{"id":865903,"date":"2026-07-11T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=865903"},"modified":"2026-07-10T16:39:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T14:39:22","slug":"how-much-it-costs-to-stay-at-the-most-expensive-resort-ever-built-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/property\/865903\/how-much-it-costs-to-stay-at-the-most-expensive-resort-ever-built-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"How much it costs to stay at the most expensive resort ever built in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Club Med\u2019s new resort at Tinley Manor on KwaZulu-Natal\u2019s North Coast has officially opened its doors, welcoming its first guests on Saturday, 4 July 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a development cost of just over R2 billion, the project is regarded as the most expensive resort ever built in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is also considered South Africa\u2019s largest hospitality investment since Sun City, combining a luxury beachfront resort and a Big Five safari lodge to create what the company described as an integrated “beach and bush” holiday experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Construction began in early 2024 and took 28 months to complete. The development was undertaken through a partnership between Club Med and the Collins Residential Consortium, with funding provided entirely by South African investors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at the launch, project leader Chris du Toit described the opening as the culmination of years of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“What began as a vision has become a world-class destination, made possible through the dedication, passion and collaboration,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It has been an honour to lead this remarkable journey. Wishing our first guests an unforgettable South African experience.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new resort’s prices are broadly aligned with Club Med’s established La Pointe aux Canonniers resort in Mauritius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a five-night stay in mid-July 2026, two adults can expect to pay about R47,000. This works out to approximately R9,400 per night, or less than R5,000 per person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A family of four would pay R59,478 for the same five-night stay, which is just under R15,000 per person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These rates apply only to the beachfront resort. Guests wanting to include the company’s new Vikela Safari Lodge must book the safari portion separately at an additional cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several optional upgrades can also increase the total bill. A sea-view room costs an extra R4,656 for the five-night stay, while upgrading to a Deluxe room adds R9,312.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those choosing one of the resort’s premium Exclusive Collection suites can expect to pay R89,102 for the same five-night holiday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional services are also charged separately. Airport transfers to and from King Shaka International Airport cost R2,088, while excursions beyond the resort are priced individually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to expect <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The beachfront development includes 411 accommodation units, made up of 310 Superior rooms, 35 Deluxe rooms and 66 suites in Club Med’s premium Exclusive Collection category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The resort follows Club Med’s all-inclusive model, with accommodation, meals, beverages and access to numerous recreational activities included in the standard rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facilities are aimed at both families and couples. Dedicated children’s clubs cater for infants from four months old through to teenagers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Activities include sailing, surfing, snorkelling, diving, tennis, padel, archery, circus and trapeze experiences. Guests also have access to several swimming pools and other leisure facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The development also includes a 500-seat convention centre, allowing the resort to cater for conferences and business events alongside traditional leisure tourism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Vikela Safari Lodge, situated within the 18,000-hectare private Mpilo Game Reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal, is around four-and-a-half hours from the beach resort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lodge features 80 luxury rooms overlooking the Mkuze River and the surrounding mountains, allowing visitors to combine a seaside holiday with a Big Five safari.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lodge features 75 premium tents and the Club Med experience, set against the backdrop of the wild African safari.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is set on a hill, with 180-degree views of mountain ranges and the Mkuze River, in the nature resort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To maintain an exclusive feel, the lodge caps its capacity at approximately 225 guests per night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Club Med noted that the resort has received strong international interest, attracting bookings from more than 40 overseas markets before opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demand has been particularly strong from Europe, alongside bookings from South African travellers seeking a new luxury holiday destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Club Med South Africa photos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Vikela Safari Lodge images<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Club Med\u2019s new resort at Tinley Manor on KwaZulu-Natal\u2019s North Coast has officially opened its doors, welcoming its first guests on Saturday, 4 July 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":865912,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"posted","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"2075867955967971491","_sma_x_attempts":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12755],"tags":[20750,25622,853,25782],"class_list":["post-865903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-property","tag-club-med","tag-north-coast","tag-south-africa","tag-vikela-safari-lodge"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=865903"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":865913,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865903\/revisions\/865913"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/865912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=865903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=865903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=865903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}