Blue Waters Hotel
175 Snell Parade North Beach, Durban 4056 South Africa
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Avg. R 1,272 /night, 12/5 - 12/6
R 2,416
per night
R 1,844
per night
R 1,272
per night
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3.5
#19 of 55 hotels in DurbanLocation
Rooms
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
The Blue Waters Hotel is a three star beach front hotel located on Durban's famous Golden Mile in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The Blue Waters Hotel specializes in offering the best accommodation at affordable rates to corporate business, honeymooners, sports teams, groups and holiday makers alike. We also specialize in hosting unforgettable wedding receptions. We have a number of wedding venues to choose from depending on the size of the function required. The hotel offers business conference and function facilities for small to large events.
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Property amenities
Paid public parking on-site
Wifi
Pool
Free breakfast
Beach
Conference facilities
Banquet room
24-hour security
Car park
Indoor pool
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Breakfast buffet
Meeting rooms
Baggage storage
Concierge
Non-smoking hotel
24-hour front desk
Dry cleaning
Laundry service
Room features
Air conditioning
Private balcony
Room service
Safe
Refrigerator
Flatscreen TV
Room types
Ocean view
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
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
Marina View
Bay View
Languages Spoken
English
Location
175 Snell Parade North Beach, Durban 4056 South Africa
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.
Grade: 67 out of 100
67
King Shaka Intl Airport
26.8 km•
See all flights
Pietermaritzburg Airport
65.1 km•
See all flights
Car Hire
15 Restaurants
within 0.5 kilometers
836Reviews17Q+A100Room tips
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Detailed Reviews
Booked here for my birthday during the covid lockdown in Jan 2021
I was really impressed with the protocols that were followed to ensure that guest were kept safe ,
from the entrance to the rooms
Rooms are big and airy with a beautiful layout and are exceptionally clean.
will only recommend that a-joining rooms should be kept for family booking extra rooms and not for different guest .
Breakfast had a variety to choose from
Overall experience was beautiful and will recommend this hotel
I was really impressed with the protocols that were followed to ensure that guest were kept safe ,
from the entrance to the rooms
Rooms are big and airy with a beautiful layout and are exceptionally clean.
will only recommend that a-joining rooms should be kept for family booking extra rooms and not for different guest .
Breakfast had a variety to choose from
Overall experience was beautiful and will recommend this hotel
Read more
Date of stay: January 2021
Value
Rooms
Service
Room Tip: best views are the front rooms with the balconies
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 Guest Services Manager, Guest Services / Front Office at Blue Waters Hotel
Responded 15 Mar 2021
Dear Roxanne. Thank you for taking the time to share such a fantastic review with us from your most recent stay at The Blue Waters Hotel. On behalf of the entire team, we are very proud to read that our staff delivered such a memorable service throughout your stay. We look forward to your return in the near future. Yours in Hospitality, Kirsten Anthony, Guest Services Manager.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
the room was comfortable and clean. I was however unfortunately not happy with the dining experience. The waitrons were not attentive and the food was unfortunately of mediocre quality although the price was reflective of a much higher quality experience.
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Date of stay: July 2019
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 BlueW, Guest Services Liaison at Blue Waters Hotel
Responded 12 Feb 2020
Dear Valued Guest. Thank you for your valued feedback regarding your stay at The Blue Waters Hotel. We are pleased to hear you enjoyed the comfort of the room. Your concern raised regarding the Versailles Restaurant has been acknowledged and reported to relevant departments for staff to be taken for further training to improve on our services provided to our Guests. We thank you for providing this feedback. We do hope we have the privilege of welcoming you back in the near future. Yours in Hospitality, Kirsten Anthony, Guest Services Liaison.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This hotel was highly rated & promoted on the hotel app I used, and was quite affordable.
To be fair, the hotel itself was OK. It was spotlessly clean, the breakfast buffet was extensive & exactly what you’d expect at a large hotel.
The swimming pools (one outside, one inside) were just as shown on the website photos, the bar was nice and although I didn’t eat a non-breakfast meal in the restaurant I wouldn’t have worried about doing so if other options had run out.
