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3.5
#4 of 7 hotels in Ballito
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Zimbali Lodge is an excellent choice for travellers visiting Ballito, offering a luxury environment alongside many helpful amenities designed to enhance your stay.
For those interested in checking out popular landmarks while visiting Ballito, Fairmont Zimbali Hotel is located a short distance from Ndlondlo Reptile Park (1.4 mi) and Cappeny Estate (3.1 mi).
Guest rooms offer a flat screen TV and air conditioning, and Fairmont Zimbali Hotel makes getting online easy as paid wifi is available.
You can also take advantage of some of the amenities offered by the hotel, including a concierge. In addition, guests can enjoy a pool and a poolside bar during their visit. As an added convenience, there is free parking available to guests.
When you’re feeling hungry, be sure to check out Fiamma Grill, Mo-zam-bik Ballito, and The Galley Beach Bar & Grill, which are some seafood restaurants that are popular with locals and out-of-towners alike.
Ballito is also home to Sugar Rush Park, a popular park that is not too far from Zimbali Lodge.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Luxury
Family
Location
1 Lodge Lane Zimbali Coastal Estate, Ballito 4390 South Africa
This is a lovely resort with lots of trees and very peaceful setting. We booked into a suite as it was a business trip and I needed somewhere quite to work. However, the walls are paper thin and I could hear the guests above and not he side brushing their teeth, using the toilet and their conversations. The resort appeared almost empty. However, when we informed the front desk, I was informed there were only 2 suites in the entire resort and the other one was being used. No offer of a quieter room as it appeared they had placed the few guests in the resort in the same building. Service was very slow and meal options limited. Staff cleaning rooms and serving breakfast were really lovely and worked really hard as there was just one guy looking after all the guests and he tried his best. It was an unstable time because of the pandemic, but I got the impression everyone had given up. It was rather unfortunate as we were hoping to purchase a property here but after our disappointing stay, we made a decision to cancel all planned events there and never go back.
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Date of stay: February 2021
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:The suites face a block of trees and it gets very hot due to frequent load shedding.
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 resort facilities are beautiful and its cleanliness highly impressive. The units are comfortable and well equipped with all that you would need. Lovely touches with bath robes and bedroom slippers and really divine coffee. The breakfast area is well ventilated and the breakfast spread is varied and delicious. My only complaint would be the lack of black out curtains in the units as the sun peeps in very early and disturbs your sleep which is not conducive for a restful and relaxed stay. We also found the security guards at the main gate to be quite aggressive and impatient with us as visitors. The resort needs to inform their visitors that data or a roaming phone is needed in order to access the premises due to the gate codes you receive on check in. None of this was made clear to us and so the process to access the property was challenging and quite an unpleasant experience. I would also advise visitors to be careful in the parking and the walkways between units during wet days as the floors are extremely slippery when you walk.
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Date of stay: February 2023
Rooms
Cleanliness
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.
Third time staying at the lodge over a few years and it's views and setting remain special. However the rooms and blocks are in need of a refurb as starting to look grubby in parts. One of the staff mentioned work has started- block by block so hopefully this takes pace. Breakfast was of good quality though with limited options. Good menu at the restaurant and bar however service can be slow at times. If in the Dolphin Coast and you have not been here would recommend a night or two due to the unique setting. Also no slippers or gowns which was disappointing for a hotel marketed as 'luxury'.
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Date of stay: February 2022Trip 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.
Very sad to see such a lovely place so uncared for & little to no money being spent on the upkeep of the Lodge these past years. Some days it seemed the Lodge swimming pool had not been cleaned/attended to. Bath robe in the bathroom gone, there was always at least one hung up or in the bathroom. Free internet! Internet signal strength / availability was shocking this year. Reception / Check in attitude when booking in could have been better. Key cards supplied for room door did not work, the same happened last year. You have got all the way to the room after checking in & the cards don’t work! Try to use the room telephone to phone reception & it just crackles. Cold tap in bathroom sink leaked. Room had a bad cooking smell when I entered it, cooking extractor filter probably never been changed. I removed the filter & binned it & left it to be cleaned & cooking smell seemed to go.
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Date of stay: December 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.
The lodge itself is about 20 years old, and though it wasn't our first choice, most of the arrangements were good except the room experience.
Checkin was great, staff attitude proffessional and friendly (thanks Nombuso), value for money, pool and bar area great experience.
Look and feel of the Lodge is dated but acceptable - you can immediately see the difference between the Lodge and Resort. Thanks to Joel who tended to our commute needs on a golf cart between the rooms, parking, and reception as it is quite a walk along the narrow jungle like paths.
Everything was great until we had to go to bed - the mould like smell either from the aircon, carpet, or previous flooding was too much to bear. We ended up Nombuso gracefully switching us to other lodge rooms with same problem, and finally checked in at the Fairmont Resort at an additional fee.
I must say though the Lodge rooms are big and appear comfortable, it was not our cup of tea. Thanks to Nombuso and Joel who went out of their way to accomodate us, and finally at the Fairmont resort.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip 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.
