was an eye opener and an unforgettable one, the staff had a huge part to play in that with them being at my beck and call at any time of day, making sure my every need was taken cared of. Coming back to my opening about holidaying in your own town, at first it didn't seem like much because you seek for something different but after experiencing what we have was on offer, very little can compare to this. Knowing the town was an advantage so I wasn't at a loss on what to do or how to pass my time but the major plus is you don't have to pay a lot for the travel! So often we pay an arm and a leg for plane tickets or the petrol and toll to get to our destination, this on the other hand was down the road! If I need a quick break, I will definitely pop down back to the Sunsquare hotel, maybe even live it up a little and book a room at the Towers, after all it is about spoiling yourself!

A big thank you to Werner and Nicole and the rest of the team from Suncoast Durban for this and Sheena from Tsogo Sun for making this possible.

Twitter: @SUNCOASTDurban / @TsogoSun

Facebook: Suncoast Durban / Tsogo Sun

Dining with Tsogo Sun

When one has to think of Durban, the first thing that springs to mind is its beautiful beaches. Situated on the East Coast of South Africa, it boasts the warm waters of the Indian ocean that washes onto miles of KZN's shoreline. There is no doubt that it is Durban's biggest asset and its why the City undertook a major revamp to the main promenade before the 2010 World Cup. At completion, the promenade stretches over 5 kilometres and is rated as one of the best in the world along with cities such as Rio and Miami. 



With a world class attraction such as that, it was only time before the hotels along the beach front began to do face lifts and renovations to match the new look. Tsogo Sun being one of them, is one of SA's largest hotel groups and boasts 8 hotels in Durban. They have 5 along the beach front and the two oldest being the Maharani and Elangeni, both of which recently under went renovations.



Last week I was invited to the relaunch of the Hotel, although the Elangeni and Maharani being two buildings separated by an apartment block, it was interesting to learn that they now function as one hotel. Whether you're staying at the Maharani Towers or Elangeni, you can make use of all the facilities both have to offer. Which is quite cool, as both offer many great bars, restaurants and a spa. 



The evening started off at the Panorama bar situated on the second floor of the Elangeni Tower, it was one of the floors that was renovated and it clearly showed with a fresh coat of paint, some lovely new additions like a Froyo stand for the kids but main focus was the bar for obvious reasons. Gentle lighting with clever use of LED's gave the bar a welcoming feel. The bar leads onto the deck where the pool is situated, pity that due to the weather we were restricted to sit inside as its perfect for sundowners or evening drinks with mates. The bar offers various cocktails served up by their trained mixologists.






After the meet and greet with Tsogo Sun's Social Media Manager and the other invited guests, we made our way down to the new Grill Jichana which has taken place of the Jewel of India. Before making our way to the restaurant we were taken through to the other establishments, Connors Bar which really has an English Pub feel to it and then we popped into Daruma Japanese restaurant. It really is one of the gems of the hotel as I have been told on numerous occasions of how it is really one of the best Japanese eateries in SA and that all the food on offer, from Sushi to the Teppanyaki is absolutely delicious. 




There after it was time to dine, but before being seated the manger of the Grill gave us a tour of their specially made temperature controlled glass wine room. They have a vast selection of wines both local and international, I'm not a wine drinker of note hence a small tray that was lying on a table to the side caught my attention. On it was some of finest whisky's money can buy, which included Johnnie Walker King George Blue Label Whisky. 




Once back at the table, a melody of salads were pre-ordered for us, veg, chicken, duck, seafood and beef. All of which were accompanied by special dressings, the one which I really enjoyed was the chicken with pomegranate dressing, which had a bit of everything with the spiciness of the chicken, crisp leaves of lettuce and the sweetness of the pomegranate dressing worked wonderful together. 




Before ordering our mains, we were educated on the selection of meats, cuts and pairing of sides that compliment each meal. I opted for the Duo of Lamb which was a double leg chop and double rib chop. Both cuts marinated in a special rub and grilled to a medium rare, to perfection. I ordered Bafana chips (think cut fries) and onion rings as sides and a Madagascan Pepper Sauce which I was told has quite a bite. The rub which the meat was marinated in tasted superb, which made my pepper sauce redundant but I did use it as a dip for my chips and onion rings. The lamb was grilled perfectly, having that char grilled crispy on the outside and the meat a juicy pink inside. As you could imagine, it didn't last very long on my plate.



The mains along with the starter salads was pretty filling but there was always place left for dessert! The pick of the bunch was the Chocolate Bomb, what it essentially is, white chocolate mousse with normal chocolate mousse, inside a duo of chocolate ball, which then has hot chocolate sauce poured over it and when the shell melts it sort of explodes, exposing its contents. 5 types of chocolate was a bit much for me so I opted for the de-constructed milk tart which was equally good. Two layers of milk tart with caramel sauce and berries was a lovely way to end of the dinner. 



Once the evening was concluded, I had a chance to walk around the hotel as well as outside to have a look both buildings. The Maharani which is almost 40 years old underwent a full revamp, very cleverly they used the old external lift shaft as a lighting well which houses colour changing LED's which really makes the building stand out for the rest. Both buildings also received a new coat of paint so they really look fresh and new. Overall I am very impressed with what Tsogo Sun has done, its a great investment not only in their asset but to Durban's Golden Mile.