The one moan about the actual hotel was the lifts. The place has far too many rooms for the 4 lifts, two of which only go half way up the building. I spent far more time than I ought to waiting for lifts to get me up & down from the 12th floor, and this became an annoyance as my 5 day stay went on. On a few occasions I gave up waiting & resorted to the stairs, which is fine coming down but tests the legs going up !
The big downside for this hotel is the location, which sounds strange given that my room afforded great views out to sea.
You’ve only got to go one street back from the beachfront to encounter lots of homeless & shops with barred windows. I was warned by locals not to walk-in the area after dark, and definitely not to stray from the beachfront itself. This situation was made worse by the national “load shedding” policy of daily planned electricity blackouts, which turned out the streetlights and plunged the area into complete darkness for a couple of hours at a time.
In addition to the safety aspect, the area lacked a decent cafe, bar & restaurant scene. Even the venues along the beachfront have a tired and downmarket feel to them.
As & when I return to the area I’ll stay in the nearby Umhlanga area which is much more upmarket & tourist friendly.
In summary … nice hotel in an unsafe location.
To be fair, the hotel itself was OK. It was spotlessly clean, the breakfast buffet was extensive & exactly what you’d expect at a large hotel.
The swimming pools (one outside, one inside) were just as shown on the website photos, the bar was nice and although I didn’t eat a non-breakfast meal in the restaurant I wouldn’t have worried about doing so if other options had run out.
The one moan about the actual hotel was the lifts. The place has far too many rooms for the 4 lifts, two of which only go half way up the building. I spent far more time than I ought to waiting for lifts to get me up & down from the 12th floor, and this became an annoyance as my 5 day stay went on. On a few occasions I gave up waiting & resorted to the stairs, which is fine coming down but tests the legs going up !
The big downside for this hotel is the location, which sounds strange given that my room afforded great views out to sea.
You’ve only got to go one street back from the beachfront to encounter lots of homeless & shops with barred windows. I was warned by locals not to walk-in the area after dark, and definitely not to stray from the beachfront itself. This situation was made worse by the national “load shedding” policy of daily planned electricity blackouts, which turned out the streetlights and plunged the area into complete darkness for a couple of hours at a time.
In addition to the safety aspect, the area lacked a decent cafe, bar & restaurant scene. Even the venues along the beachfront have a tired and downmarket feel to them.
As & when I return to the area I’ll stay in the nearby Umhlanga area which is much more upmarket & tourist friendly.
In summary … nice hotel in an unsafe location.
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Date of stay: December 2022Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip: Think carefully about whether the location suits your needs. Lacks a decent cafe, bar &...
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.
We were booked to stay for 3 nights at the Blue Waters Hotel in a North facing sea view room, and from the moment we walked into our room we were very disappointed.
The rooms overlook a derelict building that is being utilized by vagabonds and tramps. Litter and building rubble fills the open park in front of the hotel, and more disturbing, these rooms look down onto the hotel's rubbish tip.
The hotel's bar is also situated on the bottom floor underneath the north facing rooms, and from lunchtime onwards they play loud and repetitive house music. The bass is so disturbing that one has to close the door to keep the sound out.
Noisy neighbors also woke us up at 01.00.
To compensate and drown out the noise, we had to run the air conditioning system. There was no way of setting or changing the temperature as the AC was either set on high or low.
There was also a strong mildew smell and mildew on the wall above the ac, right next to the bed.
Maintenance and housekeeping of the rooms are very poor, with furniture chipping. The room was only cleaned after 13.00 in the afternoon, and even then, the housekeeper neglected to refill the room's tea and coffee station.
The only plus sides of the hotel is the breakfast service, that offers a great selection. Staff were generally friendly and helpful.
It is sad to see that this hotel is becoming so run down, as it has so much potential.
The rooms overlook a derelict building that is being utilized by vagabonds and tramps. Litter and building rubble fills the open park in front of the hotel, and more disturbing, these rooms look down onto the hotel's rubbish tip.
The hotel's bar is also situated on the bottom floor underneath the north facing rooms, and from lunchtime onwards they play loud and repetitive house music. The bass is so disturbing that one has to close the door to keep the sound out.
