Thonga Beach Lodge | South Africa

[South Africa Hotels and Accommodation]

Thonga Beach Lodge is an exciting and refreshing wilderness destination on the shores of the secluded Mabibi bay in Coastal Maputaland. The lodge lies in the heart of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, an internationally recognized World Heritage Site, and there are no other developments within a 50km section of its pristine beach. Mabibi Beach is a magical place of tranquil swimming bays, sandy beaches, snorkelling reefs, coastal forest and shimmering lakes. The lodge, nestling high in the canopy of the dune forest, offers panoramic ocean views. It has a spacious airy beach feel with a stylish outdoor eating area, a secluded upstairs seating area with a dvd player for children, a open air bar and wooden walkways leading to the rooms. 12 eco-friendly suites are decorated in a chic ‘Robinson Crusoe’ style, five with sea views and seven with forest views. (Distance to the beach varies between 30 and 120 metres only.) The thatched en-suite rooms have been carefully constructed in the coastal dune forest to ensure minimum impact on the environment whilst still ensuring maximum comfort. Each has a double vanity, a large stone bath, indoor/outdoor shower, separate toilet, bar fridge, ceiling fan, air-conditioning, mosquito net and private balcony.

Activities at Thonga Beach Lodge include snorkelling from the beach, swimming, bird-watching and sundowner cruises or guided canoe trips on Lake Sibaya (included in the rate) and various additional activities such as scuba diving and diving courses, an Ocean experience looking for whales and dolphins and cultural village visits. Turtle tracking is a highlight for summer visitors from November to February.

Children are welcome and one child under 12 may share the room with parents.

Family

Romantic

Spa

Walking

Country: South Africa

Region: KwaZulu Natal

Area: Mabibi Beach

Accommodation Rating: Luxury

Rooms: 12

Meals: Full Board and non-motorised activities

Location: Beach

	1 May 2008 to 31 Aug 2008	1 Sep 2008 to 30 Apr 2009
Per person sharing	ZAR R 1,950	ZAR R 2,100

Prices may be based on current exchange rates and are subject to change prior to booking.

Long stay specials available

Contact us for more information or book your trip by clicking on the appropriate button below. One of our consultants will gladly help you with any questions you may have.

Kate stayed there in July 2007:
"Again one of my favourite lodges in South Africa. I would strongly recommend it as an alternative to the Mozambiquan lodges if you are short of time or disinclined to fly. It is quite staggering that on this pristine stretch of 200km of beach, there are only two lodges; Rocktail Bay and Thonga Beach Lodge.

I was very interested to see what the weather conditions were like in the middle of winter as this is virtually the only area in SA that we recommend for a beach experience in mid winter. I was thus relieved to find that the daytime temperatures were comfortably above 25°C and it did not get that cold at night. We ate outside in the evening (when a fleece was needed later on) but they also have those outdoor gas heaters in case it gets chilly. The water was very swimmable at 23°C.

The lodge has a great beach feel to it. The chalets are hidden away in thick coastal vegetation with only the tops of their roofs showing. Interestingly they are much closer together than I would have expected (so as to minimize the disturbance to the pristine vegetation) but the vegetation makes them very private. The décor is sort of coastal minimalist! The rooms are all identical, the only difference being the sea view or not. There is a trade-off (for some of the sea view rooms) between you having a view of the sea and others having a view of you (as the sea view rooms tend to be set above the main walkway so that people walk past underneath as you are sitting on your deck). So again I wouldn’t fret if there are no sea view rooms available. The rooms are spacious and open plan and can take one extra bed.

The lodge is run on a relaxed resort basis. There is a board at the bar indicating activities on offer and you sign up for whatever takes your fancy. Non-motorised activities are included in the rates with motorized activities (eg scuba diving and turtle tracking by vehicle), being extra. Also there’s the white sandy beach is about 25 metres via a board walk away and a secluded pool and small spa.

Activities at Thonga have expanded to include the Ocean experience, an array of diving courses and the turtle tracking. We enjoyed the Ocean Experience in the morning which involved at exciting boat launch in the surf followed by a whale-watching cruise to a snorkeling site. The visibility in the water was excellent at approx 10metres with lots of varied fish. Though the water was moving (this is not the Dead Sea!) it wasn’t dramatic and you could generally just float and watch. Excellent trip!

If you are not hung up about staying in a luxurious place, I urge you to consider staying 2 nights Kosi and 3 nights Thonga as the activities are completely different. Otherwise choose one or the other on the basis of budget and whether you're looking for mainly a beach experience or more of an eco-experience."