By Billy Suter
Durban - Assorted bird warblings and whistlings. Then a sigh and smile at the sound of a close cry of a fish eagle. Eyes open to the sight of assorted butterflies, swaying palm fronds and a blue-blue sky…
All this while simply soaking in an oval, chocolate-coloured bath in the centre of a U-shape of transparent glass walls in a bathroom that reveals an outdoor shower.
We are at the luxurious, four-star Zimbali Forest Suites in the 50-hectare coastal forest on the 700-hectare Zimbali estate in Ballito.
Talk about an idyllic, away-from-it-all setting.
Step out of the bath, saunter through the slatted doors that lead into the bedroom, then go straight ahead on to the private wooden deck and you are under a canopy of dense foliage.
There, in the distance, bright yellow blossoms of canary creepers dot the green waves in the panorama of tree tops around you.
A vervet monkey hops from a branch to the deck railing, then just as quickly scuttles away on seeing me, while below, a blue duiker nonchalantly raises its head before lazily lowering it again to graze.
Ridiculous to think that mere minutes away is the buzzing Ballito Lifestyle Centre.
Open for six years, Zimbali Forest Suites offers wildlife that includes 215 bird species, bush buck, five kinds of mongoose, wild pigs, six kinds of lizard, six kinds of frog and the large-spotted genet.
The getaway offers only 10 units, each of them identical, with an Indonesian design influence and with interiors in harmony with the surroundings.
Each suite offers a bathroom that includes “his” and “her” wardrobes and marble-edged basins, that freestanding tub, and separate indoor and outdoor showers, all with antique-look brass fittings.
With private check-in, access to a private swimming pool and located close to the Zimbali Club House and Zimbali Lodge, Zimbali Forest Suites is ideal as a getaway or a private family retreat. It is also popular with corporate groups, offering two conference rooms, one accommodating 80 delegates, the other 15.
All suites sleep two adults and two children under 12, and offer a king-size bed. Two sofa beds in an adjoining room double as seating at the dining table.
All rooms have air-conditioning, TV in the lounge and bedroom, select DStv channels, safe, radio, telephone, hairdryer, electric razor plug, multi-electric plugs for international use and multi-telephone plugs for computer connection.
A complimentary newspaper is delivered each morning and a 24-hour butler service is available. Both are nice touches, but I truly missed a small sweet treat on my pillow during the nightly turn-down. Such a little thing can mean a lot.
On arrival at the resort you will check in at the Welcome Centre at Gate 5, where you will receive an electronic card that allows boom-gate access to various parts of the resort.
These include Zimbali Lodge and the huge, impressive sea-facing Fairmont Zimbali Hotel, as well as the fun Valley of Pools, a series of circular pools bordering the beach and close to a small restaurant.
The card also allows access to Zimbali’s private beach, and the best way to access all these areas is on the electric golfcart that comes with each unit and for which there’s a R1 000 refundable deposit.
The carefully monitored speed limit on the resort is 40km/h and 25km/h in certain areas.
If you’re not keen to simply relax and unwind, or swim in the pools or at the beach, there’s always the popular 18-hole golf course in the forest, designed by Tim Weiskopf. Open seven days a week, it includes a putting green and driving range.
Or you could take a leisurely meander through the forest and admire the wildlife, fairly tame as we discovered on a sunset stroll.
A trail map is available for forest walks.
All units at Zimbali Forest Suites are located around a central reception area where a lobby wall of ochre plaster of Paris carvings depicting people and various flora and fauna, takes pride of place.
A few steps away is the small, but elegant, Milkwood Restaurant with a fairylight-covered verandah overlooking a rim-flow pool where spa treatments are available on request.
Open for breakfast from 8am to 10.30am, for lunch between noon and 3pm and for dinner from 6pm to 10pm, the restaurant has a small menu.
It offers a nice beef burger with herb mayo, onion marmalade and fries (R75), and a very tasty roasted yellowtail with tartare sauce and salad for R85.
The braised lamb shank pie (R80), although it sounded tasty, was not nearly as good. It was bland, frankly; and came with exactly five wedge chips (one raw) and a simple serving of diced raw tomato.
The lamb curry with sambals (R105) that we ordered from room service the next day was enjoyable, but the roasted sirlion with dull vegetables and a somewhat bitter orange chocolate jus (R125) was another misfire.
All things considered, a bit of a hit and miss meals-wise.
l Zimbali Forest Suites has a special, running until July 14, of R2 499 a suite a night – for two adults and two children under 12. This rate includes bed and breakfast. To book or for more info, phone 032 538 4000 or e-mail [email protected]. The website: www.forestsuites.co.za - The Mercury