I stayed at this hotel while traveling with a tour group. The hotel was very posh and the rooms were very clean and comfortable. I was on the 16th floor and my room faced the ocean. Sunrise was stunning, and I took some great pictures out of my window. It was fun to watch the market set up in the square below. We had a to wonderful buffet dinner and breakfast at this hotel, the buffet was giant with a great variety of choice, and at dinner there was a dessert buffet as well. Everything was delicious! Make sure to check out the gift shop, the had some very nice and good quality items at reasonable prices. In hindsight I should have bought more at that gift shop. The hotel also had a rooftop pool on the third floor and a nice fitness center (important after the buffet meals). The only thing I didn't love was the city of Durban. I went for a walk along the ocean boardwalk with two other girls and didn't feel unsafe, there were a number of secruity people around. After returning to the hotel we were advised to use extreme caution outside of the hotel due to muggings. The city was not the nicest city I've ever seen, but if I knew someone who was going to Durban I do think this is one of the best places to stay.

Hotel is located on North Beach. Hotel has its own underground secure parking (50R per day charge). Impressive lobby/ common areas. 3 separate restaurants (buffet, Japanese & Indian), all serving excellent food. The breakfast buffet is superb. Comfortable bar areas also very comfortable and reasonaly priced. We found all the staff so friendly and helpful. The rooms were a little small, but nonetheless very comfortable and all having sea/ beach views.

Although on North Beach, we found little outside and around the hotel in the way of bars/ restaurants. Therefore, we found 2 nights was more than enough before travelling upwards towards Midlands area and Drakensburg.

We stopped here for one night before flying elsewhere, the beach location was excellent we were actually in the hotel with some world beach football teams. The bar in this hotel was very good, the staff were excellent. We did not eat at the hotel but at the sister hotel down the road where the food in the Italian style restaurant and the service was excellent.

I stayed at the Elangeni with a friend on a package arranged by HSBC, sponsors of the British & Irish Lions who were also staying in the hotel, and whose first match against the Springboks we were there to see.

The location behind the beach and the view from the rooms is excellent, but the rooms themselves are a little small (particularly when configured as a twin) and looking a little dated. The service was very good throughout (in fact we found this everywhere we went in South Africa), despite the fact that the hotel was absolutely full and having to deal with the visiting British & Irish Lions rugby team.

The breakfast buffet was a fairly standard international buffet with a few local dishes, and competently done. The bar is pleasant, but it took a while to get a drink sometimes - not unexpectedly given wall-to-wall rugby fans.

The only disappointment was the "Jewel of India" restaurant. We had been told that this was one of the best Indian restaurants in Durban (which has a large ethnic Indian population). In fact we found it to be on a par with a very average UK highstreet "curry house" and nothing special at all. The prices in the restaurant and the bar look very attractive to people from the EU, North America, etc, but the room prices being paid (albeit at a time of peak demand) seemed a bit steep.

I wouldn't have any qualms about suggesting a someone stayed here, but not having stayed anywhere else in Durban I'm not sure how it stacks up against the competition.