Noisy neighbors also woke us up at 01.00.
To compensate and drown out the noise, we had to run the air conditioning system. There was no way of setting or changing the temperature as the AC was either set on high or low.
There was also a strong mildew smell and mildew on the wall above the ac, right next to the bed.
Maintenance and housekeeping of the rooms are very poor, with furniture chipping. The room was only cleaned after 13.00 in the afternoon, and even then, the housekeeper neglected to refill the room's tea and coffee station.
The only plus sides of the hotel is the breakfast service, that offers a great selection. Staff were generally friendly and helpful.
It is sad to see that this hotel is becoming so run down, as it has so much potential.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip 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.
Right on Durban's stylish Indian Ocean waterfront the Blue Waters offers good quality accommodation at an affordable price. Everything you would expect is present. The welcoming, friendly and very efficient staff enhanced our stay. The menu provides a mouth watering range of food enough to satisfy every appetite. The public areas allow socialising. Rooms are well serviced to maintain an excellent standard of comfort and cleanliness. After an enjoyable stay I will have no hesitation to return
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
Value
Location
Service
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.
We spent four nights at the Blue Waters Hotel. We had a wonderful stay. We had a beautiful room that overlooked the beach and ocean. Our room was very spacious and had a balcony. It had an easy chair, a small table, lots of shelves, a desk & chair and a refrigerator. The bathroom seemed huge. Plenty of counter space and a large shower. Everyone working here was extremely helpful. Porters would help you with your luggage. There was always someone at the reception desk. We used their laundry service. I thought it was reasonably priced.
The hotel has a restaurant and a bar. The bar can make pizzas. The pizzas were pretty good and only cost around $5.
Their morning breakfast was excellent. They had chefs cooking eggs to order. You could serve yourself scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and other side dishes that changed every day. One day they served the best beans I’ve ever eaten. They also had waffles, toast, cereal, fruit, pastries. Waiters would bring you tea or whatever kind of coffee you wanted.
My only complaint is that the elevators were kind of slow. You sometimes had to wait quite a while before one showed up.
The hotel has a restaurant and a bar. The bar can make pizzas. The pizzas were pretty good and only cost around $5.
Their morning breakfast was excellent. They had chefs cooking eggs to order. You could serve yourself scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and other side dishes that changed every day. One day they served the best beans I’ve ever eaten. They also had waffles, toast, cereal, fruit, pastries. Waiters would bring you tea or whatever kind of coffee you wanted.
My only complaint is that the elevators were kind of slow. You sometimes had to wait quite a while before one showed up.
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Date of stay: March 2023
Rooms
Location
Service
Room Tip: Get a room on the 10th floor or lower. Not all of the elevators go above the 10th floor.
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.
This hotel has a great location on Durban North however that's all it has going for it.
The hotel lacks management.
When making the booking I got a rate off booking.com
I phoned the hotel to see if there was any benefit and or saving to be made if I booked directly with them.
I waited on hold for reservations for a long time only to be told they cannot beat the online rate and I should book with booking.com
I arrived at the hotel early. (Around 10h30).
I put my name down at reception and stored my luggage.
Reception confirmed they had some early check outs and took my number to call me back when a room became available.
Needless to say, no phone call was received.
I returned to the hotel at 14h30.
I asked the same receptionist who checked me in why he did not call me to be looked at with a blank stare.
I stayed in room 810.
It was incredibly noisy.
We complained three times about the aircon not working. This went unattended to.
The window facing the passage could not close throughout our stay. This complaint also went unattended to.
I took a picture for insurance in the event my room was broken into.
It's truly sad to see such a large hotel being run so poorly.
The hotel lacks management.
When making the booking I got a rate off booking.com
I phoned the hotel to see if there was any benefit and or saving to be made if I booked directly with them.
I waited on hold for reservations for a long time only to be told they cannot beat the online rate and I should book with booking.com
I arrived at the hotel early. (Around 10h30).
I put my name down at reception and stored my luggage.
Reception confirmed they had some early check outs and took my number to call me back when a room became available.
