Umngazi River Bungalows and Spa

March 20, 2016

Well .. this is the second time I’m doing this post 🙁 I had nearly completed it when it disappeared!! Gobbled up by little tiny people inside the computer !! Cannot believe it!! And … it’s not the first time this has happened !!

Soooo .. here I go again ..

After a long 5 hour non-stop drive through the Transkei, we finally reached the turn-off to Umngazi River Bungalows and Spa. 12 kms of narrow, winding road like an obstacle course, having to avoid potholes, goats, cows, donkeys and their poohs !!!!

Yay .. we were close to our destination .. first sight of the sea !!

I liked this sign. A doorway to what we were to expect. Paradise !! Management in cool cotton short sleeved shirts and shorts and for the women, cool cotton simple dresses. Sensible in this heat. And it was hot, very hot and intensely humid. We loved the casual atmosphere, made for relaxing as soon as you walk through the reception arch. Friendly smiles and service from everyone. There’s lots to do for families with kiddies and older children, nannies for babies and littlies if moms and dads want some ‘me time’, and activities aplenty including guided ones. You don’t have to be among the busy people. We went for beautiful beach walks and relaxed at our bungalow with a book. We didn’t explore much and were quite happy chilling!! Next time I shall take a walk to the Spa!

Activities board .. naturally we took the sundowner cruise 😉

Lounge on three levels .. love the bright décor and funky piano ..

The Green Door is a wine cellar where one can enjoy private dining ..

To the pub named after the original owner. Origins of Umngazi which began in 1906 is an interesting read :- http://umngazi.co.za/history.php

Lounge off the pub where there is a large TV screen ..

Covered deck is super cool when there’s a slight breeze from the river ..

Saturday night is fish night! We had been told by everyone who’d been here that we had to make sure we were there for their Saturday night fish night !! The evenings were perfect with most people sitting outside on the deck, hence the empty dining room 😉 I had taken more photos with my cell phone but sadly, and very madly sadly, I have deleted all the Umngazi pics in error. Big big mistake 🙁 All of them!! Not a single one backed up as I do that at home. Anyway, what’s gone is gone .. I had photos and some short videos of the staff serenading us with their traditional song and dance after our fill of crayfish, prawns, mussels, calamari, line fish and more … absolutely yummy!

Hubby petting resident cat, Pondo .. looks rather empty of guests but every table was occupied later ..

Delicious alternatives to fish …

Platters of crayfish kept coming out. We were asked to respect the wishes of the chef by taking one per person, but we noticed several guests going back to seconds and thirds!!

Every Sunday lunch is braai time on the deck situated outside the dining room, and what a delicious spread!

Yummy homemade bread is served at every meal ..

We noticed that quite a few guests had departed by midday – our turn sadly was the following morning

Early evening : A typical family Sunday when dads and kiddies do a spot of fishing and moms chat with chilled wine. In this case members of management and their families spending ‘chill time’ together. What a wonderful place to bring up children !!