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4.0
#6 of 54 hotels in Durban
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Value
Radiating energy and elegance across the Golden Mile, Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani invites you to take your place in the sun. From the stylish bedrooms with breath-taking sea-views to the variety of restaurants and recreation facilities, visitors can look forward to the vibrancy, colour and culture of Durban's premier hotel destination offering more choice than ever before, from service and hospitality through to accommodation and dining. Absolutely everything under one sun!
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to TGCSA - Tourism Grading Council of South Africa.
HOTEL STYLE
Bay View
Family
Languages Spoken
English
Location
63 Snell Parade, Durban 4001 South Africa
Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani
3,372 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
The housekeeping staff are very inconsistent with their service and we had to constany phone for towels, water etc.
The one manager at breakfast, has a very bad attitude ither staff were amazing.
Overall a pleasant stay
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Review collected in partnership with Tsogo Sun Hotels
Date of stay: December 2019
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from OnAir02870469082, Manager at Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani
Responded 09 Jan 2020
Thank you for taking the time to complete our recent online survey and for the valuable feedback you have provided. We are delighted that you enjoyed your stay with us.We thank you for your patronage and look forward to welcoming you back soon.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The stay was absolutely beautiful. It was my wife's 30th birthday and we were blown away by the room set for us. There were birthday messages, complimentary champaign on ice, LOADS and Loads of chocolate, drinks, and a spectacular view from the 17th floor. The dinner by Grill Jichana was absolutely perfect, 10 Star! The breakfast was served in-room, top top top class breakfast, professional and quality.
Check in and check out were effecient, took us less than 5 minutes, even got parking. We are familiar with the hotel so things were smoother.
Thank you again for an amazing time, my wife really loves SS Elangeni & Maharani, and you kept that love going. 10/10!
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Review collected in partnership with Tsogo Sun Hotels
Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Nicole Munro, Other at Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani
Responded 25 Feb 2020
Thank you for taking time to review us . We are delighted that you loved your stay and your dinner in Grill Jichana . Look forward to welcoming you back .
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Good location, great view of the south beach. Please add more parking space on site, provide more mashed vegetables for kids and include soups on the side. Good breakfast but the long queues are terrible
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Review collected in partnership with Tsogo Sun Hotels
Date of stay: January 2020
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from OnAir02870469082, Manager at Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani
Responded 09 Jan 2020
Thank you for taking the time to complete our recent online survey and for the valuable feedback you have provided. We are delighted that you enjoyed your stay with us.We thank you for your patronage and look forward to welcoming you back soon.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
No airconditioning we had to sit in that heat. The breakfast offered was not accessible - there was just too many people with no option of room service unless you pay for it. We paid for parking but ended up not having a space to park our car at all.
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Review collected in partnership with Tsogo Sun Hotels
Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Nicole Munro, Other at Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani
Responded 25 Feb 2020
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I thought I had booked the Elangeni but my room was at Maharani. I tried to clarify this but my email was not answered. However the reception staff was accommodating and nice when I realised I had the wrong no of guests after I amended my reservation. The difference: The Maharani is two buildings down from the Elangeni on the same block.The Maharani has a small pool and deck area on its 32nd floor. You have to call for drinks and food. no spa. Do not take rooms with a 30 no or possibly 31. The room was next to a concrete wall along the middle of the building which not only blocked the view to one side but reduces the width of the window. Your view of the golden mile is halved. Restaurant staff at breakfast need A LOT of training. You can be relaxed but still be attentive to your guests' need. The Breakfast spread is good but not great as other review give the impression. It is definitely adequate. The worst was the closing time of the pool at the maharani, 6pm in the summer. The person closing the pool was not only rude but she closed an umbrella on a guest who was refusing to move!!!! More training..... The Elangeni is a busier hotel with a larger pool area on the 2nd floor with a bar/restaurant and a small spa. The concierge was very helpful.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:see review and possibly insist on the elangeni if you intend to use the pool.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from OnAir02870469082, Manager at Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani
Responded 06 Feb 2020
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Booked in on the 3rd of Jan 2020. We got married on the 4th and decided to come book here for the honeymoon. What a waste of R12000. First room 2015 had a faulty aircon. A 20mm gap in the window letting whatever cool air we had out. I had myself and 5 bridesmaids dressing with the make up artist so I had to request a room with a functional aircon which management helped with but alas this room 1804 was no better right now the aircon is still not working. And for ventilation there is a tiny 30mm strip for air to flow out the aircon duct. Front desk just keeps saying it is working just that the pressure is low and I'm not the only guest with this complaint.The pool offers no privacy as non guests are also using both. Parking is also not equipped for the hotel guest capacity and overflow parking is in a dodge area at the back a road away from the hotel. The breakfast area is not equipped to handle the hotel capacity and there's a 1hr wait to get seating if ur not there by half 6am. Safe doesn't work either. The only compliment is for the friendly staff. Best to look at other hotels on the strip like Suncoast towers.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from OnAir02870469082, Manager at Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani
Responded 09 Jan 2020
Thank you for taking the time to complete our recent online survey and for the valuable feedback you have provided. We have noted your comments and ensure you that this is not the standard that we aspire to. The unusual hot temperatures over that period put strain on the hotel and we assure you this has been taking in serious regard for future improvements. We thank you for your patronage .