Remembering Zimbali from more than 15 years ago,we were excited to holiday there as a family. The resort has grown significantly,with many complicated gates and booms,making travel in and around the resort quite burdensome.Upon arrival,you are expected to present all family members above 16yrs at the welcome centre for biometrics. All drivers need to do biometrics twice. Additional drivers need to pay R110-00 to register and get an access card. After all this,our access cards were troublesome,refused to open at some boom gates and caused us to be locked out at the beach access gate. Fortunately for us ,we managed to get the security guards attention.
If for some reason you get to the wrong gate to exit,north instead of west,the very unfriendly security,refuse to open the booms,despite our proving that we were living there,forcing us to turn and exit another gate.
Having security is compulsory in South Africa,but this type of security unfortunately makes a holiday,unnecessarily stressful and complicated.
The Valley of the pools change room and ablution facility ,should have a full time cleaner during peak season. For a 5 star resort,the condition is disgusting.
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Date of stay: December 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Not a holiday.
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.
Been here 10 years ago, when it was managed by Fairmont resorts. Now on my return, I noticed sadly how a great location experience can be destroyed by incompetent management. People here at resort are very kind andocation still amazing, with roaring sea in front of tropical forest, and personnel are very kind, and trying to make up for continuous inconvenience created by rules designed probably by a drunk weasel. Examples: 1. Place has nice restaurant, BUT you cannot charge on the room. Even for a coffee (70 rands, or 5 euros) we were asked to settle immsdiately, and had to go back to room (300m away) to fetch my credit card. 2. On arrival, we were stopped by security at the gate, who asked a 'code' to enter (they did not accept copy of reservation) which was never provided because (as we were explained later) they cannot send to international mobile numbers. Result: after travelling 7 hours we had to wait I. Front of the gate 20 minutes. 3. They provide towels upon excha ge with bracelets (typical of low-end all-inclusive big resorts), but only at reception, and you can use only at the small pool there. If you go to the beach or beach pool, (20 mins walk away from reception) they will not provide, although they have facilities there. 4. At the beach, internet con e tion is non existant. On the positive side, room was very nice. Probably the new management team did not focus on this, yet😊
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Date of stay: February 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.
We booked a dream spa package that included a one night stay at Zimbali Lodge on the 5 November 2021.
Upon check in we found the reception area & atmosphere to be old, tired & dated. The floor boards creaked as we walked across it
On arrival at our rooms, we were greeted by a musty, stale odour. One of the mattresses was floppy & we could feel the springs. There was no one at the reception area to assist with the complaint that night.
Service at the restaurant was slow, despite the Manageress from the Spa taking our meal orders an hour before our treatments were completed & relaying the message to the restaurant staff to have it ready. The vegetarian meals, starters & desserts were good but unfortunately our main meal of chicken & prawn curry was salty.
Service in the breakfast area the next morning was slow as they had a big group of people to attend to. The Waiter, however, was very pleasant & did apologize for the delay. When our meals arrived we found that despite telling the waiter to substitute the pork sausages & bacon with chicken sausages, he still brought us pork. He did eventually get us the correct order but the sausages were overcooked to a crisp. The vegetarian options were very minimal.
A positive was that there was transportation via golf carts from one point to the next. The drivers were very friendly & accommodating.
In conclusion, I would like to say that having stayed at various 4 & 5 star hotels nationally & internationally, the service we received at the Zimbali Lodge fell short. It was very disappointing considering that it was part of Zimbali Resorts which have a 5 star rating & we expected a higher standard of service. Personally, it does not deserve more than a 2 star rating.
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Date of stay: November 2021
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 booked a 4 bedroom lodge. Please don’t go on the pics of these lodges as they are extremely deceiving. The accomodation had a bad smell, damp walls. The room’s especially kitchen was very dirty with a thick film of dust covering most appliances. Access control is so difficult you think you’re a prisoner. Maintenance manager was young & totally inexperienced. Our private pool & jacuzzi had cracks & was not maintained. We booked for a week & left after 2 days with no refund or compensation. Roxanne the maintenance manager was immature & clueless about hygiene, especially in light of COVID.
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Date of stay: October 2021Trip 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.
This hotel is exceptional. It is intimate and not overcrowded. The most beautiful jungle forest surrounds you. Staff is super friendly. The food is exceptional! Rooms are also beautifully decorated. I was worried about my stay due to some unfavourable reviews on this site, but I highly recommend this hotel. The estate that the hotel Is situated on is extremely safe and secure and beautifully maintained and has the valley of pools and a beach which is like gold if you have kids!!
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Date of stay: December 2021Trip 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.
Pretoria, South Africa401 contributions31 helpful votes
As far as I remember it is R250 pp if it is not already included in your stay. I would suggest to take a 5min drive to Ballito Junction and enjoy your breakfast there.
There are more places to choose from in the Ballito area.
PRICE RANGE
R 2,757 - R 3,563 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
fairmont zimbali hotel ballito, zimbali hotel, zimbali lodge
LOCATION
South AfricaKwaZulu-NatalBallito
NUMBER OF ROOMS
76
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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