Needless to say, no phone call was received.
I returned to the hotel at 14h30.
I asked the same receptionist who checked me in why he did not call me to be looked at with a blank stare.
I stayed in room 810.
It was incredibly noisy.
We complained three times about the aircon not working. This went unattended to.
The window facing the passage could not close throughout our stay. This complaint also went unattended to.
I took a picture for insurance in the event my room was broken into.
It's truly sad to see such a large hotel being run so poorly.
Read more
Date of stay: March 2022Trip type: Travelled with friends
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.
Excellent location on the beachfront. Pleasant stay but hotel does need investment in their lifts - they are too slow which creates frustration with guests. The hotel needs to improve the efficiency of their reception and check in process which is laborious and creates long queues where there is insufficient space to accommodate the guests. Room was clean and tidy and spacious. Air conditioner is dated and therefore quite noisy. Breakfast was good with variety but do note that while it is a buffet - you cannot serve yourself with bacon - there is a server to ensure small portions.
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Date of stay: January 2023Trip type: Travelled solo
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: Avoid reception area and lifts between 2pm and 3pm - quite chaotic as guests check in
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.
The room was neat and clean. However, I got hit on by one of the chefs at breakfast and it seemed as if the rest of the staff became aware of his advances as they would look at me strangely.
I cut my foot on the beach and requested a plaster from reception but nothing was provided.
The room cards deactivate if they are close to your other cards or cellphone, this made it very inconvenient because I had to go to reception multiple times to get the card reprogrammed.
Note that any extra toiletries will come with a charge, so don't forget anything.
I cut my foot on the beach and requested a plaster from reception but nothing was provided.
The room cards deactivate if they are close to your other cards or cellphone, this made it very inconvenient because I had to go to reception multiple times to get the card reprogrammed.
Note that any extra toiletries will come with a charge, so don't forget anything.
Read more
Date of stay: July 2024Trip type: Travelled on business
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.
The location with views over the Moses Mabhida Stadium and the sea made it possible to view sunrise and sunset from the balcony. Restaurants' menu for lunch and dinner very basic with limited options for eating-in. room service better than eating in restaurant. Breakfast is on standard with mainstream hotels. Toiletries, towels and linen are of good quality!
Read more
Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Travelled on business
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.
Best to call the hotel and ask them
Best to email them or call them 0313277000
"High floors have a great view, but elevators are very slow and only two go beyond the 10th floor."Read full review
"Make sure you view your room before accepting , Check the bathroom especially . Parking is limited and cannot be pre-booked."Read full review
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PRICE RANGE
R 872 - R 1,744 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
blue waters hotel durban, blue waters durban
LOCATION
South AfricaKwaZulu-NatalDurban
NUMBER OF ROOMS
262
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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Claim Your ListingBLUE WATERS HOTEL - UPDATED 2024 Reviews & Price Comparison (Durban, South Africa)
Frequently Asked Questions about Blue Waters Hotel
Which popular attractions are close to Blue Waters Hotel?
Nearby attractions include Suncoast Casino (0.5 km), Mini Town (0.5 km), and Blue Lagoon (0.02 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Blue Waters Hotel?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include an indoor pool, free breakfast, and an on-site restaurant.
Which room amenities are available at Blue Waters Hotel?
Top room amenities include air conditioning, a flat screen TV, and a refrigerator.
What food & drink options are available at Blue Waters Hotel?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
Is parking available at Blue Waters Hotel?
Yes, a parking garage and paid public parking on-site are available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Blue Waters Hotel?
Conveniently located restaurants include The Grill Jichana Durban, Havana Grill, and NIKOS Suncoast.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Blue Waters Hotel?
Yes, guests have access to an indoor pool during their stay.
Are any cleaning services offered at Blue Waters Hotel?
Yes, dry cleaning and laundry service are offered to guests.
Does Blue Waters Hotel offer any business services?
Yes, it conveniently offers meeting rooms, a banquet room, and conference facilities.
Are there any historical sites close to Blue Waters Hotel?
Many travellers enjoy visiting The Old Fort (1.4 km).
Does Blue Waters Hotel have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the ocean view available here.