Sala was never intended to feel like a hotel in the traditional sense. It was designed to feel more like arriving at the beach home of someone with very good taste, calm spaces, thoughtful details, beautiful textures, and a sense that everything has been considered without trying too hard.
Sala is positioned above Thompson Bay in the KwaZulu-Natal North, about 20 minutes from Durban King Shaka International Airport. It is a very welcoming property that offers you serenity and calm as soon as you arrive. The sound of the ocean is a constant; your shoulders drop, and the atmosphere slows right down.
What appealed to me was waking to the sound of the waves splashing below my room. There is direct access to the beach and a tidal pool for you to avail of a morning dip or ocean-facing yoga classes at sunrise, should that be your want before an unhurried breakfast overlooking the Indian Ocean.
Their food offerings are seasonal, light, relaxed, and elegant from breakfast through to dinner via lunch with a drinks selection and wine list that will not disappoint. Pre and post-dinner drinks include a selection of South African specialities such as “Amarula” (a Baileys-style liqueur, but nicer) and “Bains Whiskey,” which is easy on the palate and is South African distilled. In addition, their gin martinis are a joy and very moreish.
Evenings offer the opportunity to sit around the fire pit listening to the ocean whilst chatting to other guests, should that be your thing. Personally, I rather enjoyed a few after-dinner drinks in the bar before retiring to be met with a turndown service in my elegant and very comfortable suite.
There are spa treatments that focus on wellness and restoration rather than the formality that exists in many properties. In addition, the staff at Sala are attentive though not intrusive as they quickly learn of your needs and wants. There is a sense of letting yourself go to be cosseted by the beauty and attention, both human and in detail, of the all-embracing “Sala Beach House.”
Sala is intentionally small; there are only ten rooms (including a three-bedroom villa), which allows for a far more personal level of high-end hospitality for guests who are offered calm, privacy, space, and understated luxury.
In all rooms are everything one could possibly want, including yoga mats. Transfers are available should visitors desire to be brought to the airport and/or a golf day, a day’s game viewing, or shopping at Gateway in Umhlanga.
It is also the perfect end-of-trip hosting where you have been on the go from very early morning to late at night, done all the box-ticking, and just need to recalibrate before heading home; Sala is the perfect choice. It is also “Fair Trade Tourism Certified,” which in itself tells you all you need to know about this beautiful and peaceful abode.
In conclusion, I would like to thoroughly recommend a stay in Sala Beach House for anything from two to five nights. Personally, I stayed for four nights, and at no time did the urge to move on enter my head. The staff and management are exemplary and couldn’t do enough to ensure that I got what I wanted from my stay.