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Our family have been visiting the elangeni and maharani since I was a kid . Looking back at my last visit 3 years back to the current visit , it’s really sad to say that the service and standards of the hotel have drastically declined.
1. I was in room 830 , the A/c did not work properly throughout my stay and on hot days the room felt damp , this was very unpleasant and was not fixed despite several attempts by maintenance. 1.2 The guest toilet in my room had a sewage smell for a few days , management did manage to fix this eventually .
Points 1 and 2 above were also experienced by other guests , as reference they stayed in rooms 730 and 930 .
2. In room dining did not have milkshakes available for 2 days - the excuse was that they could not get vanilla ice cream , this highlights the state of the hotel and lack of good management. Vanilla ice cream is available at the grocer down the road from the hotel , however no initiative was shown . 3. The staff at breakfast were not pleasant and gave the impression that they did not want to be working - in the past elangeni and maharani stood out for there excellent staff compliment. The breakfast buffet selection is also no longer what it use to be . 4. overall the maharani needs some major maintenance , this is clear from the pealing paint and aged fittings and furnishings. 5. No turn down service anymore
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from OnAir02870469082, Manager at Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani
Responded 09 Jan 2020
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
My family and I return annually for a holiday, this year the service was shocking, the standard of the hotel has dropped drastically, the breakfast was very poor, seems the variety is actually more from the buffet dinner from the night before that is then served as the breakfast. On check in on the 27th, we arrived approximately 2:20pm at the hotel following our transfers from the airport with Europecar,one of the 2 rooms booked was not ready, the front desk assistant only response was “we apologize for the inconvenience”. This was unfortunately our last stay at the Elangeni, will never return.
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Review collected in partnership with Tsogo Sun Hotels
Date of stay: December 2019
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from OnAir02870469082, Manager at Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani
Responded 09 Jan 2020
.
Read more
Report response as inappropriate
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The worst hotel I've ever stayed in, i will never stay here again, when i checked in the foyer was crowded bare in mind we live in Covid times. The hotel service is soo bad that the staff don't even know the difference between good and bad, i moved rooms 3 times during my stay, every time i came back to my hotel room in the evening, housekeeping had not even attempted to clean my room, the carpets stinked, the toilets, showers are blocked, the filters of the aircons have not been changed in years, the hotel standard is of a 1 star, how it still kept its 4star rating i am confused. The food tastes like cardboard. i resorted to take an early check out and find another place to stay, as my issue was not reported or addressed by management, it was disappointing to say the least that only upon me leaving was the matter addressed professional, what a waste of money this was!!
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Date of stay: January 2022
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:Dont book at all
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed at the Maharani towers 25 to 28 October (Tuesday to Friday) - was booked in the Elangeni but on check in was given a room at the Maharani towers. I was allowed an early check in by about an hour so was pleased with that. I was also given parking and being early enough was able to park my car securely instead of being parked on the street. One did not have to pay extra for parking. All rooms have a sea view and room is fairly big and not pokey. Bathroom only had a shower but I was pleasantly surprised given that there are many rooms, I had hot water every time I showered. Given that there are sooo many rooms, I had been a little apprehensive about noise. There was no noise from other guests and was able to sleep very well each evening. Room was promptly serviced each day. Staff were respectful. Negatives - restaurant not open during the day for lunch and dinner - you could order but via room service and work was being done where pool area on the roof was closed.
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Date of stay: October 2022
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:There is no corridor connection between the Maharani and Elangeni - you have to go out on the...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Durban area.
PRICE RANGE
R 1,604 - R 1,903 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
southern sun elangeni durban, elangeni hotel durban
LOCATION
South AfricaKwaZulu-NatalDurban
NUMBER OF ROOMS
449
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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