Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani

酒店出門過馬路就是印度洋，工作人員分配了17樓房間，海景無敵。但酒店應該是有些歷史了，房間裏的設施相對陳舊。冷氣也不冷，晚上睡覺出汗。但樓下的grill餐廳味道不錯。

The service was really great. Their staff is helpful. However the rooms are old. My aircon was not working and the stopper in the bath tub didn’t work. I was quite disappointed by that.

I stayed at the Maharani Hotel during Easter for the Chariot Festival, expecting a convenient and comfortable stay. Instead, I had a terrible accident caused by leaking water from the bathroom, which pooled near the room entrance. I slipped, hit my head, and injured my foot. Despite reporting the incident to reception, no manager arrived. I was in pain, missed breakfast, and when I went downstairs to ask for a pain patch, I was coldly told to go to Addington Hospital. No support or medical help was provided by the hotel. Later, I was denied access to the incident report and was shocked to learn that they had misrepresented the accident, falsely claiming it happened in the bathroom due to my "negligence." I was made to feel like a liar, and the hotel offered no apology, follow-up, or care. I spent a large amount of money to be close to the festival — but this hotel was far from comfortable or professional. Avoid at all costs. Safety and honesty do not seem to be part of their policy.

We had a really enjoyable and easy stay for the Comrades Marathon - we stayed 5 nights. The hotel is incredibly well prepared for the big event and makes sure the runners have everything they need. Staff have a willingness to help, even when very busy. Rooms were kept clean, although could do with updating. The gym was pretty well equipped and the spa was decent with reasonable prices for massages etc. Our shower was broken and we didn’t get it resolved despite asking twice, leading to very low pressure, but generally we enjoyed our stay, especially the location and sea views.

On arrival at the hotel I was attended to respectfully and promptly just in line with my expectations as I had stayed at Elangeni often during my childhood when visiting Durban. The food was as good as I had remembered it and the variety was impressive! I did, however, notice that the standard did drop with regards to staff behavior and I noticed this at the breakfast service. The hotel was full during my stay which resulted in there being a queue for breakfast, the lady at the desk at breakfast was abrupt and in my opinion unprofessional as she did not communicate in a polite manner. I had experienced a rude waiter during the same breakfast service, however, when I did bring this to the attention of the manager on duty it was rectified immediately which I am impressed with. I do think management upholds the values of the Southern Sun brand, however, the staff need to learn how to do this as well. The aircon in my room did not work and when I did bring it to Elangenis attention they mentioned that they would send maintenance up to fix the aircon ,however, the aircon never got fixed and I ended up having to open the windows even at night time to get air into the room which is unacceptable. The teas and coffees did not get replenished in our room as I had stayed for a few nights. I do think that for a 4 star hotel the service should be better and I do feel it has deteriorated from my previous experience. Guests should not ask to be treated properly nor should they ask for their teas and coffees in the their room to be replenished, this is a given when staying at a 4 star hotel. I think there is room for improvement.

Hotel has a great view of the beach and you look straight over the golden mile. Staff are helpful and friendly. As I was staying over a longer period I found the food options a little limiting. The hotel is quite dated and my room had a light damp smell. The room was clean and spacious, Airco was not working in my room, so left window open and curtains shut. it was bearable, and a bonus you can hear the waves crashing on the beach. Beds comfortable and I slept well. Was advised not to go outside at night, which wS unfortunate as that was the only time I would have to exploer the area, but nit the hotels fault.