Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani - Your Stay in Durban

Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani offers air-conditioned rooms with tea-and-coffee making facilities and en suite bathrooms with a bath or shower. Some rooms have ocean views. Guests can choose from standard or superior rooms in the Elangeni or Maharani towers, with family rooms sleeping up to two children under 18 for free. Each room includes a bar fridge, hairdryer, and safe. The Elangeni tower has rooms with a bath and shower combo; the Maharani tower offers standard king and superior king rooms. Some rooms have a musty smell due to beachfront humidity, so the hotel offers non-carpet rooms on request.

The hotel has five restaurants. The main restaurant on the 2nd floor serves a full English breakfast buffet daily, with self-service coffee and tea machines. The Grill Jichana restaurant is known for its lamb chops, butter chicken, and steak. The V&V restaurant offers an à la carte breakfast and dinner buffet with seafood and a variety of dishes. The kitchen staff at the grill is friendly and helpful. Breakfast can get busy during peak times, with long queues for seating, but the hotel offers an alternative breakfast venue on the 1st floor or ground floor for overflow. Dinner at the grill is excellent, with staff managing the queue.

The hotel has three heated outdoor swimming pools: one on the rooftop with ocean views, one on the 2nd floor, and one on the ground floor. Each pool has sun loungers, beach chairs, and umbrellas. The rooftop pool is windy. The hotel also has a 24-hour fitness center with ocean views, a spa and wellness center with body treatments, massages, and facials, and a spa lounge with relaxation area. The spa offers packages including a Mangwanani Boutique Spa. Guests can rent bicycles and use the gym. The spa has reasonable prices for massages.

The hotel is located 200 meters from Durban's North Beach, along the Golden Mile, with the Indian Ocean visible from rooms. It is 1.5 km from Suncoast Casino and 3 km from uShaka Marine World. King Shaka International Airport is 30 km away. The hotel offers an airport shuttle service (for a surcharge), private parking with a surcharge, and a shuttle service to the Comrades Marathon start. The parking area is 200 meters from the hotel, and the parking procedure can be stressful due to limited space. The hotel is close to the beach, a beach cafe, and bike rental. The area has police presence for safety.

The hotel offers a 24-hour front desk, concierge, currency exchange, luggage storage, tour desk, and 24-hour security with CCTV. Room service is available 24/7, with a menu including The Grill Jichana. The hotel has a business center with fax, photocopying, and meeting/banquet facilities for up to 500 guests. Family rooms accommodate children under 18 for free. The hotel offers daily housekeeping, dry cleaning, ironing service, and laundry. The bar serves drinks and snacks, including wine and champagne. The hotel provides complimentary WiFi throughout, with 300ml water on arrival. The staff is friendly and helpful, but some guests report issues with room service and housekeeping. The hotel has a dedicated business center with extensive support services.