Zulu spirit meets French flair as Club Med makes history with first SA resort

TimesLIVE

24-05-2025

Tinley Manor is the kind of coastal town that whispers rather than shouts. Tucked just north of Ballito along KwaZulu-Natal's Dolphin Coast, it's a stretch of unspoilt shoreline where the Indian Ocean rolls in rhythmically, its waves folding like silk onto the sand.
It should come as no surprise that this sugar cane-swathed haven is the location for the first Club Med resort in South Africa. The French brand, known for its all-inclusive barefoot luxury, chose the untouched charm of Tinley Manor for a reason: it's quiet, it's coastal and it has heart.
Since March 2024, Club Med SA has been steadily transforming the site from the ground up. When I visited this month, the air buzzed — not with the hum of holidaymakers, but with the hard graft of making magic. Hard hats on, reflector vests zipped, we moved through the construction site past half-built villas and the shell of what will become a 1,000-seater restaurant. Trucks heaved, cranes groaned and workers in blue overalls worked in rhythm, laying the bones of what will soon be a R2.1-billion sanctuary of sun, surf and serenity.
Project director Chris du Toit greeted us with a firm handshake, then gestured across the land. 'We've got 1,400 people working here,' he said, the pride clear in his voice. 'Over 50% of them are locals from within a 10km radius. Crime in the area has dropped by 60% because people are employed and hopeful again.'
On the appeal of the locale for prospective guests, 'People want warm water and sunshine,' Du Toit says. 'KZN gives you 10 months of good weather a year. And we're just 20 minutes from an international airport, on one of the best beaches on the North Coast.'
In a few months' time, there will be 345 hotel rooms, 64 luxury villas, a 500-seater conference space, private pools, a wellness centre and a main pool so central it might as well have its own passport stamp.
'For us, this is a very exciting project,' says Ken Ogwang, senior dealmaker at the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), a funding partner on the project.
The IDC is no stranger to funding tourism projects and recently backed the Premier Hotel Thohoyandou and the Radisson Blu Durban uMhlanga.
'We know what Club Med means in the global tourism landscape. We're not just getting the expertise, we're getting the brand strength. That's a big deal for this region.'
The resort will offer all the signature Club Med indulgences: you pay one rate and everything else — from yoga to watersports to cocktails — is sorted. Whether you're a solo traveller, a family on holiday or a couple chasing a barefoot honeymoon, there's no need to think about what to eat, where to go or what to do.
Ogwang says: 'You want for nothing, you think about nothing. There's entertainment, sports activities, a dancing experience... and that's what we're selling.'
Sport is big here. Really big. Think padel tennis, beach volleyball, archery and sailing. It will be the first Club Med globally to feature a surf school — and they picked a coastline that delivers waves with just the right bite. The resort will also have a fitness centre with daily classes, a spa, a wellness centre and an adults-only pool and bar.
But the real magic? The fact that you can easily go from catching waves to spotting lions. Just over three hours from Tinley Manor, Club Med's upcoming safari lodge in the Mpilo Game Reserve will round off the resort's 'bush-and-beach' offering, giving guests the rare chance to spot the big five in the morning and be sipping sundowners by the sea at dusk.
Kagisho Bapela, Head of Services at the IDC, says the duality of this resort is what sets it apart.
'People will get to experience our culture, like the Zulu traditions and customs. The resort will also have the game reserve, so people can have the beachfront experience and a wildlife experience in the same visit. We are building an economic asset in the country that leverages global standards using local expertise and resources — a game changer!'
The investment — financial and emotional — runs deep. 'This isn't just another resort,' says Ogwang. 'It's a brand that's trusted worldwide, but we're also bringing in local interior designers to pull through South African cultures and colour. International travellers will get a real feel for KZN — that vibrancy, the warmth, the soul.'
The resort's main centre will include a shopping area, wine corner, gourmet restaurant and bar — all wrapped in views of the ocean. And for those needing to mix business with beach, there's a 500-seater conferencing facility — though, truth be told, it might be hard to concentrate when the sea is calling.
It's the kind of all-inclusive escape that has long lured travellers to islands like Mauritius or Bali. Only this time, it's homegrown. Local. With an unmistakable African heartbeat.
The resort is expected to open in July 2026, bringing in that Mzansi spirit with a side of French flair, and the kind of barefoot luxury that doesn't shout, it simply whispers, 'You're here.'