Earlier this year I was luckily enough to visit the iconic The Capital Zimbali in Durban. Truly a world-class coastal getaway, The Capital Zimbali is located in Ballito, around 20 minutes north of King Shaka Airport in Durban. The weekend of my stay happened to be a very stormy and rainy weekend in the East Coast but nevertheless The Capital Zimbali had loads to do to keep me busy and it still proved to be an incredible getaway.

MY VERDICT: WORLD CLASS LOCAL "ISLAND-STYLE" RESORT FAMILY GETAWAY

… that unfurls into the ocean, the resort blends organically into a lush natural landscape.
A magnet for fun seekers, families, couples, solo explorers and business travellers; the resort is far enough removed to allow you to step back and take time to enjoy the tranquil surroundings.

I arrived a beautiful red carpet entrance and a friendly welcome from the staff, along with welcome drinks. My stay was at a luxury room and I also experienced breakfast, dinner and the Inverroche Gin Academy at the resort. The room had a stunning ocean view and had a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine delivered to my room.

At a glance:

15km from King Shaka International Airport
Private Championship 5-star Golf Course
+700 Capacity Conference Centre
Private Beach
Signature Wellness Spa
Multiple Restaurants And Bars
Superior collection of accommodation options
Certified Halal Kitchen

The Room

I booked the Luxury Room at The Capital Zimbali. It's a much larger than the usual hotel room at 49 square metres with an open plan layout consisting of the king size bed, large TV, bath tub in the centre of the room, shower, sink, balcony and walk-in closet. It also has a mini-bar, coffee machine, air conditioning and WiFi. I love that the room had a walk-in closet and even that was fully equipped with an iron, blowdryer, safe and even 2 gowns and slippers.

In terms of design, I would say the room is semi-modern. It has The Capital's ultra modern style with a touch of old school luxury. The sea-view from the room was stunning, overlooking a bed of trees and the classical Zimbali Estate style orange roofs. The view from the room also consisted of the stunning, iconic pool area.

Dinner at Copper Restaurant

On the first night of my stay I had the buffet dinner at Copper Restaurant. Lucky for me the restaurant was literally around the corner from my room so I didn't even need to walk far. I'm not even being dramatic when I say, for me it was the best dinner buffet ever. The wide selection of food and cuisines was impeccable. Of course I had to go for a classic Durban curry which I've been craving for the longest time. But I also indulged in some oysters, salmon and sushi. The vibe during the dinner was also incredible with live music and a very international mix of guests.

Breakfast at Copper Restaurant

The next morning we woke up to stormy weather but luckily this cozy resort also catered for a day in. I headed back to Copper Restaurant for breakfast. Something I must commend The Capital Zimbali on is their selection of food at their restaurants. Breakfast at Copper Restaurant presented me with another wide array of options. I mean, can we take a moment for the fact that I had the option of sushi for breakfast? Always love when breakfast buffets have that. Just know that you'll be spoilt for choice.

After breakfast I headed back to the room, put on the cozy gown and had the most amazing nap to the sound of rain.

Inverroche Gin Academy at Zimbali

Experience a world of flavour and invite your senses to see, smell and taste.
Your 3 hour experience includes:
An Inverroche welcome drink and canapes during the class (and some gin tasting of course)
Gin Distillation Masterclass where you’ll produce your own personalised 500ml bottle of Inverroche gin to take home and enjoy

I had the incredibly unique experience of creating my own gin at the Zimbali Gin Academy. You get a welcome drink on arrival (G&T of course) at the Poison Ivy Lounge, an elegant cigar lounge at the resort. The Gin Academy is hosted by Inverroche, my favourite local gin brand. The instructor takes you through your personal gin distilling experience and you get to create a completely unique gin based on your preferences. During this experience you distil your gin using the steep and boil process (Placing your botanicals in a bag and soaking it in the base spirit before being boiled).

You are able to choose your base gin botanical, top note botanical and additional botanicals which all contribute to the flavour. While you wait for your gin to distill, you head back to the Poison Ivy Lounge for some delicious sweet and savoury canapès. I was surprised to find out that afterwards we got to do gin tasting as part of the experience. It was my first time gin tasting and I got learn so much about different gins as well as discover which Inverroche gin is my favourite (Hint, it's the pink one!)

At the end of the experience I walked away with my own unique bottle of gin, amazing memories and lots of newly found knowledge on gin too! The Inverroche Gin Academy is an incredible, unique experience in Durban that I would highly recommend for a special occasion like a birthday or anniversary.

Fireroom Zimbali

After the Gin making experience, we headed to Fireroom at Zimbali, another restaurant conveniently located at the resort. I absolutely love Fireroom and often visit the one at Montecasino in Johannesburg and was so excited to see that they've opened a Durban branch too! We ordered some Inverroche Gin (Of course) and some classic Fireroom flaming sushi.

The next morning we had breakfast at Copper Restaurant, and just like that it was time to head back to Johannesburg! I would definitely like to experience The Capital Zimbali again and hopefully in better weather to enjoy the tropical vibes at the pool and beach but this stay proved to me that come rain or shine, there's loads to do at the hotel!