Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani

Not a very good experience.... after 2 years of visiting.... lifts not working, over crowded lobby and attitude from staff during breakfast. The rooms was fine, but looked locked in time...

Easy check-in, fabulous view. Peaceful and Quiet. Breakfast was fantastic. Restaurant staff are super helpful and friendly. The pool was stunning and great ambiance. However; 1. The bathroom was not clean. Please see the attached pictures of the hair left behind. 2. Nobody answered our room calls at 6 am 3. No dental kits are given/available 4. There are 0 lights in the ceiling. The side lamps and lights do not provide sufficient lighting. 5. The room was smaller than expected. 6. 1 small bottle of water is provided. The rooms are not provided with any more water except for this one small bottle. If you require more, you have to buy it.

The service was really great. Their staff is helpful. However the rooms are old. My aircon was not working and the stopper in the bath tub didn’t work. I was quite disappointed by that.

The place was absolutely amazing!!!the stay was great, room was great just a bit dusty but it was a pleasant stay. Will be coming back. Breakfast was also excellent

We had a really enjoyable and easy stay for the Comrades Marathon - we stayed 5 nights. The hotel is incredibly well prepared for the big event and makes sure the runners have everything they need. Staff have a willingness to help, even when very busy. Rooms were kept clean, although could do with updating. The gym was pretty well equipped and the spa was decent with reasonable prices for massages etc. Our shower was broken and we didn’t get it resolved despite asking twice, leading to very low pressure, but generally we enjoyed our stay, especially the location and sea views.

We stayed at the Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani over the Easter weekend for 5 nights as a family getaway. The location is absolutely unbeatable—right along the beachfront and very convenient, especially since we were attending an event at Bay of Plenty. On arrival, the lobby made a great first impression with its beautiful decor and ambiance. Check-in was a bit slow due to only one staff member being available at the time, but once it was our turn, the process was smooth and professional. We stayed in an executive room, which was spacious and offered breathtaking views of the ocean. However, the furniture is quite dated and could do with a modern upgrade. We also discovered that underneath the bed was quite dirty—housekeeping came to clean up about 1.5 hours later, but it was disappointing that the room hadn’t been thoroughly cleaned before our arrival. Breakfast was enjoyable and they made an effort to cater to our special dietary needs, although this wasn’t consistent throughout our stay. We also used the pool facilities—while the pool on the 32nd floor is beautiful with incredible views, it was unfortunately ice cold. The same went for the Elangeni pool—neither were heated, which made them difficult to enjoy. Service throughout the stay was mostly efficient and staff were helpful when needed. In summary, the hotel is in a stunning location and has lots of potential, but it’s starting to show its age and would really benefit from some updates, especially in the rooms and facilities. I would recommend it, especially for the location and views, but with some caveats around the maintenance and service consistency.